Essay on "Compare Two Poems Understanding"

Essay 3 pages (1216 words) Sources: 3

[EXCERPT] . . . .

formative work in the development of the Harlem Renaissance, which was the period between 1920 and 1039 when writers and artists in Harlem responded to aspects of the society of the time, such as racial disharmony and prejudice. This poem by McKay was written in 1990 and is essentially a strong protest poem against the passive acceptance of racial inequalities and subjugation in America. As one study notes, this poem was "… originally written about the race riots in Harlem in 1919, and it was a call to all African-American men that it was time for them to stand up for their rights." (Moore)

The poet uses a number of literary techniques, such as metaphor, rhyme and imagery to emphasize the main theme. However, what stands out in this poem is the use of the sonnet form and structure to convey meaning.

The poem uses the characteristics of the Shakespearean sonnet form to convey its meaning. The Rhyme scheme fop the poem is ababcdcdefefgg and it is end-rhymed. The poem consists of the conventional fourteen lines divided into three quatrains and a final couplet.

The use of this format has a number of implications. In the first place the structured rhyme scheme emphasizes the central ideas and themes in the poem. This refers to the extended metaphor which compares the lives of oppressed black people to those of animals -- a situation that the poet refuses to accept. For example, in the first quatrain the rhyme scheme places emphasis on the words, "hogs" and "dogs."

If we must die -- let it not be like hogs

Hunted and penned in an inglorious spot,

While round us bark the mad and hungry dogs,

This metaphor compares the lives of people to pigs who are pursued by the "dogs" of prejudice and discrimination. This is totally unacceptable to the protagonist in the poem and the view is expressed that death is preferable to such subjugation.

The sonnet form also allows for repetition via the rhyme scheme, which the poet uses to emphasize his central message. This refers for example to the repetition of "If we must die" and the view that "If we must die -- oh, let us nobly die."

A central characteristic of this sonnet form is the rhyming couplet at the end of the poem, which is used to summarize and stress the essential theme or themes of the poem. In this poem the rhyming couplet strongly expresses the resentment and determination that flows throughout the entire poem.

Like men we'll face the murderous, cowardly pack,

Pressed to the wall, dying, but fighting back!

This summarizes the theme of rebellion or protest against extreme injustice and stresses the resolve to fight back against the forces that would destroy them.

2. Both these poems provide insight into the ability of the human spirit to overcome the often harsh and unpredictable conditions of life. Both the poems focus on the way that art, and in particular music, expresses the human condition and, in a sense, transcends human existential suffering.

In the Harlem Dancer the poet creates images of a person dancing and in the act of dancing and singing, creating a sense of human joy that expresses but also goes beyond suffering. The exquisite voice of the dancing girl is compared to the "…sound of blended flutes." ( lines 5/6)

However, the poet makes us aware that her artistry and entrancing beauty has been acquired at great cost: she has "Grown Lovlier for passing through a storm." (Line 12) This refers to the view that great art is often the result of great suffering. We are also… READ MORE

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