Claude McKay

I remember studying Claude Mckay in Brit. Lit. and really enjoyed reading his poetry. In his earlier poetry he used the dialect of poor Jamaicans (giving consideration to his Jamaican heritage). We read “Old England” in which he displays appreciation for the history of the country he longs to one day visit. In that poem he mentions his admiration for Milton, Shakespeare, Wordsworth and Gray (famous white poets of the past).

The poems we read for this week’s assignment seem to contrast to this earlier poetry. In “Negro’s Tragedy” and “Look Within” he becomes more outspoken. He asserts that “Only a thorn-crowned Negro and no white…” and “There is no white man who could write my book...” After McKay was older and had experienced firsthand the racism in America he began to write more radically and protests the injustices against blacks.

In response to Michelle, who mentioned McKay seemed “dull” to her. I wonder if his use of traditional forms had anything to do with this perception of his poetry. Like Dr. Griffiths mentioned, what I find interesting about McKay is that he uses the Sonnet form in his writing. (Sonnet: lyric poem comprising 14 rhyming lines of equal length: iambic pentameters). But, he doesn’t use the same tone Shakespeare and past writers did. According to the text, “…McKay reconceived the meaning of a centuries-long tradition” (314).

Like L. Hughes and other imp. writers of the Harlem Renaissance, McKay embraced communism and socialism for a short while. He carried on activism throughout his life. Although there is a tone of anger and conflict in much of his poetry, you have to admire someone that had so much passion and advocated for the rights of his fellow African Americans.