The Harlem Renaissance was a period of time between World War 1 and World War 2 that is characterized by being a period of cultural explosion and artistic advancement of African Americans in Harlem during the time. During the 1920s to the mid- 1930s Harlem was the cultural center for young black artists and scholars. The time of the Harlem Renaissance was also a very tumultuous time racially in America. In many cases black artists and scholars used their work to reflect on the climate in America and made it their mission to get involved and speak out against the racial injustices of the time. Claude Mckay’s poem “If We Must Die” outlines the feelings and tensions between blacks and whites during the early 20th century in America. The poem
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The very first line of the poem is “If we must die let it not be like Hogs,” this smilie references how black people can initially seem powerless to their enemies, “the mad hungry dogs” in line 3. The white people of society are depicted as dogs having a superiority over the blacks people. Hogs aren’t generally depicted as being treated in a good manner. The second line further depicts hogs being confined to pens and haunted, further establishing white superiority in America. As the poem progresses the African American gets stronger and the “hogs” are called kingsmen, while the pack of dogs are characterized as cowards and even …show more content…
The use of plural nouns such as “we” and “us” throughout the poem is a direct indication that the work is geared to be a message of encouragement to the masses. The title and the repetition of the line “If We Must Die” throughout the poem shows that African Americans collectively must fight for racial equality for the benefit of future generations, whatever the cost. The diction and tone of the poem instills bravery and encourages the people to fight for what is right despite what the end result may be, including death. Even though the white population is what seems to be an overpowering force something still has to be done. The line “Shall be constrained to honor us though dead!” shows that as long as African Americans attempt to fight back (even it results in their death) the whites would have to acknowledge their bravery and honor in fighting back. The overall tone of the poem is one of strength, designed to fuel people with encouragement during such a racially difficult time in
The very first line of the poem is “If we must die let it not be like Hogs,” this smilie references how black people can initially seem powerless to their enemies, “the mad hungry dogs” in line 3. The white people of society are depicted as dogs having a superiority over the blacks people. Hogs aren’t generally depicted as being treated in a good manner. The second line further depicts hogs being confined to pens and haunted, further establishing white superiority in America. As the poem progresses the African American gets stronger and the “hogs” are called kingsmen, while the pack of dogs are characterized as cowards and even …show more content…
The use of plural nouns such as “we” and “us” throughout the poem is a direct indication that the work is geared to be a message of encouragement to the masses. The title and the repetition of the line “If We Must Die” throughout the poem shows that African Americans collectively must fight for racial equality for the benefit of future generations, whatever the cost. The diction and tone of the poem instills bravery and encourages the people to fight for what is right despite what the end result may be, including death. Even though the white population is what seems to be an overpowering force something still has to be done. The line “Shall be constrained to honor us though dead!” shows that as long as African Americans attempt to fight back (even it results in their death) the whites would have to acknowledge their bravery and honor in fighting back. The overall tone of the poem is one of strength, designed to fuel people with encouragement during such a racially difficult time in