Over the 2 stanzas dedicated to New York, McKay employs a straightforward and slow repetition to emphasise the sluggish and lethargic attitude that is felt during a typical day in New York City. In contrast to this, when discussing ‘the island of the sea,’ Claude McKay uses a more upbeat and lively rhythm to convey the vitality and liveliness of the island.
The language McKay uses further illustrates the contrasting differences that the city and the Island present to people of the time period. For example, the opposing and sluggish language McKay associates with New York life such as, “groaning cars”, “dying stars,” and “tenements, cold as stone.” (McKay, C, ‘When Dawn Comes to the City’, 1922) compared to the uplifting language used to describe …show more content…
Although at no point during the poem does Claude explicitly state where the ‘the island of the sea,’ is located it is to be believed and to be interpreted that this may be his place of birth of Clarendon Parish, Jamaica. This may be the reason for the contrasting language and imagery McKay uses when describing the two places, as one is in his mind, a place where freedom and vitality were prevalent (‘the island of the sea,’) and the other is one where restrictions are applied and daily toil is predominant.
As with Claude McKay, Langston Hughes, originally known as James Mercer Langston Hughes was a prevalent inspiration to many, however in Langston Hughes case, he was an important part in the 1920 Harlem Renaissance that dominated the Harlem neighbourhood in New York …show more content…
At last! New York was pretty, rising out of the bay in the sunset – the thrill of those towers of Manhattan with their million golden eyes, growing slowly taller and taller above the green water.” (McLaren, J, 2002)
And further, as he confirms that in his opinion,
“All this made me feel it was better to come to New York than to any other city in the world.” (McLaren, J, 2002)
Across the several pieces I have analysed I have explored the treatment of vitality and lethargy in regards to city texts, witnessing that upon exploration that although each of the writers I have analysed have chosen to use different techniques and different methods to portray their truest reflection of what they feel lethargy and vitality is in regards to the different locations based upon their own individual experiences each of the writers manages to confirm through their written work that both lethargy and vitality can be found in a variety of locations and across a variety of time
The language McKay uses further illustrates the contrasting differences that the city and the Island present to people of the time period. For example, the opposing and sluggish language McKay associates with New York life such as, “groaning cars”, “dying stars,” and “tenements, cold as stone.” (McKay, C, ‘When Dawn Comes to the City’, 1922) compared to the uplifting language used to describe …show more content…
Although at no point during the poem does Claude explicitly state where the ‘the island of the sea,’ is located it is to be believed and to be interpreted that this may be his place of birth of Clarendon Parish, Jamaica. This may be the reason for the contrasting language and imagery McKay uses when describing the two places, as one is in his mind, a place where freedom and vitality were prevalent (‘the island of the sea,’) and the other is one where restrictions are applied and daily toil is predominant.
As with Claude McKay, Langston Hughes, originally known as James Mercer Langston Hughes was a prevalent inspiration to many, however in Langston Hughes case, he was an important part in the 1920 Harlem Renaissance that dominated the Harlem neighbourhood in New York …show more content…
At last! New York was pretty, rising out of the bay in the sunset – the thrill of those towers of Manhattan with their million golden eyes, growing slowly taller and taller above the green water.” (McLaren, J, 2002)
And further, as he confirms that in his opinion,
“All this made me feel it was better to come to New York than to any other city in the world.” (McLaren, J, 2002)
Across the several pieces I have analysed I have explored the treatment of vitality and lethargy in regards to city texts, witnessing that upon exploration that although each of the writers I have analysed have chosen to use different techniques and different methods to portray their truest reflection of what they feel lethargy and vitality is in regards to the different locations based upon their own individual experiences each of the writers manages to confirm through their written work that both lethargy and vitality can be found in a variety of locations and across a variety of time