The Tropics in New York was written by Claude McKay in 1920. McKay was born in Jamaica in 1890 and immigrated to the United States in 1912. The twenty-two years that he lived in Jamaica gave him inspiration for this poem. The poem includes masterful imagery and other literary devices. The poem starts with McKays somewhat cheerful description of luscious tropical fruits: Bananas ripe and green‚ and ginger-root‚ / Cocoa in pods and alligator pears‚ (lines 1-2). At this point‚ the reader is not sure
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Shaymeon Robertson AP English Literature 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
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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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Abstract The following paper focuses on the two poets of the Harlem Renaissance – Claude McKay and James Weldon Johnson. Their role and importance within the literary movement is identified‚ and the major themes of their poems‚ If We Must Die and The Prodigal Son are highlighted. Harlem Renaissance Poets The Harlem Renaissance was a cultural movement that spanned unofficially form 1919 to the mid 1930’s. The “Negro Movement” as it was then called‚ heralded the zenith of modern African literature
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prejudices every race has. Royce does not hold back when stating that every race has these prejudices. It is not just caucasians‚ African‚ Americans‚ but also Asian Americans. When reading this quote‚ I thought of W.E.B. DuBois The Souls of Black Folk and Claude McKay’s poem “America”. The Soul of Black Folk relate to the fact that these prejudices have been prolonged. “America” explains the idea that if people want change‚ you cannot fight fire with fire. Josiah Royce explains that people’s fears of different
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Outcast The novel Speak by Laurie Halse Anderson is about a 9th grade girl called Melinda Sordino whose life is being terrorized by her memories from a bad incident at an end-of-the-summer party. It is the first day of 9th grade for Melinda at Merry Weather High School‚ nobody likes her because she called the cops at the party‚ making her an outcast and speechless. By the end of the novel Melinda finally speaks to her mom and her ex-friends about the party‚ and the narrator learns that having the
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The Outcast The character archetype of the outcast is described as a figure that is banished from a community for some crime (real or imagined). “The outcast is usually destined to become a wanderer” . Society often times shuns people deemed different‚ making them feel like an outcast. This can be positive or negative‚ depending how the individual reacts to it. Being viewed as an outcast could inspire a person to resist popular opinion and encourage them to do great things in their life. While for
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The poems “If we must die” by Claude Mckay and “Invictus” by William Ernest Henley relates to the play Antigone because they all have something to do with dying in honor and control who you are. Antigone wants to bury Polyneices’ body. Ismene refuses to help her because Ismene is afraid of getting the death penalty. Antigone says if she dies from trying to bury her brother Polyneices‚ she will die in honor knowing that she will do anything to have her brother die peaceful and the way he is supposed
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Huston Outcasts in Society Outcasts are often alienated due to the fact that they do not follow the social norm. They are often judged without the consideration of their circumstances. We as a society view outcasts as damaged goods and don’t give them a chance. We as a society should give everyone the courtesy of an open mind. Outcast are often those who don’t conduct themselves in the manner society thinks they should. As shown: Hester committed adultery‚ a crime that is a serious sin to
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In the passages “If We Must Die” by Claude McKay‚ the speaker set a courageous tone by using words like “brave”‚ “fighting”‚ and “honor” in sentences throughout the passage to show that the men were not afraid although they were outnumbered. This work of literature teaches the reader that if a group of people can come together as one they can be more powerful then a greater population. In the literary work “A Lesson Before Dying” by Ernest J. Gaines‚ Jefferson’s tone was cowardly/immature in the
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