The End Of The Fight

I feel like Claude McKays “If We Must Die” and “REST IN PEACE” are aligned with one another. It almost feels like “REST IN PEACE” is the sonnet that came after “If We Must Die.” In  “REST IN PEACE” it talks about how their fight is over, how now they can rest and how they’ll never have to worry about the “the ugly corners of the Negro belt;” that makes me think about how in “If We Must Die.” he said “Pressed to the wall, dying, but fighting back,” the fight he was talking about if finally over for the person in “REST IN PEACE,” they can rest now that they have died. Though they are connected in a way that a story is connected to an ending, the poetic elements of the poems are different. In “REST IN PEACE” the tone is one of farewell, relief, and at times even celebration. There’s a sense of triumph over adversity and a wish for a brighter future for the subject of the poem. That tone conveys very well when the poem says “The miseries and pains of these harsh days By you will never, never again be felt. No more, if still you wander, will you meet With nights of unabating bitterness; They cannot reach you in your safe retreat, The city’s hate, the city’s prejudice!” They are saying goodbye to a dear friend yet they are relieved that their friend’s fight is finally over knowing that it is a hard and soul crushing one; and though they mourn, they are happy that they will never again have to face the bitterness of the city’s prejudice. In “If We Must Die” the tone is a bit different; the tone is defiant and confrontational. The speaker acknowledges the inevitability of death but refuses to go down without a fight. There’s a sense of urgency and determination in the face of oppression and persecution. No back down, and that is clearly shown when it says “Though far outnumbered let us show us brave, And for their thousand blows deal one deathblow!- Pressed to the wall, dying, but fighting back.” In “REST IN PEACE” there is imagery that paints vivid pictures through its language, such as “the city’s thorny ways,” “the ugly corners of the Negro belt,” and “nights of unabating bitterness.” These images evoke strong emotions and create a sense of place and atmosphere. In “If We Must Die” McKay uses vivid imagery to depict the dire situation faced by the speaker and their fellow kinsman. Images of being “hunted and penned in an inglorious spot” and “round us bark the mad and hungry dogs” evoke a sense of danger and oppression and paint the oppressive nature of these words very vividly. In “REST IN PEACE” there is symbolism while in “If We Must Die” there is use of metaphor. In “REST IN PEACE” the city and its harsh realities symbolize struggle, prejudice, and suffering, while the safe retreat represents a haven from these troubles. The sea and port symbolize a journey or passage, perhaps to a better place or state of being. While in “If We Must Die” the metaphors lie in their comparisons to animals (“hogs” and “dogs”), as it emphasizes their dehumanization in the face of persecution and the way their murderers see them.

-Paris Baker