“On Broadway” vs “The Barrier”

Two sonnets that I’ve chosen by Claude McKay are “On Broadway” and “The Barrier.” The first sonnet situates on the broadway and the speaker is stating how lonely it is to be around a “merry crowd.” Each of the stanzas start with positive tones then ends with a sad tone: “my heart, my heart is lonely” (On Broadway, line 8). The speaker is saying even though they are around a happy and positive environment, their own heart is lonely. The second sonnet (“The Barrier”) situates on the barrier between love and race. During this time, African Americans were never allowed to marry or be in love with white Americans. The speaker being an African American, is falling in love with a white person. He compliments how the person is illuminated like the sun and their voice flows like a “river reed.” He is slowly falling in love with the person even though their there is a “barrier of race,” since the person they love is fair and the speaker is dark.

These two sonnets relate in tone. They both have a positive yet sad tone when explaining their situations. The speakers in both sonnets are lonely cause they can’t find their happiness because of the barriers within. These two sonnets aline as in telling a story. The speaker is lonely for not feeling happy in an environment where everyone is positive, then it goes on to telling how they can’t love the person they want because of their race, making them more lonely. The speaker finds happiness within the person they love but because of “the barrier of race,” they can’t be with them still making them more alone. Claude McKay was able to relate these two sonnets based on tone and situation. He was able to show how alone it felt when having these barriers and because of these barriers, he was not able to find his happiness.

Gurranvir Kaur

The Throes of Home

The two McKay’s sonnets that seem thematically linked would be To One Coming North and The Tropics In New York as both provide what seems as an internal monologue that one would have when moving to a new place and the eventual disappointment or even the disillusion that time has upon oneself. The main connection that both would have would be the initial rose tinted view the speaker has of the city, yet as time passes they yearn for what they once had. Here is where both speakers begin to diverge from each other, while To One Coming North narrative has a valley story going, as one starts off on a high note before heading into a somber tone of longing before having his love for the city reignited once again. The volta of the poem makes itself known as it exclaims and professes how the pining of home will be overcome by what spring offers to heal the speaker’s soul with the “miraculous sun turned glad and warm.” Meanwhile in The Tropics In New York, it parallels the initial high note, yet it only begins a downward spiral of misery as the speaker feels as though the city only serves to allure people with sights and sustains them with nothing else besides illusions. The speaker cannot see what the city may offer, as to him all that is in the city is just an illusion, just like the “highest prize at parish fairs.” Distraught by his memories of the pass, the volta, does not offer a sense of conclusion or resolution to the speaker, rather just an affirmation of his solitude that he feels trapped in the city full of ripe fruit and the bounty of said fruit. In the end, the two poems serve to showcase how one’s mental fortitude can be strengthen and reinforced by the memories of home, or those same memories may be the downfall of man, not allowing him to look into the future and strive for more – just to quit.
Isaac Ruiz

Unable to Move On

Claude McKay’s, “December 1919” (Pg 29) is thematically linked and a continuation to “My Mother” (Pg 26 and 27) by capturing the intense grief and loss he felt for his mother’s passing.  Both these sonnets are expressed with a sorrowful tone demonstrating that there are suppressed emotions involved related to his mother’s death. How is death involved?. From the descriptive tone McKay uses in My Mother, it is noticed that he is describing his last moment with her before she died. In the poem, he claims, “But in her quiet way she made me yield” (McKay, Pg 26, Line 3). Indicating where his mother lied, it was quiet and peaceful, knowing her current condition, made him stop to check on her. “Reluctantly, for she was breathing low.” (Mckay, Pg 26, Line 4). Before dying, people tend to lose their breath slowly because they are trying to stay alive as much time as they can. In this case, this is what’s happening to Mckay’s mother. Mckay continues by describing his mother’s eyes, mentioning, “Her eyes said: I shall last another day. But scarcely had we reached the distant place,” (Mckay, Pg 26, Line 8 and 9). This describes how his mother is not trying to die just yet for her son, but she can’t hold it much longer. How do we know she died though? Line 10 makes that statement clear by mentioning a “faint bell ringing”. When a person dies, a death bell is rung to mark the death of someone. This death bell connects back to Christian beliefs. So there is a hint of biblical terms involved in this poem. Both poems are detailed in the aspect of describing loss and grief, however, My Mother is expressed with more imagery connected to nature. This is shown in Part 2. “The dawn departs, the morning is begun, The trades come whispering from off the seas, The fields of corn are golden in the sun,” (Pg 26, Lines 1 and 3). December 1919 also demonstrates a bit of imagery, precisely describing Mckay’s urge to cry, “tears gushed from my heart, mother, And passed beyond its wall, But though the fountain reached my throat, The drops refused to fall.” (Pg 29, Lines 5-8) But, My Mother was lengthier in implying imagery compared to December 1919 which was more of a straightforward poem.

