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Comment 17 of 17, added on May 26th, 2008 at 9:40 AM.
"Years later I managed to get an LP of Linday reciting his poems, from
Caedmon Records, which is out of business, I think."
Caedmon is still in business (a HarperCollins imprint), but they have not
reissued TC 1041, which is unfortunate. Nicholas Cave Lindsay *also*
recorded "The Congo" for Caedmon, TC 1216. I have not heard the latter,
but it would likely be an interesting comparison.
Otto
Comment 16 of 17, added on February 21st, 2008 at 2:59 PM.
i do really need to understand it please analyze it part by part for me coz
im a third year high school and i don't that much good in english so far
specially in this kind of poem please help me to understand it... kindly
please send me e-mail
Laurist from Philippines
Comment 15 of 17, added on January 27th, 2008 at 10:21 PM.
I read the comments and I am struck by the diversity of the understanding
of "The Congo". I find this poem so very beautiful, that it hurts to think
of some people reading racism and such into it. It will always be my
favorite no matter what negative ideas some people might read into it.
Vilma
Vilma Lagdameo from Philippines
Comment 14 of 17, added on June 1st, 2007 at 5:23 PM.
I made an embarassing typo. It was not a photograph record, it was a
PHONOGRAPH record!! of Lindsay reading his poetry...
Amy Hoffman from Canada
Comment 13 of 17, added on June 1st, 2007 at 5:18 PM.
My mother, who was born in 1924, was of a generation that had to memorize
poetry in school. Ma often recited "The Congo", usually while washing
dishes. She said when she went to high school, the school had photograph
records of Lindsay reciting this poem and many kids were very taken with
it! Years later I managed to get an LP of Linday reciting his poems, from
Caedmon Records, which is out of business, I think. One does need to HEAR
how Lindsay recited, in order to do it right. We kids all learned The
Congo too. I wish I still had that recording but at times I wound up
homeless and losing everything, including the record, but at least I have
The Congo in memory.
Amy Hoffman from Canada
Comment 12 of 17, added on April 4th, 2007 at 9:53 AM.
Hello I'm doing a speech on peotry and I have to read something. When I
came across Vacheal Lindsey's poem, The Congo- It in inspired me so much.
It touched me, by the way eery detail is explained. I really love this
peome
Kayla from United States
Comment 11 of 17, added on April 17th, 2006 at 9:00 PM.
hello! i am doing a poetry ringo assignment in my language class and you
are one of the authors who's poems we have to find!! i love poetry and
write it whenever i can!
Hailey from United States
Comment 10 of 17, added on March 24th, 2006 at 8:54 AM.
No doubt a curious coincidence, but in places the meter of the poem sounds
a great deal like modern hip-hop or rap...
ED from United States
Comment 9 of 17, added on March 1st, 2006 at 9:58 AM.
It might be unwitting on the part of Lindsay, but his poem is racially
offensive. It stereotypes 'Congo, King of the Jungle' and 'mumbo jumbo' as
scary and incomprehensible African stuff. That's why www.the-latest.com has
taken the case up with Finland's Ombudsman for Minorities, Mikko
Puumalainen, after a senior Finnish minister Antti Kalliomaki quoted the
poem in parliament and caused offence. Mr Puumalainen wrote to Finance
Minister Kalliomaki and got an assurance from him that he did not intend to
insult Black people and he would not use the same words again.
gladstone wadsworth from United Kingdom
Comment 8 of 17, added on January 29th, 2006 at 10:10 PM.
What a very small world this is, full of coincidences. I was checking out
aerial views of my family's houses and I have a sister who is an English
professor who lives in Springfield. I noticed that they named the streets
after authors at the U of Illinois, so I looked up Vachel Linsdsey, not
remembering what he was famous for and there it was : The Congo! I read
that poem to my sister when she was maybe 4 years old and she learned it
(probably one of her reasons for becoming an English professor). We lived
in the East Village in New York in an apartment four flights up. Who would
have thought she'd end up in Springfield! Guess we come full circle.
Still a memorable piece.
Linda from United States
This poem has been commented on more than 10 times. Click below to see the other comments.
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"Years later I managed to get an LP of Linday reciting his poems, from
Caedmon Records, which is out of business, I think."
Caedmon is still in business (a HarperCollins imprint), but they have not
reissued TC 1041, which is unfortunate. Nicholas Cave Lindsay *also*
recorded "The Congo" for Caedmon, TC 1216. I have not heard the latter,
but it would likely be an interesting comparison.
Otto