The poem is a reflection on an incident in the narrator’s childhood that has had an effect on his life. It starts out with a light-hearted, gleeful tone. The narrator is traveling in Baltimore, he is excited to be there, expressing hopefulness for the experiences he will have in this new place. The mood shifts in the second stanza, when the narrator notices a “Baltimorean” looking at him and smiles at the Baltimorean, but the Baltimorean sticks his tongue out and calls the narrator a “Nigger.” The tone in the last stanza is sombre compared to the beginning gleeful tone. The narrator switches to the present and reflects on how, out of the whole time spent in Baltimore, this is the only experience that he remembers.
As for the structure and rhyme scheme of the poem, it has three stanzas, each with four lines. The second line and fourth line of each stanza rhyme. The lines alternate from a line with eight syllables to one with six syllables (in the first stanza) or seven syllables (in the next two stanzas). The rhyme scheme and the length of the lines lead to a rambling rhythm that flows nicely.…show more content… In a way, the lack of specific details about the narrator, and about the incident in general, makes the poem more relatable and more focused on the main topic. Many have experienced disappointment, when hopeful that a new place, situation, etc. would be better than the previous, and many have experienced the insults and rejections from peers due to perceived