What’s the theme connection between both poems though? They’re both related to grieving and death. ’My mother’ comes in two parts while December 1919 is shorter. My Mother follows more of the traditional sonnet structure unlike December 1919. This is specifically found within its rhyming scheme and length. My mother consists of an ABAB scheme and two 14-line sonnets, while December 1919 has a broken rhyme scheme and only has 12 lines. However, what does December 1919 show? It demonstrates the great impact his mother’s death had on him. December 1919 displays the broken and grieving state he was left in by his mother’s passing. It is a recall of that moment that was told in My Mother. In My Mother, readers didn’t get much on how Mckay felt, it was more on what was going on in that moment. On the other hand, December 1919, goes more in-depth with Mckay’s feelings and how that loss marked him in life. He begins with a memory, “Last night I heard your voice, mother, The words you sang to me When I, a little barefoot boy, Knelt down against your knee.” (Mckay, Pg 29, Lines 1 and 4). By starting his poem like this, he makes it clear who he’s writing this poem for, which is his mother. From the looks of it, the rhyme scheme is already off. Its broken structure demonstrates the intense emotions he felt as he wrote it. This becomes more evident as he continues, “tears gushed from my heart, mother, And passed beyond its wall, But though the fountain reached my throat The drops refused to fall.” (Mckay, Pg 29, Lines 5 and 8). This is where the suppressed emotions are shown. He wants to cry for the loss of his mother but can’t. I also noticed that he mentioned time, “tis ten years since you died, mother, Just ten dark years of pain,” (Mckay, Pg 29, Lines 9 and 10). Unlike My Mother, Mckay makes it clear that December 1919 was written 10 years after his mother’s death. From stating “ten dark years of pan” readers are also aware of the great impact his mother’s death has caused him. He clarifies that after 10 years, Mckay still feels unable to move on from his mother’s passing. He is still hurt and filled with overwhelming emotions. December 1919 exposes the fact that he still has not moved on from the loss of his mother.  Though both poems were structurally different in rhyme scheme and length, they both relate to the loss of his mother and express the intense emotional pain and sadness McKay felt because of it.

Claudia Dominguez

“The Harlem Dancer” vs “Harlem Shadows”

“The Harlem Dancer” is told through an imperfect Shakespearean sonnet. I say imperfect because at line 11-12, there is the use of a unrhymed word,”the”, which is an enjambment that leads into the next line. These two lines stand out because they are the reason the sonnet is 15 lines instead 14. McKay wanted to bring emphasis to petrachan lady, the dancer, by emphasizing that both boys and girls were in awe at her beauty. The sonnet is set on a warm, sunny day. This is clear in line 4 by the phrase, “upon a picnic day,” (McKay). If it is nice enough to have a picnic, it is most likely sunny. This sonnet, although celebrating the dancer’s beauty, has a darker undertone. In the rhyming couplet, the speaker says the dancer has a, “falsey-smiling face,” (Mckay). Although her body and face may express joy about what she is doing, there is an eery feeling that the dancer does not enjoy what she does. She has to perform in “light gauze” that does not cover much of her body. She is on display to be ogled by anyone.

