Outcast and The Tired Worker by Claude McKay are two strong and intricate poems that stand perfectly on their own, however, when the two are read together we can uncover a strengthened main theme and a heavy correlation between the two literary works. With the historical context of both works being written within the 1920s, we see the story of exploited and overworked employees, victims of the situation around them, and the people in power above them.
The Tired Worker revolves around the speaker, as he waits till the final hours of the day so that he may be able to return back home to rest. Allowing him the opportunity of momentary peace, as he recovers from the back-breaking and overly demanding daily work. As he begins to regain himself and appreciate the joy in his rest he is rudely awakened by the morning sun as it rises again, and is filled with dread at knowing he has to return to the grueling work cycle he’s destined for. The speaker notes the difference between the two settings and notably points out the lack of autonomy he has over the work he does “The wretched day was theirs, the night is mine” with his time off the clock being the only time he has over himself, as during the day he is nothing more than another cog in the machine kept running by those in power.
While Outcast holds a more somber tone with a main emphasis on the inescapable fate of death, it can be argued that it’s a much more positive work. As the speaker talks about his body and soul eventually departing from the living world he notes that there is peace in this process, as he returns to the darkness, but in doing so is able to rest eternally. More importantly, however, the speaker notes that his death removes him from the chains placed onto him by the “great western world” as he’s forced to work, and liberated from “the white man’s menace” as he escapes through death.
Together the poems tell the story of an abusive and exploitative system, one that takes in workers and uses them to their fullest extent for the sake of maximizing productivity with no care for the burden this has on its employees. We get a closer view of this system from the perspective of one of its victims, constantly haunted by the daily work cycle, even through the little time he gets to rest, knowing that he’s doomed to return back the next day. Destined to this cycle until the day of his death, when he will finally be freed of his daily torment and separated from his overseers and be met with the peace that’s been robbed from him his whole life.
– Eduardo Ojeda Jr
Introduction to Poetry 
Apr 20, 2024 @ 01:06:56
Hello Eduardo,
I enjoyed your post. Seeing how the worker was exploited and the amount of abuse within these working conditions really sheds light on similar situations. That is why I would have liked to see you maybe bring in something from the outside of how workers maybe lower-class are treated in comparison to the people in higher-classing jobs. Other than that, you did great in bringing your evidence and explaining your findings. Good job!
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