America Can Suck, But It Makes Us Stronger - Claude Mckay 's America Essay

Claude McKay was a black man born in Jamaica, he choose literature very on in life and kept with it. He moved to the United States at age twenty three to study at Tuskegee Institute and was immediately shocked by the blatant racism prevalent in Charleston, South Carolina. He moved to New York and shortly after became co-editor of The Liberator, a famous abolitionist newspaper, he wrote some of his most revered poems while working there. He was part of the Harlem Renaissance a movement that was a reawakening of artistic and cultural talents of African American people in the United States and helped to reinvigorate their pride in being black.

The poem America by Claude McKay is on its surface a poem combining what America should be and what this country stands for, with what it actually is, and the attitude it projects amongst the people. Mckay uses the form of poetry to express how he, as a Jamaican immigrant, feels about America. He characterizes the bittersweet relationship between striving for the American dream, and being denied that dream due to racism. While the America we are meant to see is a beautiful land of opportunity, McKay see’s as an ugly, flawed, system that crushes the hopes and dreams of the African-American people.

Claude McKay’s poems reflect on American culture during a specific time in history, known as Harlem Renaissance. A time where racism was predominately a way of living for many, this was a beneficial time in history for African Americans. Bringing blacks together in a new movement that had not been present in America. Development in which blacks emphasized themselves by taking on their racial identity. It was a time period in which the black community helped each other to be able to express themselves as who they truly are, creating a true African American visual doing so

In the poem ,“America”, Claude McKay uses figurative language and diction to create a dark tone, a powerful empowering tone, and an optimistic tone. The theme of double consciousness of African-Americans is supported in the poem and the poem itself also connects to the purpose of the Harlem Renaissance which was to fight back racial hate and stereotypes with black empowerment.

Langston Hughes and Claude McKay share similar qualities in their respective poems “I, Too, Sing America” written by Hughes and “America” written by McKay. These poems, though different and unique in style, share common characteristics that make each poem a classic piece of American literature. Hughes and McKay, both African American males, were very notable during the Harlem Renaissance period. Both writers express their views on their individual African Americans perceptions in America in these poems, through their use of diction, tone, theme.

Life, liberty, freedom, equality, opportunity, and so many other words have been used to describe the United States of America. Every American child grows up with the words “the land of the free” pounded into their heads, and every morning schools declare America as a place of “liberty and justice for all.” Such inflated rhetoric presents America with large shoes to fill. Thus, America’s shortcomings should not be surprising. Langston Hughes and Upton Sinclair were two 20th Century writers, who saw past this idealistic talk and saw the jungle that the United States really was. Langston Hughes wrote in his poem “Let America be America Again”, “Let America be America again. –Let it be the dream it used to be. –Let it be the pioneer on the plain –Seeking a home where himself is free. –(America was never America to me) (1).” He highlights not only the experience of African Americans during the 1930s, but identifies with other oppressed groups including immigrants writing, “I am the immigrant clutching the hope I seek—And finding only the same old stupid plan –Of dog eat dog, of mighty crush the weak.” Likewise, Upton Sinclair conveyed his repulsion to immigrant oppression during the Industrial Revolution in his book The Jungle, emphasizing the gullibility behind trusting the grandiloquence of the American dream.

Claude McKay is one of the important writers that were brought into the spotlight as a result of the Harlem Renaissance. Some other very important and undisputed personalities from the Harlem Renaissance include the likes of Countee Cullen, Langston Hughes, Jean Toomer and Zora Neale Hurston. Claude McKay was often regarded as an outcast for his strong opinions against what he thought were political and social injustices. McKay brought to the Renaissance Movement the need and demand for justice for people of every color, race, gender, and sexual orientation. After reading more about Claude McKay, it became obvious that McKay was a very vocal activist that made his views public through his writing. He criticized everything he thought was wrong, including Harlem itself. He spoke about both the beautiful aspects of Harlem and the not so wonderful aspects of the neighborhood that made him a very controversial figure in American literature. He took the side of the weak when nobody else did. Although McKay was often villainized for his outspokenness; he has gone down in history as an exceptional historical figure that said what no one wanted to say and stood up for the weak and defenseless. He is an underrated social reformer. McKay’s ideas became increasingly attractive to many African American youth. Change became a possibility and hope was sparked through Claude McKay’s writings.

