Historical Literary Lens On If We Must Die By Claude Mckay
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Claude McKay’s poem ‘If We Must Die’ portrays historical exploitation and oppression and the challenges the black community went through during the period of slavery. Through the poem, McKay calls for the unity of the black community to stand up against social injustices, and if they must die, they do so honorably as he quoted saying, "If we must die—oh, let us nobly die." The emphasis on the idea of an honorable death exemplifies how the black community was subjected to fatal exploitation during slavery, and the only way out was by fighting back, even if outnumbered and overpowered. By referring to the oppressors with words such as "monsters", "murderous" and "cowardly pack", McKay
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George Elliot Clarke’s Execution Poems are originals poems that work to unearth beauty during a bleak and dark historical Canadian past. The poems seek to exemplify the ‘shades of grey’ illustrating to the complexity of such a crime committed by two struggling African American men who sought refuge in a heinous crime. “The Execution Poems”, by Clarke does not condone the crimes of these brothers; rather Clarke explores the various factors that may have perpetuated a murderous crime. Clarke utilizes imagery and diction to captivate the readers and illustrate the oppressive social structures throughout the mid 20th century that countless visual minorities, specifically African Americans/Canadian endured in Eastern Canada, New Brunswick. The
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Stewart’s position is that of a lifelong slave. Stewart would rather die than to live her whole life “shaking carpets” or “tending upon gentlemen’s tables”. Her key message is that African Americans should have the same, equal rights as Americans fight for. She wants her audience to fully understand the effects on a lifelong slave. She discusses how the service tears the body away and says “nature herself becomes almost exhausted.”
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In the poem, Johnson’s use of inclusive words like “we”, “our” and “us”, fused with anaphoras in each stanza, allow him to address black Americans in the north and south. Johnson uses phrases like “Let us”, “Let our”, and“We have come”, “Keep us”, and “Lest our” to unify black America and build community and culture shattered by American racism and prejudice. Without a strong foundation, how could black America improve from its “Bitter”, “Stony”, “dark”, “weary”, and “gloomy” past? Johnson’s inclusive word choice forces a shared experience among black Americans, making the issues at hand a national issue and not exclusively a southern one; hence Black Americans had to work together to reach “the white gleam” of “victory”. Johnson’s appeals to black America are further extended in his pleas for strengthening faith and progress for black Americans as well;
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In the urgent yet angry speech given by Frederick Douglass on July 4th, 1852 in Rochester, New York, Douglass expounds upon the comparison between slaves and free humans. The intended audience of this speech, consisting mostly of free white men, allowed for Douglass to express and spread his abolitionist ideas. Douglass draws numerous comparisons between life as a slave and life as a free man, while using rhetorical devices to convey his message of equality for all. Through the use of metaphors to describe the unimaginable daily life in slavery, Douglass expounds upon his call for equality; on a day supposed to represent freedom for all, not just the few elite whites. The comparison between “bleeding children of sorrow this day” connect and
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As a former slave and victim of continuous legalized discrimination, Douglass proceeds to label his selection to address the nation on Independence Day as inhuman mockery. Furthermore, Douglass declares that he cannot express felicity when the shrilling wails of his people, those bound by society’s chains, penetrate his consciousness, yet remain clouded beneath the explosion of fireworks to others. Likewise, the following paragraph of the speech defends those who society quiets, shaming the black character of America. Following the first of many indignant remarks, Douglass exercises an appeal to logic, presenting to the audience the absurd ratio of black to white men in America that face the punishment of death for crimes committed. Continuing the circular arrangement of his speech, an appeal to ethics appears through his references to the Constitution, the Bible, and God, implying that slaves, too, worship the Christian God, and thus being called upon to prove their manhood stands unreasonable.
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One of Frederick Douglass’ most famous speeches is What to the Slaver Is the Fourth of July? In his speech, Douglass invites his audience to view the Fourth of July from the perspective of a slave to expand the understanding of the black experience. In my critical approach to his piece, I will introduce the dialogue regarding the literary approach to Douglass’s speech and the different approaches to his speech. Then, I will continue with a demonstration of the key points of agreement and disagreement to his speech in the secondary literature. Finally, I will offer my personal interaction with Douglass’ speech and the secondary literature.
