Analysis poetry and how is it related to Present

Analysis poetry and how is it related to Present

In the poem ‘America,’ Claude McKay describes his feelings towards America. Despite the difficulties that America thrusts his way, Claude reluctantly loves his new home. Even though the Country seems to suck the life out of him as well as hating him, he loves America as it plunges itself towards a particular death. Hate and love are the two core profound emotions that an individual might experience during his or her lifetime on Earth. The two emotions are incredibly different because of being polar opposites, but genuinely, they result in various haunting similarities. Also, both emotions might drive a woman or a man to behavioral extremes. Many people have been oppressed, tortured, and even killed in hate and love. In the poem, these emotions have been expressed fully of frustrating duality as well as extremely strong relations about society.

The vigor of America has flown into Claud’s blood, strengthening him towards opposing her own hate in order to fight for and against him. The theme of the poem is to fight through your problems and face your troubles. Besides, he talks more about America having the view that is mixed with hate and love, pain, and pleasure. He saw America for the entire of its qualities, bad and good since he had selected America as his home. The poem describes how America is mistreating Claude, although he still loves the Country for providing him with strength. The author decided to live in a racist society, and that is how Claude faced his troubles.

Also, the poem is a standard sonnet that consists of three quatrains as well as a couplet written in the form of an iambic pentameter that features traditional English rhyming scheme of A-B-A-B, C-D-C-D, E-F-E-F, G, G. Throughout the poem, Claude ferries forth and back between his intense negative and positive feelings for both America as well as the American societal norms during that period which is even commonly among some societies nowadays. Personification, original diction, and metaphors have been used in the poem to communicate its theme.

Moreover, the poem has used several figurative languages like a simile, “her bigness sweeps my being like a flood.” Using that smile, he was comparing American size to flood. Next, alliteration- “And sinks into my throat her tigers’ tooth.” Claude uses the three t’s within the sentence. There is use personification, “although she feeds me bread of bitterness.” Meaning America was feeding him, providing America a human trait. With the use of all the mentioned figurative languages, the poem becomes more interesting. Claude has used personification all through because of referring to America as a ‘she.’ The use of the pronoun ‘she’ for which he refers to the Country, America as a woman who is deceitful (Line1). He or she has deeply expressed how he loathes her as well as how much theoretically has hurt him as he says in the second line “and sinks into my throat her tiger’s tooth.”

The poem stares as bad and bitter, and the tone changes to love and hope that Claude has for America. The theme of the poem not giving up hope or fighting through troubles has been build-up by the use of these figurative languages. Additionally, Claude, in his poem, says, “she steals my breath of life, I will confess I love this cultured hell that tests my youth.” Here, he provides through life as an Africa American, which was hard, and he was working hard to make it higher is what he was trying to say. Also, by personifying America as a woman, he makes the poem highly lively as well as relatable, creating a much better atmosphere for the use of imagery.

The poem addresses critically to people in order to come out from any form of state inaction. There is an illumination of a complex interrelationship between politics and poetry, science and art, and lastly, between the military and verse weaponry. Symbolism has been another critical element in the poem as he states, “stealing my breath of life, I will confess / I love this cultured hell that tests my youth” in lines (3-4). Meaning that the Country was a civilized misery. Moreover, using “tiger,” Claude shows the Country’s inhuman brutality and violence, especially to minority subjects and well as to cultural “outsiders.” The attitude and tone of Claude’s poem have significantly changed throughout the poem. At the start of the poem, McKay is bitter and says that America was “sinking her tiger tooth into his throat.” Then, as one continues to read, his tone changed. Therefore, it becomes that of hope when he says, “I will confess I love this cultured hell that test my youth.” McKay says to face troubles. At the end of the poem, one feels confused about McKay’s feelings because of using figurative languages and words, which takes one to an emotional ride.

Today’s society has been caught up with hate and oppression as people struggle to fight these problems. Through oppression, a person becomes stronger as he or she endures all kinds of troubles. In Claude McKay’s poem, he seems to mainly focus on the issues of oppression, which is common in today’s many societies. With all the many troubles he faced, he still loved America at the same time. Claude felt as if his life was drained from the spirit that is evidenced stating, “America sinks into my throat her tiger’s tooth, / stealing my breath of life, I will confess.” It shows how unequal he was being treated. Like in Claude’s poem, people in a society may be oppressed in different ways.

The idea of duality has pictured in the poem because of alternates between frustration and anger at the way his country ‘sinks…her tigers’ tooth’ to his flesh as well as the love for America, full of treasures and wonders. Anger is seen in the poem when Claude feels ‘not a shred/Of terror, malice,’ and yet explains the Country as a ‘cultured hell’ that ‘feeds…bread of bitterness.’ McKay uses a diction with words such as “bitterness’ and sinks into my throat,’ which means despair and disgust. That is how one feels for the first time in society due to prejudice.

People will always depend on their societies despite sometimes even when they are continuously be put down like how American society did to Claude. In such societies like what we have in most countries today, the strength that people hold will drive them on from precisely what brings them down, as Claude signifies in the poem. In the poem, there is a turn, which is the change of ideas that comes at the end of an octave and a more substantial one in the final couplet. All the classical elements with an elevated diction, as well as constant use of figurative language, contributes a sense of enormous seriousness and literary virtuosity that has distinguished the poem.

Using constrictions of coupled, sonnet with the subject filling his poem are the comments to the society. One may feel intentionally wall himself or herself to a little box that he or she has been set up by society. Claude yearns against the hate and frustrations he encountered in order to combat that which held him down. Inline (8-12), his actions are to hope for much better days to come. McKay is highly fighting the sense of oppression that he faced in society as he tries to bring his realities in the world of the poem. It sounds like the poem is challenging intentionally the society and the way they “pigeonholed” someone to a label through cleverly filling a socially radical idea. He has personified America as being a violent female figure who “steal(steals) breath of life” via the racial and social inequality that one may face in today’s societal life.

McKay sees as a flawed, ugly, and system that crushes the dreams and hopes of people who are being oppressed in society. Struggles of putting up with mistreatments are even evident in the first four lines of the poem. Though dealing with such kind of difficult situations, the poem goes on and expressing that going through the ordeal can strengthen to resolve the problems in society. In lines (4-9), the poem speaks on resolving and toughness of a community like in America fighting with gains to equality.

Although sometimes it is difficult to live in a society that is filled with hate and oppression, one still should have the love for that society because it would make them grow to be stronger people. “Her hate” provided McKay with strength, although the Country was vast, he still was willing to fight against. People should never be afraid of such societies and only to look for the coming day after day. The longer a society may continue oppressing his or her people, the more time it may waste for people who are capable of doing great things for them. The poem tells people that anyone may have hard times, and if they fight hard enough, they will get through everything, but if they do not kill one, they make that person stronger. There is an oxymoron in the first line to show how a person may feel about society or Country.

The poem develops strength not only to survive but also endure one’s torture to transcend against hate. The work of McKay on America is an entry point for all teachers who should teach students historical context and bridging the gap that is between now and then. Activists also may be included to use the poem in imagining new ways of resisting and rebelling white supremacy. Communities and people might use the poem to start the healing process both collectively and individually within the society.