The Kansas City Call summed up the general mentality of African Americans during the 1920s with the statement “The New Negro does not fear the face of day.” (pg 118) Unlike the old days of slavery, African Americans had become more radical towards their oppressor and were beginning to organize as a people. Harlem Renaissance poet Claude Mckay embraced the “New Negro” archetype in his work by stating “If we must die, let it not be like hogs/ Hunted and penned in an inglorious spot….. Like men we’ll face the murderous, cowardly pack/ Pressed

Back in the 19th century, there was a common belief that God had destined The United States to expand entirely across the North American continent, and eventually across the entire Western Hemisphere. They believed that what they were doing was justifiable, because they believed that God was telling them to do this. It had a huge impact on who America is today as a country and if the expansion had not occurred, it is easy to believe that America would not be the thriving and successful country that it is now. There were many positive sides to Manifest Destiny such as; America was successful in expanding its land from the east to the west coast, which is a positive, because it allowed many people to come to America who otherwise would not have had the chance because there would have been no room for any more people. Another positive side is that it gave America a lot more culture than it had before. But if there is a positive side, that means there has to be a negative side. One of the negative sides to Manifest Destiny and territorial expansion was that they did whatever they could possibly do to get that land and they did not care who it hurt, killed, or negatively affected in the process. This is the reason why so many people debate whether or not manifest destiny was a good or a bad thing, because there are valid reasons for both sides.

All three of the poems discussed in this essay relate to the struggles suffered by African Americans in the late 18th century to the early 19th century in many different ways. They had to live under harsh

Claude McKay was one of the key figures during the Harlem Renaissance. As a Jamaican immigrant to the United States, McKay wrote the immigrant’s nostalgia and the black man’s pride and rage in his works both from his experiences in Jamaica and his life in the United States. In his poems, McKay often reflects on the racism he experienced in America. He discusses the feelings of pride he has as an African-American, but also the alienation that he experiences because of his race( Irele and Jeyifo 116). Unlike other writers in the Harlem Renaissance movement, McKay often writes with rage and a call to action. "If We Must Die" is one of the example which was a call to resist and be strong in his message, encouraging his audience to reject the stereotypes

Claude McKay is known as a great writer because he wrote from his heart. Whether he was writing about his love for his Jamaican homeland or the injustices he saw as a black man in the United States, his use of passionate language is what made his writings resonate with readers from all backgrounds. He wrote “If We Must Die” following the Red Summer of 1919, a series of race riots that took place between May and October. In those five months, thousands of African-Americans were hunted and persecuted, leaving those who survived fearful. McKay wrote to rally and motivate his fellow African-Americans not to give up, but rather to stand and fight. He follows the pattern of a Shakespearean sonnet and uses figurative language, such as a metaphor and simile to show that there is courage in facing adversity.

Claude Mckay, a international poet during the Harlem Renaissance writes poetry describing the African American experience beyond the boards of the United States. Though born and raised in Jamaica, Mckay eventually immigrated to the United States.While many of the poets were born and raised in America Mckay had a different perspective because he chose America as his own. He was able to see America for all the qualities she, offered because he was gifted with second sight.W.E.B Dubois wrote about twoness of African Americans how they are caught between being Black and a American. This is a central issues for Black Men how to reconcile being part of a country of freedom, but being constrained by society’s and Jim Crow laws that took

He goes on talking about being confined and being degraded which builds contrast to the identity as an African American writer in the midst of racism. Claude McKay and Langston Hughes both in the Harlem Renaissance movement; Hughes didn’t believe he should give up his identity as a African American poet, while McKay represents in his poem more of a stand your ground and fight back. Claude wanted people not to be afraid of standing up for themselves. With “our precious blood” McKay discusses dying and a right to choose to fight to stay alive, and if they were to die, they

1. The speaker at the beginning tells the reader his love for America after God and lastly himself in the phrase "next to of course god america i". Most of the poem is in quotation marks, probably because it was from a public speech. This unknown speaker could well have been a politician or a soldier showing his patriotism and religious belief. It is a poem about patriotism and the war. The poem starts off with the speaker being someone that is a patriot and feels strongly about America. As the poem progresses it takes a different approach becoming very sarcastic. In this sarcasm the writer shows that we are ignoring the negative aspects of the war. Therefore bringing to our attention that patriotism can manipulate people into doing things they usually wouldn't.