Claude McKay’s poem‚ If We Must Die‚ is a poem about racial inequality and persecution with a very angry tone. The words of this poem exude with the poet’s rage against the injustices done to his race. His hatred of the inequality is evident in his harsh descriptions of his persecutors. However‚ the reader can also feel the emotions of triumph because "If We Must Die" is also a poem of strength‚ rally and hope for the African American race. In the opening line‚ McKay urges his people not to die
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Claude McKay Claude McKay was one of the most influential figures in twentieth-century African American literature. When mentioning controversial writers‚ Claude McKay comes to mind. He was first of many African American writers who became known for speaking his mind through literature during the early 1900’s. He used his gift of creativity with words to express his feelings on various issues. Claude McKay is an unforgettable African-American writer who was influenced by his culture as well as
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through their art. One person famous for expressing his feelings during these times through his poems was Claude McKay. McKay believed that change was in order and the black community needed to do something in order to make that change. In the poem “If We Must Die‚” Claude McKay calls for racial pride against white oppression through his use of similes‚ metaphors‚ contradictions‚ and biblical allusions. McKay uses a simile to introduce his trope of blacks being hogs trapped in the city. He also establishes
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Analysis of ‘America’ by Claude McKay ‘America’ by Claude McKay is an interesting poem that brings out its theme by using metaphors and personification. The diction used in the poem is also eye catching; communicating more than what meets the eye. Generally‚ the poem takes readers through strong emotions of attachment and hate‚ while at the same time magnifying the issues in the society. This poem can be considered a standard sonnet‚ which is made up of a couplet and three quatrains that have been
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In the poem "If We Must Die" by Claude McKay‚ the author cries out to his audience -to his men at arms- to fight back against those that oppress them and are intent to kill them. Though not as rich in poetic symbolism as the poems by Emily Dickinson and George Herbert‚ McKay’s poem evokes a stronger and more inspiring emotional reaction. He achieves this through his rhyme and rhythm scheme‚ through alliteration and repetition‚ and through animal imagery. They shall be examined in reverse order.
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Claude McKay & Dialectical Analysis In Claude McKay’s‚ “Old England” and “Quashie to Buccra” McKay uses dialect as a way to give poems multiple meanings. What may be seen as a simplistic or naïve poem about Jamaican life may actually be full of double meanings that only a select audience would be able to identify. In his poem’s‚ McKay ultimately gives Negros who work under white colonists the underlying message of black resistance by revolution. Perhaps what makes this interpretation so
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“America” is a poem written by prominent Harlem Renaissance writer Claude McKay. In this poem we are told about life in America through the narrator’s point of view. It is through the narrator’ experience that McKay delivers his message‚ America will one day lose its greatness if it continues in its evil ways. Personification and diction is used to convey this message. Personification is used to give human-like qualities to America. Diction is used to explain how the hostility he/she experiences
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HUM 152 15 April 2011 Identity Struggles of Claude McKay For many American immigrants‚ actually arriving in their new country is only half the battle; then begins the struggle to find a home‚ secure a job‚ and begin their lives all over again. American immigrants also struggle to achieve the balance of keeping their native culture alive‚ while adapting to their new country’s identity. This was especially hard for Harlem Renaissance writer Claude McKay‚ as he was born in Jamaica‚ strongly identified
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The life and Writings of Claude McKay Introduction Every literary period can be defined by a group of writers. For the Harlem Renaissance‚ which was an extraordinary eruption of creativity among Black Americans in all fields of art‚ Claude McKay was the leader. Claude McKay was a major asset to the Harlem Renaissance with his contributions of such great pieces of writings such as "If We Must Die" and "The Lynching." McKay wrote in many different styles. His work which vary from "dialect verse
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Claude McKay was a poet during the Harlem Renaissance period and considered himself a voice of his people. A poet projecting the feelings of the colored youth as well as the African American community‚ who did not have one. “America” by Claude McKay is a sonnet that does not explore the meaning of love like traditional sonnets do‚ but instead McKay uses the form of a sonnet to express the rage and frustration the African Americans were feeling during that time period. A sonnet is one of the oldest
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