Your analysis are always very incisive and revelatory of the poem.It is through advertising that we are able to contribute to charity. If we must die, o let us nobly die So that our precious blood may not be shed In vain; then the monsters we defy Shall be constrained to honor us though dead. It is important that they fight back against what is clearly a metaphor for oppression.

— A history of the Harlem Renaissance from the Smithsonian's National Museum of African American History. ‘If We Must Die’ by Claude McKay is a rousing poem addressed to the black community advocating for courage and the will to fight back against oppression. Select any word below to get its definition in the context of the poem. “If We Must Die” is a Shakespearean sonnet written by the Jamaican poet Claude McKay in 1919. It is a poem of political resistance: it calls for oppressed people to resist their oppressors, violently and bravely—even if they die in the struggle. The scenario is furthered through the introduction of hungry dogs” that “bark” and “mock at our accursed lot”.In the second quatrains, the speaker reuses the phrase “If we must die”.

Enjambment forces a reader down to the next line, and the next, quickly. The first quatrain unfolds as just one sentence, beginning with the eponymous line "If we must die," which will be repeated twice in the poem.

If We Must Die Literary Elements Speaker or Narrator, and Point of View The speaker is an unidentified person, implied to be male, facing death from a savage foe. There are a few examples in The speaker does not want his listeners to be hunted and penned up ingloriously. If We Must Die was written as a response to what is now called the Red Summer of 1919. They can’t accomplish this feat if they are trapped like hogs. It is through their numbers and unity that they are going to show their bravery ad determination. These first four lines establish the basic premise of the poem: the speaker and his allies are under attack and are going to die, and the force opposing them is powerful and vicious. This time though, he adds that if they are going to die, he hopes they’ll die “nobly” with honour. This poem is one of many that delves into the complexities of resistance, power, and social justice/injustice.As is common in Shakespeare’s poems, the last two lines are a rhyming pair, known as a couplet. One has to move forward in order to comfortably resolve a phrase or sentence. Every single person that visits PoemAnalysis.com has helped contribute, so thank you for your support. It gathers to a greatness, like the ooze of oil Crushed For example, “must meet” in line nine and “deal,” “death-blow” in line eleven.Another important technique commonly used in poetry is enjambment. (including LitCharts Teacher Editions. If We Must Die by: Claude Mckay (Analysis Paper) If We Must Die, by Claude McKay is a sonnet written during the Harlem Renaissance period; a period where there was a flowering of African-American literature and art, (1919- mid 1930s). To begin an analysis of the rhetorical and stylistic choices in "If We Must Die" by Claude McKay, it's important to first gain a brief understanding of its context. The title and the repeated clauses drive home the desperation of the situation. These things are inevitable, what’s left is to determine how they’re going to fight back. Teachers and parents! Struggling with distance learning? The poem begins with the speaker addressing his “kinsmen,” telling them they need to avoid the fate of hogs. The words are listed in the order in which they appear in the poem. Teach your students to analyze literature like LitCharts does.Detailed explanations, analysis, and citation info for every important quote on LitCharts.The original text plus a side-by-side modern translation of One in which, the speaker likely hopes, they won’t have to keep fighting.Subscribe to our mailing list and get new poetry analysis updates straight to your inbox.We respect your privacy and take protecting it seriouslyEmma graduated from East Carolina University with a BA in English, minor in Creative Writing, BFA in Fine Art, and BA in Art Histories. Then, that the monsters that killed, or want to kill, they feel as though they should “honor us though dead!”The final section of the poem is six lines long. Struggling with distance learning? They often bring with them a turn or Alliteration occurs when words are used in succession, or at least appear close together, and begin with the same letter. Ads are what helps us bring you premium content! The speaker addresses his “kinsmen” clearly in the first line. He encourages them to stand up and meet their “common foe” together.

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