From the first glance at “Harlem Shadows”, it is much longer than “The Harlem Dancer”. The first two stanzas are told in a Shakespearean sonnet however, there is an extra stanza. However, similar to the first sonnet, there is a tone shift. Since this is an irregular sonnet, I believe the volta appears at the start of the third stanza. This is because the sonnet moves from describing the actions of the young prostitute to aching for the young prostitute.

Both sonnets focused on the women of Harlem who have had to take up jobs they don’t like to make money. The Dancer must entertain and show off her body, while the young prostitute has to sell her body for money. The dancer performs in the daylight, where anyone can see her face. Her family could walk by and see her. However, the young prostitute does her job at night where she can hide away from judgemental faces when needed. Both girls are still using their bodies in different ways to make money.

By: Tierney Bowden

Memory of Her

Poems, La Paloma in London and A Memory of June by Claude McKay, both tell a story of a fleeting romance. La Paloma in London, is a typical Shakespearean sonnet. The first quatrain follows the abab rhyme scheme with the words, light, fun, night, and done. The remaining two quatrains also follow the Shakespearan sonnets, rhyme schemes. The final two lines are a perfect couplet. The last word in each line rhymes: Glory, and Diory. The volta occurs earlier than is expected of a Shakespearean sonnet. Rather than occurring right before the rhyming couplet, it occurs on line 9, with the word Harlem. Up until this point, the speaker is out with his friends in Soho, having a good time. But upon hearing La Paloma on a guitar, the speaker is transported to an encounter he had with a Cuban woman. He reminisces dancing with the woman and her “coffee colored eyes keen glancing aslant at [his]” (McKay 78). In the final line, he proclaims he loved her. One of the five dominant themes of Shakespearean sonnets is a man expressing his love for a woman. It makes sense then, why McKay chose a Shakespearean sonnet, to tell the story of a man who cannot help but be reminded of an encounter he had with a woman, long past. It reveals the depth of his feelings for her. A Memory of June tells a similar story. Like in the previous poem, the speaker is transported to an encounter he had with a woman every time it is June. Unlike the first poem, this speaker talks of passion and sensuality. Just from their arms locked, he could feel their “warm flesh pulsing with love’s pain” (McKay 79). This speaks to their desire to be together intimately. So much so, it is painful. When intimate, the speaker says the woman’s “brown burning body was a lute, whereon my passion played his fevered song” (McKay 79). Here, the speaker tells of the pleasure he gave her. But, like the previous poem, the speaker and the woman go their separate ways and he is left with only the memory of her. This poem does not have many components of a Shakespearean sonnet. It is not 14 lines, but 23. But the first quatrain follows the abab rhyming scheme. Every quatrain, apart from the second, follows the same rhyming scheme as the first. This draws attention to the second quatrain, which I believe to be where the volta is. It is the moment when the speaker is transported to his summer fling. The volta served the same purpose for the previous poem. While A Memory of June does not follow the Shakespearean sonnet to a T, I believe it was done to express the difference of his love affair from the man in La Paloma in London. They both loved the women, no doubt, but the man from A Memory of June, had a romance filled with extreme passion, and deep intimacy. The other man’s romance seemed simpler, hence the Shakespearean sonnet.

Bella Cortez

A Cogs Fate

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

Claude Mckay, the personification and connection

The two sonnets I decided to choose are ‘America’, and ‘The City’s Love’. While these two aren’t exactly connected, the first one being a country, and the second one being a city, the two of them have very similar ideologies within them, with them being places of living that Claude Mckay personifies, and makes into women, similar themes, and nearly similar ways of phrasing. They both personify a place, and refer to them as a woman that does certain actions towards him, whether it be painful, good, or bad.

