America By Claude Mckay Essay

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The poem America by Claude McKay is a poem connecting what America should be and what it stands for and what it actually is. McKay explains how he feels about America. He mentions the American dream; yet how difficult it is to conquer the task due to all the problems we are faced by our country, especially racism. While the American dream is supposed to be a land of opportunity, McKay see’s America as a country that does not live up to the American dream that everyone hopes for, yet he see’s it as a illusion for African American’s. People all around the world know that America is known for the land of opportunity with the promise of freedom and equality, yet coming from an African American viewpoint, equality didn’t exists. McKay’s point across in this poem is to gain attention to African Americans that everyone deserves equality and that the American dream is something worth fighting for. The poem America by Claude McKay is a typical sonnet that incorporates three verses and one couplet.…show more content…
For example, “Although she feeds me bread and bitterness,” (l. 1), the word “she” is actually used for being America. McKay also uses several similes as he describes American’s as "cultured hell" as "her vigor flows like tides into my blood gives me strength erect against her hate" and "her bigness sweeps my being like a flood", (ll. 5-7). McKay also incorporates imagery in his poem, as he mentions, "sinks into my throat her tiger's tooth, stealing my breath of life", (ll. 2-4). There is also a glimpse of the setting, describing America as "darkly I gaze into the days ahead, and see her might and granite wonders there, beneath the touch of Time's unerring hand, like priceless treasures sinking in the sand," (ll. 11-14). Although these are just a few examples of how McKay used figurative language in his poem, there are many more examples that make this poem more enjoyable to

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