The poem “If We Must Die”

The Poem "If We Must Die" by Claude McKay


The poem "If We Must Die," written by Claude McKay, is a representation of the hardships that black people faced in the United States during the early twentieth century. The writer's tone portrays a human who is burdened by a slew of stereotypes and racial alienation from white Americans (Maxwell 464). As a result, he persuades, although violently, his audience not to stand down, but rather to prepare themselves for war with their oppressors.

Siege and Mockery


The poem starts with the speaker sensationally establishing that he and his supporters, who are undeniably representatives of America's minorities, are under siege. The repetitive use of "we" in the poem denotes the group of people that were under attack. Further, he mocks their oppressors when he refers to the people hunting them as "The mad and hungry dogs." Moreover, it also denotes the level of contempt, dishonor, and hatred he had developed against their racial persecutors (Williams 107).

Symbols and Metaphors


Likewise, the writer pens down the poem with numerous instances of symbolism and metaphors. First, the author uses dog metaphor to diminish and devalue the humanity of their foes. Furthermore, the monster metaphor in line 7 portrays them as dishonorable and ignoble people who are only hellbent on inflicting misery upon his life and that of his allies due to racial bigotry (Ramesh 5). Moreover, the metaphorical use of hogs to denote the kind of prey they had become to their oppressors just shows how determined the writer was in persuading his allies to man up and bravely face their enemies even if it meant losing their lives by dying an honorable death. The analogy of hogs showed how powerless their oppressors had perceived them to be. That could have been informed by the fact that hogs are male pigs that have undergone castration and thus helpless. On top of that, the writer also has used rhyming phrases to emphasize his message of defiance against their perceived oppressors. There are rhymes in lines 1 and 4 and also in lines 5 and 7 (Gale, Cengage Learning).

Conclusion


The use of compelling phrases and words by the author to some degree shows the intolerable levels of racial persecutions and time had come for them to resist even if it meant mounting a fight that cost them their lives. His call for his allies to brace themselves for a noble battle and if need be, die honorably indeed showed how intolerant and impatient they had become in the face of racial oppression.

Works Cited


Gale, Cengage Learning. A Study Guide for Claude McKay’s” The White City”. Gale, Cengage Learning, 2016.


Maxwell, William J. “Claude McKay.” A Companion to Modernist Poetry (2014): 464-473.


Ramesh, Kotti Sree, and Kandula Nirupa Rani. Claude McKay: The Literary Identity from Jamaica to Harlem and Beyond. McFarland, (2006): 5-12.


Williams, Mukesh. “Caribbean Literature in English.” (2016): 107-149.

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