The Harlem Dancer Poem

To what extent does an individual's background play a role in the success that they will likely achieve? Certain elements such as race, color, gender, and social status are beyond human control and yet they play such a vital role in shaping our future. The two poems by Claude McKay, “The Lynching” and “ The Harlem Dancer” touch on the idea of society constructed around a hierarchical pyramid. These poems represent an individual who is in a state of humiliation as one is a victim of sexism while the other endures racial attacks. McKay provides two poems that contribute to the overall theme of human cruelty and the degree that which fate impacts our lives. McKay utilizes poetic structure throughout each piece as a means of reinforcing his theme. Amongst the pronounced differences between these poems (“The Lynching” being a Villanelle and “The Harlem Dancer” being a sonnet) there also exists analogy. Both these poems start with strong opening tercets. They start off with

In “The Lynching”, McKay starts off by presenting the viewpoint of the murdered man by using phrases like,”...Cruelest way of pain” and ”awful sin”,” Similarly in “The Harlem Dancer”, McKay embeds the perspective of the dancer when he mentions how the dancer “... Was not in that strange place.” McKay also effectively provides the perspective of those around the main character. In “The Lynching”, McKay states how “women thronged to look, but never a one/ Showed sorrow in her eyes…” and how the body “...Hung pitifully o’er the swinging char.” In “The Harlem Dancer” McKay states how “Applauding youths clapped…” and “...Devoured her shape with eager, passionate gaze...” As a result, we see that both these poems involve an audience that finds entertainment in their racial and sexual treatment upon others. This reinforces the McKay’s theme of human cruelty as society comes in masses to witness the humiliation and pain of another