The century-long question asks when government involvement becomes too much or too little. Many debate this question, but is there truly a correct answer? Regardless of one’s stance on this debate, reflecting on the history of strong government involvement, we often find oppressive and authoritarian rule. This discourse often occurs due to the leader beginning with a strong, hopeful campaign concept that is truly just manipulation to get the citizens to believe the lies of the power-hungry leader. Not only can we conclude that history proves that excessive involvement is oppressive, but many authors also agree and demonstrate this in their works of literature. The government has a tremendous impact on our lives, as does an oppressive government …show more content…
One of the most familiar forms of oppression in the States is racism. Throughout the years of the US, slavery was very apparent, as well as general oppression and hatred toward people of color. Claude McKay’s poem, “America,” discusses how the hidden tax of oppression influenced the cost of the “American life” during the 1880’s. “she feeds me bread of bitterness, and sinks into my throat her tiger’s tooth, stealing my breath of life” (McKay, 1889) These lines heavily impact the reader by allowing them to acknowledge the experience of one who has been heavily oppressed. Although McKay obviously states the feeling of oppression, he also mentions how through the pain, there is a breath of hope through the troubles. “Darkly I gaze into the days ahead, And see her might and granite wonders there.” (McKay) After realizing the country’s underlying platform of racism, McKay writes from his home perspective, a man living in Jamaica, looking at the raw effects of oppression in the …show more content…
Poet, Jamaal May, writes in “A Brief History of Hostility” how war destroys the people by slowly introducing phases of oppression. May writes this poem from the stance of a slave during the Civil War. Not only does May discuss the slave’s view of the war throughout, but also the emotions attached to the oppression and torture faced during this time. “They took the light from our eyes. Possessive. The. Took the moisture from our throats. My arms, my lips, my sternum, sucked dry.” (May, 2013) These specific lines paint a disgusting image of the brutality added on to the already painful life of a slave. During the civil war, the North and South debated on whether slavery should be legal, but regardless, it was. This same government willingly allowed slavery, a form of oppressive racism, to endure for many years, killing thousands and torturing the rest. Although these excerpts display the emotions the apparent speaker is experiencing, the beginning of the poem alludes to the books of Genesis and John in the Bible. May writes, “In the beginning there was war. The war said, let there be war and there was war. The war said let there be peace and there was war” (May, 2013). This subtly implies that the war has been present long before we ever realized and is never-ending. The war also references the ongoing oppression throughout
During the Harlem Renaissance, both Claude McKay and Langston Hughes developed an analysis of their time period through poetry. Each writer has a different poem but allude to the same theme. The White House by Claude McKay and I, Too, Sing, America by Langston Hughes makes a relevant comparison to the racial inequality during the 1900s. Both make a point about how White America has withheld equal rights from Blacks or Black America, making it hard for them to survive. More specifically, The White
proper manner. In this particular essay, there will be a detailed discussion on Hughes' "Harlem" and McKay's "America". The comparison and contrast of these two poems will help to make the in-depth analysis. Thesis statement The theme of oppression, dream and racial equality in "America" by Claude McKay and in "Harlem" by Langston Hughes is presented. Both Langston Hughes and Claude McKay are important poets of the American literature as they have represented the conflicts and struggle of the people
The two poems being discussed in this essay will be Phillis Wheatley’s “On Being Brought from Africa to America” and Claude McKay’s “America.” “On Being Brought from Africa to America” is a poem by Phillis Wheatley, published in her 1773 book, Poems on Various Subjects, Religious and Morals. Phillish Wheatley, born in 1753 in West Africa, was a trailblazer for African American poetry during the 18th century. Despite the many obstacles and struggles she faced within her life, Wheatley was impressively
If We Must Die Claude McKay’s life was displayed through his poetry usually examining conflicts coming from an outsider point of view. The significance of Claude McKay was that he was a black man who had the desire to write out of a traditional literary heritage. In Claude McKay’s “If We Must Die,” the true meaning between his lines of his work lays an indication as a dominant motivator for the Harlem Renaissance movement. McKay resisted characterization and opposed his standpoint of the Harlem
Hughes and Claude McKay, whose literature contributed to the Harlem Renaissance by raising awareness of what it meant to be black in the United States and developing a new African American cultural identity. Both To The White Songs of Jamaica was written when Hughes still lived on the island, and as a result gives the reader insight on the poet’s early influences. Additionally, the majority of the themes found in McKay’s future works are introduced here. Along with Jamaican peasant culture, McKay indicates
The trail African Americans have trod in America has never followed the path of least resistance. Their role in society has evolved, yet a history of maltreatment cuts deep into their heritage and has left an everlasting scar. During the Harlem Renaissance, a new black cultural identity was forged. Countee Cullen, Claude McKay and Langston Hughes were three of many writers responsible for reshaping the African American identity through striking literary expression. Furthermore, these poets of the
assessment that literature was so concentrated on pandering to white readers thereby neglecting the needs of the “Negro masses.” In the following paragraphs, two literary works are examined namely Langston Hughes “The Negro Speaks of Rivers,” and Claude McKay’s “If We Must Die.” In these literary works, it is evident that indeed the Negro writers were so engrossed with the idea of racial discrimination instead of suggesting positive actions that would help uplift the Black American’s condition.