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McKay, Claude, “Enslaved” https://poemanalysis.com/claude-mckay/enslaved/, 23 April, 2024. McKay uses this poem to talk about racism and how African Americans are judged by people because of stereotypes and that they are different. This poem sheds the light on racism, and how African Americans are treated on a normal daily basis. McKay, Claude, “If We Must Die” https://www.poetryfoundation.org/poems/44694/if-we-must-die, 23 April, 2024. McKay uses this poem to explain that he wants to die in a way that is honorable and respected.
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Many people in America take their freedoms for granted and fail to realize that some people don’t share those freedoms. Fredrick Douglass intended to remind Americans that the Fourth of July is not a day of celebration for African Americans, but a day of mourning. Douglass uses varied syntax, rhetorical questions, and appeals to emotions and logic to prove that slaves are human and that their manhood should be recognized, and to show the irony behind asking a slave to speak at a celebration of independence. Douglass uses short syntax to display the differences between himself and his audience, as well as long syntax to exaggerate the neverending struggles of African American slaves. Douglass states “I am not that man.”
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This depiction of punishment shows it in its more common connotation, negative and painful. Paralleling that portrayal, McKay uses the concept of punishment to show that it is not always rightfully given, and may be the thing that causes a difference. McKay explains that even “If we must die, O let us nobly die,/ So that our precious blood may not be shed/ In vain” (McKay 5-7).
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There are quite a few similes that McKay uses within this poem. "Her bigness sweeps my being like a flood". McKay uses the (line 8) words "like" and "sweeps" to compare how America destroys anything and everything that gets in her way just as a flood destroy and sweep away anything that gets in its way. He uses quotes like "stealing my breath of life.... giving me strength erect against her hate" to express that even though America is filled with hate and tries to slowly kill him, Americans still give him strength to keep living and rise above the hate. He uses this some leaves to give his audience of you on what America was like in the 1920s as an African American man.
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Frederick Douglass’ “The Hypocrisy of American Slavery” ties to our English Unit 3: Pursuing Freedom because he utilizes a piece of literature refers to the many struggles of African Americans on their road to freedom just like in the English Unit 3: Pursuing Freedom. The speech questions the principles of the Constitution and how it fails in protecting the rights of all its people. Douglass articulates of the profound irony that while others celebrate their independence, the slaves must overwork and eventually die. He also converses of how the hideous and unfortunate conduct of this nation reveals its false past, present, and future. This all relates to our collection because it provides the insight on such matters dictating the rights and
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Every human being is born into this world with one guaranteed fact: that the life they were just given will one day end. Another guaranteed fact is that it will not be easy, and we will face struggles every day. Claude Mckay’s poem, “If We Must Die,” expresses the idea that since we are all going to die one day, we should go down fighting for what we believe is right. Mckay uses figurative language and literary devices to convey the oppression African American’s faced in the early 20th century.
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Alessandra Gonzalez-Valdez English 1302 Professor Lopez 13 March 2023 PAPER 3 NAME During the American pre-civil War period, sometime after, and even now, black Americans were treated unjustly and silenced. “Yet Do I Marvel” by Countee Cullen expresses Cullens's faith in how god chose to make a poet black, meaning why God would make him a poet if his voice weren’t going to be heard. The context of Cullen’s poem connects to the use of his language in ways that represent the Jim Crow laws period and the Harlem Renaissance where he questions his faith specifically why God allows suffering. “Yet Do I Marvel” by Countee Cullen is a poem written about Cullen's faith and God’s choices.
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The renaissance was a fervent point of the European cultural, artistic, political, and economic “rebirth” following the Middle ages. Described as taking place from the 14th century to the 17th century, the Renaissance promoted the rediscovery of classical philosophy, literature, and art. During this period, we also revolutionized the economy and the way of trade, sprouting new ideas and inventions we still use in the wooden world. The way man’s view of the world changed during the Renaissance is due to man’s interest in art, the evolution of trade, and self-progression, humanism. To begin with, one change that differentiated the Middle ages and the Renaissance was their art.
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Everyone from the president of the United States, to the common man will all meet at the grave. This poem will forever serve as a reminder in American literature in that death is peaceful, rather than
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