Claude McKay was a Jamaican poet who created a literary movement and heavily influenced the tone for the Harlem Renaissance. In “If We Must Die”‚ he expresses how he wants to retaliate for prejudice and abuse of African-Americans within a english sonnet. McKay employs the english sonnet form to create a couplet that explains the purpose of this fight as the quatrains describe how they will fight. In the first quatrain McKay introduces the the issue; it is announced that they are being attacked.
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The poem “ If We Must Die” by Claude McKay is a response to Red Summer of 1919. The Red Summer is a series of race riots that took place in over thirty cities in the United States. In the poem the speaker is insisting that he and his comrades are being attacked and they know that they are not going to make it out alive. Since the speaker and his allies know that their demise is definite‚ they want to die fighting with honor and like men. Mckay uses a variety of literary forms when writing this poem
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It is popular consensus that Claude McKay was an influential intellectual leader during the Harlem Renaissance‚ however‚ many people dispute Claude McKay’s writing prose as well as his personal literary itinerary in regards to African American matters‚ which raises the question‚ “Assertive? Or offensive?” Is it possible to declare assertion without being offensive? These are just a few questions which developed while reading the profile of Claude McKay in addition to a few of his publications‚ in
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people die meaninglessly or die in honor? During the 1920s‚ the Harlem Renaissance‚ was created for African American to express themselves as free people. At that period of time‚ without showing any respect from the white‚ African American was still treated unequally. But they will want the whites to acknowledge them‚ so they express themselves by showing what they can do such as‚ music‚ film‚ and literature. Through the use of key phrases and metaphor‚ in the poem ¨If We Must Die” by Claude McKay
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The poem is primarily about the racism Africans face in the world. Africans should not be treated as though they are inferior; they deserve respect and honor. No matter what others say‚ Africans are ready to fight for their rights. In this poem‚ ‘If We Must Die’‚ his use of imagery and word choice contributes to the overall theme of justice for minorities.At first glance‚ this poem may seem as though it will preach about seizing the day and achieving what you want in life. However‚ once the poem is
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The captivating true words of writers Claude McKay‚ James Weldon‚ and Jean Toomer resemble the atrocious events of the past couple months of the multiple homicidal murders and brutality by law enforcement against African Americans. Nothing is more dangerous than sincere ignorance and stupidity. The year of 1619 was the beginning of slavery in our country by the Europeans and did not end until 1865 ‚ and it wasn’t until almost fifty years later in 1913 that a white man was finally persecuted and
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moved to the U.S. where he spent most of his years writing. Claude quickly learned that racism was a social norm and segregation was a none to be a part of life. The poem “If we must die” on page 1005 vol.1. “If we must die‚ let it not be like hogs Hunted and penned in an inglorious spot‚”. Was understood to be written towards the white man‚ to show the fact is‚ they are not fighting for survival; they already know they will die. This poem is a great example‚ showing how racism was a huge factor on
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If We Must Die By: Claude McKay If We Must Die‚ by Claude McKay is a sonnet written during the Harlem Renaissance period; a period where there was a flowering of African-American literature and art‚ (1919- mid 1930s). Though the Harlem Renaissance period was a time of thriving people and culture in the African-American community‚ prejudice was still very much active; something African-Americans knew first hand. There was still much discrimination put against them; something that this poem happens
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Claude McKay is a man who spans national boundaries‚ literary genres‚political identities‚ and even his own time. Born in the country of Jamaica in 1890‚ McKay was a talented young man. As a Jamaican immigrant to the United States‚ Claude McKay’s writing spanned many complex themes‚ both from his experiences of life in Jamaica and his life in the United States. His early writings would be focused on his life in Jamaica. They would go on to win several literary awards‚ allowing McKay to fund a trip
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In rhyme and meter‚ Claude McKay’s “If We Must Die” generally conforms to the conventions of a Shakespearean sonnet‚ but at several moments throughout the poem‚ McKay also strays from the rules of the English sonnet. In composing his poem in the style of the traditional Shakespearean sonnet‚ McKay creates a clear narrative that is both easy to follow and equally artistic. However‚ in deviating from this conventional style‚ McKay draws attention to specific phrases that contribute greatly to the contrasting
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