Themes of ‘If We Must Die'
There is the strongest message of
fighting back and dying with dignity among the battles
. There are also themes of honor and courage in warfare. The speaker of the poem is letting those fighting know that their deaths in this battle will be ones of honor.
What poetic devices are used in If We Must Die?
McKay makes use of several poetic techniques in If We Must Die. These include
alliteration, enjambment, metaphor, and repetition
. The latter, repetition, is the use and reuse of a specific technique, word, tone, or phrase within a poem.
What type of poem is if we must die by Claude McKay?
Themes of ‘If We Must Die'
There is the strongest message of
fighting back and dying with dignity among the battles
. There are also themes of honor and courage in warfare. The speaker of the poem is letting those fighting know that their deaths in this battle will be ones of honor.
What type of writing did Claude McKay do?
Claude McKay, born Festus Claudius McKay in Sunny Ville, Jamaica in 1889, was a key figure in the Harlem Renaissance, a prominent literary movement of the 1920s. His work ranged from
vernacular verse celebrating peasant life
in Jamaica to poems that protested racial and economic inequities.
Claude McKay's purpose for writing the poem “If We Must Die” is
to show that our actions that lead up to our death – our life, in fact – must be one of brave and courageous acts
. The poet also says that our fight must be a noble one, and he alludes that the cause we are fighting for must be a noble one as well…
What is the theme of Yet Do I Marvel?
Yet Do I Marvel, sonnet by Countee Cullen, published in the collection Color in 1925. Reminiscent of the Romantic sonnets of William Wordsworth and William Blake, the poem is
concerned with racial identity and injustice
.
What is the extended metaphor in If We Must Die?
Line 3: The speaker describes his enemies as “
mad and hungry dogs
.” By associating his human enemies with dogs, the speaker is using an extended metaphor. This extended metaphor gives us the message that the speaker's enemies are crazed, vicious, and less than human.
Is Apostrophe a figure of speech?
Apostrophe is a
figure of speech
in which a speaker directly addresses someone (or something) that is not present or cannot respond in reality. … Apostrophe, the figure of speech, should not be confused with apostrophe, the punctuation mark.
How many Stanza is in the poem If We Must Die?
It is made up of only
one stanza with 14 verses
. c) Comment on the rhyming scheme. The poem has a regular rhyming scheme that goes; ABAB CDCD EFEF GG.
Why did Claude McKay write after the winter?
The purpose of Claude McKay's poem is
to inform the people that there is a light in the end of the tunnel
. That something good will come out of all this destruction. McKay also wants people to have the same amount racial pride and sense of African heritage as he does.
What influenced Claude McKay?
Early Life and Influences
McKay was born in Sunny Ville, Clarendon Parish, Jamaica, on September 15, 1889. He was greatly influenced by
his African pride and love of British poetry
. His other influences were Walter Jekyll and Uriah McKay. Uriah McKay was Claude's brother and a schoolteacher.
What was Claude McKay's life like?
Claude McKay moved to Harlem, New York, after publishing his first books of poetry, and established himself as a literary voice for
social justice
during the Harlem Renaissance. He is known for his novels, essays and poems, including “If We Must Die” and “Harlem Shadows.” He died on May 22, 1948, in Chicago, Illinois.
How can die nobly?
Answer: One
can die nobly by “dying but fighting back
.” The author is trying to convince the reader to keep fighting for whatever it is you want. He says that giving up and giving in to things without ever trying it like dying like a hog.
What do first four lines establish?
Lines 1 through 4 establish that
the speaker and his allies are under attack
. The speaker urges his allies not to give up without a fight. The next four lines draw on the emotions of the allies to die honorably. Lines 9 through 12 contain the speaker's rallying cry to his allies.
What type of poem is Yet Do I Marvel?
“Yet Do I Marvel” is
a sonnet
. There are basically two types of sonnets: the Italian and the English. We'll focus on the English sonnet, since that is the form Cullen uses. This sonnet is fourteen lines long (all sonnets are, traditionally), and employs a regular rhyme scheme.
What is the poem any human to another about?
In Countee Cullen's poem, ‘Any Human to Another,' the speaker
describes how essential human interaction is
. He also reveals how one person suffering affects everyone. … The suffering of one kind or another is a common human experience and something that unites us all.
