Poetry Analysis Essay: Claude McKay's "If We Must Die" Anonymous 12th Grade

Poetry Analysis Essay: Claude McKay's "If We Must Die" In the poem,

“If We Must Die” written by Claude McKay, the author was inspired to compose this piece of writing because of the brutality and race riots against the African American society that the United States experienced in 1919. The author came over from Jamaica in 1912 and eventually became part of the Harlem Renaissance along with other African American writers that developed their ideas together and this was the first time this was very popular in America. Mckay had a different standpoint on our country because he was born in a different country and settled on America being his home. He was able to catch sight of the vigorous and shoddy facets of America. This poet inspired other black poets to communicate about their experiences and encounterments with racism in their poems. As you read on, I’ll give a more capacious explanation of the meaning of this poem and some techniques used to make it more captivating.

As there could be many interpretations of what “If We Must Die”means, a person really would not understand if they didn’t take the time to read and dissect the poem. As said before in the analysis, McKay composed this poem during the Harlem Renaissance era when...