In Claude McKay’s “The Harlem Dancer,” his use of imagery, enjambment, and diction develop the character as a whole by appealing to the senses of the reader and highlighting the oblivion of the audience, allowing the form to unify the content of the poem. Through the use of imagery, the reader is forced to engage all senses, and therefore examine every aspect of the Harlem dancer. Although placed in somewhat of a hectic setting, with “Applauding youths”(Line 1) all around, the speaker allows us to hone in on the dancer herself by describing her in such vivid detail. This allows the reader to become seemingly more connected with the dancer, almost as if you can see, hear, and figuratively touch her as she goes through the motions of her performance.
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Most of the onlookers are so struck by her beauty and movement they just care about the pleasure received from watching this dancer rather than what may lay underneath. With such vivid language he feels more of a sense of respect for the dancer rather than that of objectification. By taking the time to describe her in such detail it reveals he is truly captivated by her as a person, and her best qualities seem to surface when she is in performance mode.
Even though she is dancing for a seemingly rowdy crowd, the speaker portrays her in a very elegant manner through his use of imagery. He describes the “Light gauze hanging loose about her form” (Line 6) and how she “Seemed a proudly-swaying palm”(Line 7). These images paint a very elegant and graceful picture of the dancer as it makes the reader feel as if her motions are effortless, just as that of a palm being blown in the wind. She doesn’t even have to think about how she moves, it is more natural, which is very respectable and intriguing to the …show more content…
McKay provides such great detail throughout the poem that the reader feels he or she has a really good sense of who the dancer is. However, with the use of enjambment coinciding with this imagery, it gives one a false sense of who the dancer actually is. This is proven in the couplet that ends the sonnet. It is brought to light that throughout the poem, this dancer was seen as an object of perfection and elegance and grace, as described by the speaker. Just as the speaker finishes describing the dancer as luxuriant, he then highlights eager and passionate crowd who is completely fixated on her body, which causes a shift in the entire poem. It is now understood just how much the dancer was being objectified, and how without much time to stop and think about anything else, the objectification was
Most of the onlookers are so struck by her beauty and movement they just care about the pleasure received from watching this dancer rather than what may lay underneath. With such vivid language he feels more of a sense of respect for the dancer rather than that of objectification. By taking the time to describe her in such detail it reveals he is truly captivated by her as a person, and her best qualities seem to surface when she is in performance mode.
Even though she is dancing for a seemingly rowdy crowd, the speaker portrays her in a very elegant manner through his use of imagery. He describes the “Light gauze hanging loose about her form” (Line 6) and how she “Seemed a proudly-swaying palm”(Line 7). These images paint a very elegant and graceful picture of the dancer as it makes the reader feel as if her motions are effortless, just as that of a palm being blown in the wind. She doesn’t even have to think about how she moves, it is more natural, which is very respectable and intriguing to the …show more content…
McKay provides such great detail throughout the poem that the reader feels he or she has a really good sense of who the dancer is. However, with the use of enjambment coinciding with this imagery, it gives one a false sense of who the dancer actually is. This is proven in the couplet that ends the sonnet. It is brought to light that throughout the poem, this dancer was seen as an object of perfection and elegance and grace, as described by the speaker. Just as the speaker finishes describing the dancer as luxuriant, he then highlights eager and passionate crowd who is completely fixated on her body, which causes a shift in the entire poem. It is now understood just how much the dancer was being objectified, and how without much time to stop and think about anything else, the objectification was