Langston Hughes, and Claude McKay. Though motivated by the same hardships, people, and events, the works of both Hughes, and McKay show glaring differences in the perspectives of the authors. Upon reading “Harlem” by Hughes, the audience may easily see the author’s more peaceful call to action. In contrast, after reading “If We Must Die,” one can infer that McKay prefers to call his audience to obvious (physical) action. Langston Hughes’s poem portrays a more passive overtone, while Claude McKay’s poem is
writers, Claude McKay during the Harlem Renaissance and Anne Bradstreet from the Puritan era, use traditional poetic forms to speak about topics varying from societal injustice to the struggle between faith and faith. In “Upon The Burning Of Our House,” during the 1600s, Bradstreet is in bed with her family and awakened by a loud noise in the dead of night. Unknown to her,
It is a sad fact that discrimination and stereotypes are still deeply rooted in today’s times. In the resilient poems, “The White House” by Claude Mckay and “These are the Times We Live In” by Imtiaz Dharker, the poets recognize and express the need for change in society. Both poems express the resilience of the minority groups of the United States as they fight for equality and in general – what is right for the people. While “The White House” discusses discrimination and the fight against white
In the poem “Theme for English B” by Langston Hughes and “The White City” by Claude Mckay, there is a shared topic of race and the minorities’ experience. The authors of the poems use their speakers tone/personality. imagery, and setting to make a statement on the social disadvantage placed on minority races by the majority. The theme of these two pieces is holding on to your cultural identity even in an oppressive, white-washed society. The speakers of these two poems focus on the same topic,
Writing during the emergence of the “New Negro” movement, Claude McKay and Langston Hughes work to reconcile black life in white America. The trope used by the two poets within “The Harlem Dancer” and “The Weary Blues” is that of a performance and a single speaker’s recollection of it. While both depict an African-American performer presumably consumed by the isolation and oppression of their condition, the intensity of the performances prove to be vastly disparate. Hughes’ “The Weary Blues” features
During the Harlem Renaissance, Claude McKay and Langston Hughes were renowned figures that helped to sway the movement to a national level. They wrote many works of literature that brought much attention to the issues that were occurring in the United States. One of those issues that they wrote about was the racism that was discriminating the African-Americans. They both agreed that this racism must end. McKay shows this in his poem “America,” while Hughes wrote the poem titled “Democracy." They
From different parts of the reading this week, we learn that Claude McKay was often considered one of the more militant voices throughout the Harlem Renaissance. When I read of people being likened to terms such as “militant", I often wonder if the title is one that is deserved. After reading his poetry I am not sure that I see a militant man in the sense that I thought I might; what I do see though, is someone whose will was strong. I read the words of a man who was enlightened enough to realize
Harlem Renaissance and the Lost Generation diverged from the mainstream to begin a separate cultures. Harlem was an area in New York with an extensive African American population. During the ‘20s poets, writers and musicians like Langston Hughes, Claude Mckay and Zora Neale Hurston made the Harlem area the center of black art and culture. The lost generation was based mainly in Paris, France. It consisted of war torn men who could not re-enter society after World War I. In Europe nearly sixty two percent