Jean+Toom

= __**Jean Toomer**__ = = __**By: Jeremy Gillis **__ =

Jean Toomber was born December 26th, 1894 as Nathan Pinchback Toomer. His family were decedents of African culture, but they could pass as white. His father abandoned him in 1895, forcing his mother and Nathan Jr. to move in with his grandfather. His grandfather insisted to call him Eugene instead of Nathan. His grandfather was the only black state governor in the union, but that did not help the attitudes of the fatherless Eugene.

After graduating high school, Eugene went to many different colleges, getting no degree in some of them. After studying in the University of New York he found a great interest in literature. When he started writing he wrote based on racial and democratic idealism. In 1920 he gave up writing and went into Eastern Philosophy. In 1931 while doing a psychology experiment, he met and married Margery Latimer who died giving birth to a daughter. In 1934 he married again to Marjorie Content who he remained with until his death. In the 1950's he became crippled from arthritis and died on March 30th 1967.

**A Certain Man**

A certain man wishes to be a prince Of this earth; he also wants to be A saint and master of the being-world. Conscience cannot exist in the first: The second cannot exist without conscience. Therefore he, who has enough conscience To be disturbed but not enough to be Compelled, can neither reject the one Nor follow the other...

Meaning-The man wants to be someone else, and is trying to be multiple people. There is no way to have only one show, for the other's conscience is still there. People need to select one person and be themselves, and leave the other behind.

"A Certain Man by Jean Toomer." //PoemHunter.Com - Thousands of poems and poets.. Poetry Search Engine//. N.p., n.d. Web. 4 Apr. 2011. . "The biography of Jean Toomer - life story ." //PoemHunter.Com - Thousands of poems and poets.. Poetry Search Engine//. N.p., n.d. Web. 25 Apr. 2011. .