Claude Mckay If We Must Die

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 read, it is realized that Claude McKay is truly advocating for African life. As his other poems also illustrated the pain and struggles African suffered, this specific poem asked for the honor they were entitled to. If they are constantly being abused by the white supremacy, McKay believed that Africans were in
This helped portray the unethical ways Africans were treated. Using the words “mad” (l.3) and “hungry” (l.3) to describe the dogs that sat around. The word mad along with hungry has a negative connotation. The dogs are connotated to be evil just as the whites were to the Africans. These words mad and hungry describe the way the whites were. They were hungry for power and forced the Africans to do anything for them. Also he used the word “penned” (l.2) to further illustrate how Africans were treated. The word penned gives another negative connotation because it refers to how animals are locked up. This describes the relationship between Africans and animals as though they were similar. McKay uses the word “monsters” (l.7) to describe the people hurting them. These are the white people surrounding them, treating them like minorities. He also uses the words “murderous, cowardly pack” (l.13) to describe them. It shows that the white supremacy was not afraid of hurting anyone but they were too afraid to give Africans the respect they deserved. With these words, McKay ties together the message of