Claude McKay’s “If We Must Die” is a bold poem written during an eventful time for civil rights history, the Harlem Renaissance. During the Harlem Renaissance the African American community endured extreme racism and degradation. McKay wrote this poem with the intent to display his feelings as an immigrant who moved to America for a better life but instead was thrown into a situation where he was treated like an animal instead of a person. He chose to write this poem in the form of a Shakespearean sonnet, which ironically is a more common form for the writing of love poems and “if we must die” is nothing of the sort. The speaker says “if we must die, O let us nobly die” (McKay 5). Using an iambic pentameter, imagery and ending it with a couplet is a way to emphasize the theme of honor and pride that he wants to portray to the reader. The speaker is a sort of leader, calling out to others to overcome the “common foe” and live and die with meaning and bravery, encouraging the audience to go forth and fight what is holding them back.
During the Harlem Renaissance the death rates of African Americans greatly increased. There were problems with lynch mobs and discrimination in the south, causing many of them to migrate North, including McKay. Harlem was originally an exclusively white neighborhood, but the area was abandoned when the white upper and middle class moved further North. Fighting for the civil rights of African Americans during the New Negro movement was a way to revitalize the arts of their culture and reinvent the way that America saw them. Throughout the poem McKay uses iambic pentameter as a literary device. An Iambic pentameter is the pairing of ten syllables into five metrical feet, each consisting of one unstressed syllable followed by a stressed syllable, or otherwise known as “short, long.” During the time that the poem was written the “Red Summer of 1919” took place. The speaker says “so that our precious blood may not be shed” (6). Using the short, long pattern emphasizes the words “blood” and “shed” hinting towards this horrific historical event that took the lives of many African Americans. The Red Summer of 1919 was a series of race riots that took place due to labor shortages in more than 30 cities across the United States, including Harlem. While the white men enlisted in the army, many jobs in the factories opened up. The great migration took place and “at least 500,000 African-Americans moved from the South to Northern and Midwestern cities” (Lewis). The working class white population felt threatened by the new African American workers, in fear that they were competing with them for the job openings. Consequently, the African Americans felt as though they were not being treated with equality and respect. McKay uses symbolism right out of the gate with this poem. Symbolism is the use of symbols to represent ideas. The first thing read on line one is “If we must die, let it not be like hogs.” This is a direct statement towards self-worth, they do not want to be treated like a dirty animal that is only on the earth to be butchered and eaten. They want to be treated with dignity and be honor, like men. They are fighting for their rights and nothing is acknowledged. There is a reaction that should come from the reader, one not quite of empathy, but at the very least, understanding. Using a couplet at the end of a sonnet is a technique that was made famous by William Shakespeare. A couplet is two lines of verse, …show more content…
Iambic pentameter, couplet and imagery are used to clearly emphasize the sound, theme, and moral of the poem. The descriptive words and placement of them really brings on the sense of pride and honor. Using words like “vain” and deathblow” gave insight into the way that they resented the white population. The poem specifically addresses the social injustices of the time period including racism. During this time lynching and hate crimes were still going on. Harlem having been a predominantly African American area, these issues hit home with the people living in these areas and needed to be
During the Harlem Renaissance the death rates of African Americans greatly increased. There were problems with lynch mobs and discrimination in the south, causing many of them to migrate North, including McKay. Harlem was originally an exclusively white neighborhood, but the area was abandoned when the white upper and middle class moved further North. Fighting for the civil rights of African Americans during the New Negro movement was a way to revitalize the arts of their culture and reinvent the way that America saw them. Throughout the poem McKay uses iambic pentameter as a literary device. An Iambic pentameter is the pairing of ten syllables into five metrical feet, each consisting of one unstressed syllable followed by a stressed syllable, or otherwise known as “short, long.” During the time that the poem was written the “Red Summer of 1919” took place. The speaker says “so that our precious blood may not be shed” (6). Using the short, long pattern emphasizes the words “blood” and “shed” hinting towards this horrific historical event that took the lives of many African Americans. The Red Summer of 1919 was a series of race riots that took place due to labor shortages in more than 30 cities across the United States, including Harlem. While the white men enlisted in the army, many jobs in the factories opened up. The great migration took place and “at least 500,000 African-Americans moved from the South to Northern and Midwestern cities” (Lewis). The working class white population felt threatened by the new African American workers, in fear that they were competing with them for the job openings. Consequently, the African Americans felt as though they were not being treated with equality and respect. McKay uses symbolism right out of the gate with this poem. Symbolism is the use of symbols to represent ideas. The first thing read on line one is “If we must die, let it not be like hogs.” This is a direct statement towards self-worth, they do not want to be treated like a dirty animal that is only on the earth to be butchered and eaten. They want to be treated with dignity and be honor, like men. They are fighting for their rights and nothing is acknowledged. There is a reaction that should come from the reader, one not quite of empathy, but at the very least, understanding. Using a couplet at the end of a sonnet is a technique that was made famous by William Shakespeare. A couplet is two lines of verse, …show more content…
Iambic pentameter, couplet and imagery are used to clearly emphasize the sound, theme, and moral of the poem. The descriptive words and placement of them really brings on the sense of pride and honor. Using words like “vain” and deathblow” gave insight into the way that they resented the white population. The poem specifically addresses the social injustices of the time period including racism. During this time lynching and hate crimes were still going on. Harlem having been a predominantly African American area, these issues hit home with the people living in these areas and needed to be