First, The City’s Love. This Sonnet begins with McKay referring to a special moment in time when the city’s grace sweeps across him, uncaring of his skin color. He then goes on to refer to himself as an ‘alien guest’ a foreigner of sorts, before suddenly personifying the city, turning it into a woman, one that bends down to him like a goddess, igniting the passion in his heart. This glimmer of hope and passion exceeds skin color, ethnicity, and everything above, acting as a love beyond everything. It’s, in a sense, a romantic-esque poem that writes about the beauty of common ground, and how it’s possible, no matter what.

America. The next sonnet by Claude Mckay starts off with ‘America’ being personified right away, with her feeding McKay what seems to be bitter bread, perhaps symbolizing something terrible. She then sinks her tiger-like tooth into his neck, perhaps a symbol the America’s death-like grip on him. However, after that, McKay suddenly changes his tone into an almost joyous tone, mentioning how he loves this cultured hell that tests his young body. He talks about how America’s vigor, its bustling melting pot of culture flows through him, causing him to stand against the hate (which we can correlate with prejudice and oppression) with sweeps like a flood. He stands in America without any sort of terror and malice but rather looks far ahead into the future to see something bright and hopeful, a priceless treasure it is. Most likely equality, common ground, perhaps a future (Beneath Time’s hand) where understanding reigns.

Claude McKay here, has created two poems of different places, but similar belief. The belief that underneath all the problems, underneath all the issues that lie in the world, there exists something beautiful, a haven for them. Whether it be for just the briefest moments, or in the far future, there exists a place before times (unerring hand) grasp that skin tone and ethnicity means nothing. There is only the individual, and what they do. – Edmund F.

Of Urban Settings

In “The Tropics in New York,” McKay contrasts the vibrant memory of the tropical homeland with the stark reality of urban life in New York City. This sonnet explores themes of cultural displacement and the longing for a lost homeland.McKay juxtaposes the lush, exotic tropics with the harsh, industrial landscape of New York, highlighting the stark contrast between natural beauty and urban reality. Right in the beginning of the poem it starts with, “Bananas ripe and green, and ginger-root, Cocoa in pods and alligator pears, And tangerines and mangoes and grape fruit, Fit for the highest prize at parish fairs,” (lns 1-4). These lines evoke the vivid imagery of tropical fruits, contrasting with the urban environment of New York City.

In “America” McKay critiques the racial inequality and hypocrisy prevalent in American society, highlighting the disparity between the country’s ideals and the reality faced by marginalized communities. “Although she feeds me bread of bitterness, And sinks into my throat her tiger’s tooth,” (lns 1-2) This line metaphorically captures the bitterness and violence experienced by African Americans despite the promises of equality and opportunity in America. The sonnet further expresses a profound sense of alienation and disillusionment with the American dream, portraying a longing for acceptance and equality.

Both “The Tropics in New York” and “America” explore themes of displacement, disillusionment, and yearning. While McKay’s tropical sonnet contrasts the natural abundance of the homeland with the urban struggles in New York, “America” delves into the social and racial tensions within the American society. By analyzing these sonnets side by side, students can deepen their understanding of McKay’s thematic concerns and poetic techniques. The juxtaposition of imagery and themes across these poems illuminates the interconnected struggles and aspirations within the African American community during a pivotal period in American history.

-Alondra Garcia

Enslaved vs I Shall Return

In Claude “McKay’s “Enslaved” and “I Shall Return,” I see a connection. They shed light on the issues within the black community while choosing a response to the hatred being received.

“Enslaved” entails a brief background on the issues the black community faces even to this day. Line 2-3: “For weary centuries despised, oppressed,/Enslaved and lynched, denied a human place. “It learned that this issue is far beyond his time and continues to be a problem in the modern day. Although scenarios might be slightly different than in the past, they are still important issues to shed light on. African Americans constantly have to deal with this strife of racism-coated hatred. Mckay seems to express his feelings on the matter and how tired he is of this Hate. Mckay expresses how hard it is to go through this oppression in Lines 8 -9: ” My heart grows sick with hate, becomes as lead,/ For this my race that has no home on earth../Then from the dark depths of my soul I cry. It’s a hard feeling to grasp, being hated just because of the color of your skin. Being a member of the black community, I can attest to the struggles and racism faced firsthand hand, and Claude expresses his pain for his community not being accepted and being shunned after they have every right to be there. Lines 5-6: “ And in the Black Land disinherited,/ Robbed in the ancient country of its birth.”. It is being deprived of what is rightfully theirs while experiencing racism. Not only does McKay express his emotional feelings towards this, but he also expresses anger. They do not have freedom in a place where they deserve every right to be. Bound to be constricted by the White Man. It could’ve easily felt like there was no safe space for them. There seemed to be a shift in this poem, though; Mckay shifted this awful experience as a black man and found strength. Lines 10- 14: “ To the avenging angel to consume/ The white man’s world of wonders utterly:/ Let it be swallowed up in earth’s vast womb,/ Or upward roll as sacrificial smoke/ To liberate my people from its yoke!”. The avenging angel seems to metaphorically bring his fellow people out of this oppression—a way to constrict the racism that was brought up in the world. In terms of the world today, Racism has not disappeared, although speaking of back then, it has been shaped. One thing that stood out to me was “WHITE MANS WORLD.” It’s clear even today that the world is built around the white man. Mckay wishes this commotion to be abolished as he is screaming for justice.

In terms of the poem “ I Shall Return,”. How do they all connect? This poem brings a different light to the previous one. Mckay’s approach is saying despite all odds, he’s still standing. He’s still resisting love and light. The passion did not leave him, nor did the fight for justice leave him. What others meant to bring him down, he found a safe place within himself. Lines 1-3” shall return; I shall return/To laugh and love and watch with wonder-eyes/At golden noon the forest fires burn,” Even though this fight for justice is not an easy path, being oppressed alongside fighting for justice can be a tremdelsuly stressful thing. Some might struggle to still find that light within them. This connects and amplifies his other poem. Looking at it side by side, one can see that it continues the story for justice. Screaming hey look, times are hard, but I am alive.” ‘I’m STRONG!”. It screams if I can have this fire inside me, so can you. This probably drew attention from those who might have wanted to give up. The last two lines in this poem stuck with me. Lines 13-14:” I shall return, I shall return,/ To ease my mind of long, long years of pain.” 

-Victoria Sasere

Unfortunate Truth

To be quite honest whilst reading these poems I felt that all of these poems were intriguing to me as they talk about his struggles and hardships. The two poems I chose to write about from Claude McKay’s poems were, “Outcast” and “The Tired Worker”. While reading the two poems, I noticed how they both express the want for freedom and the different ways to express this. 

In the sonnet for, “The Tired Worker”, the poem demonstrates the difficulties of the working class as well as his experiences. Mckay emphasizes the importance of the evening time as this is where they receive their free time away from work, as well as this is where they can be at peace. “O dawn! O dreaded dawn! O let me rest” (Line 12), the poet describes his dread for the beginning of a new day as this is where their freedom ends and they will need to start working once more. 

Although, In the poem “Outcast” it seems as if the poet focuses more on the feeling of loneliness just simply due to their skin color. As well as focusing on the fact that he is an immigrant, which wasn’t all that welcomed, “And I must walk the way of life a ghost” (Line 11). I felt that throughout the poem it focused around the idea of racial profiling as well as how they’re in a white world. Additionally to all of this, I noticed the alliteration throughout the poem of “I”, this appears to be the poet referring actually to the general working class rather than just himself. 

These poems are quite heartbreaking but they are also unfortunately the truth and something that people to this day still struggle with, race.

Yue Wu-Jamison