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What does the title of this poem suggest about McKay's audience? What is McKay's literal message? What is his figurative message?

This poem is very positive because Claude McKay is describing how the north is a beuatiful place. Then he goes on to say that the winter gets boring but then it blooms into a great bright beautiful accepting spring. On the other hand, "One Friday Morning" by Langston Hughes refelects on America negativley saying how America discriminates against African Americans and how it reflects on its culture and doesn't accept them into society.

America is portrayed in a positive sense in "To One Coming North" by Claude McKay. McKay describes America's faults, but later explains how the faults make it different from his home and therefore better. McKay explains this when he says: "But oh! more than the changeless southern isles/ When Spring has shed upon the earth her charm/ You'll love the Northland wreathed in golden smiles/ By the miraculous sun turned glad and warm." However, Langston Hughes disagrees with Claude McKay's view on America in his poem "Let America Be America Again". Hughes uses an opposite view as McKay, he explains all the good values America has, but doesn't follow. "O, let my land be a land where Liberty/Is crowned with no false patriotic wreath/ But opportunity is real, and life is free/ Equality is in the air we breathe./ (There's never been equality for me/ Nor freedom in this "homeland of the free.")" Both poems effectively describe what it was like to live during the Harlem Renaissance, but the author's outlook on life are quite different.

I like this poem because Langston Hughes is standing up for himself and talking more about equality. He sends a really strong message with just short and simple words.

In the poem "I, Too" By Langston Hughes he brings a real positive message about America saying how "I, Too am America." And how everyone is equal and everyone is America. He also says how he is the darker brother but how he also sings America. "I, Too Sing America." He brings this message about how everyone sings and is America no matter how they look. The poem that is more negative torwards America is "America" by Claud McKay. Claud starts off "Although she feeds me bread of bitterness, And sinks into my throat her tiger's tooth, Stealing my breath of life, I will confess." Claud is referring she to America, and how she does all this to him. He describes all the harsh things Claud has witnessed. He also talks how he feels about America and how he is scared almost. "I stand within her walls with not a shred Of terror, malice, not a word of jeer." Claud and Langstons poems have very different views in their poems. One is scared of America, and one feels he is America.

After reading poems written by Claude McKay and Langston Hughes, I observed a sense of emotion toward America. In some, for example, the poet's tone was harsh and grim. But in others, there was a feeling of hope and revival. The two poems I have chosen to discuss were written by people with very different beliefs of America, and we can see their opposite feelings through the writing they compose. In "I, Too", Langston Hughes wrote positively about the "tomorrow" of America. He described how he, as the darker brother, was always put in the kitchen when company came. And although throughout the poem Hughes talked about the inequality of America, he never seemed to give up hope. He wrote that he ate well and grew stronger because he had faith that one day he would be able to dine at the table when company came, "They'll see how beautiful I am." While "I, Too" is uplifting and exhibits trust in American equality, other poets portrayed their feelings in a more bitter way. Claude McKay, for instance, wrote in "Enslaved", "My heart grows sick with hate, becomes as lead/ For this my race that has no home on earth." As you can see, McKay's words have a harsher edge to them. Throughout the poem, he continued to write boldly and with a strong hate of America's injustice. Although Hughes and McKay had different ways of presenting their hopes, we, as readers, could identify the goal they both wished to portray: freedom and equality in America.

1. 14 lines 2. Rhyme Scheme 3. Change of thought 4. 10 syllables 5. Rhyme couplets

The poem "If We Must Die" by Claude McKay is a sonnet because 1) It has fourteen lines, 2) There is a change of thought between lines 8 and 9. The thought changed from a dark description of the wrong way to die to a call for people to die with dignity. 3) It has a rhyme scheme (A,B,A,B,C,D,C,D,E,F,E,F,G,G). 4) It only has one couplet that rhymes. "Like men we'll face the cowardly pack/Pressed to the wall, dying, but fighting back!" 5) Each line has ten syllables.

"If We Must Die" by Claude Mckay shows a striking resemblance to part of MLKs "I Have a Dream" Speech. While reading " We cannot walk alone. And as we walk,we must pledge that we shall always march ahead. We cannot turn back." I couldn't help but think of this poem."Like men we'll face the murderous, cowardly pack, Pressed to the wall, dying, but fighting back!" In this poem he talks about how death is death and even if they cannot escape death, staying together will make them strong even after they're slain.MLK speaks of the same thing, they can all have the same aspiration to have equality,but if they do not stand up together nothing will be changed. MLK would have never been able to change the country without the support of millions on his side. This is true with many leaders who gain their power by grouping people and being the figure head of their change.

"If We Must Die" by Claude McKay qualifies as a sonnet because of 5 important reasons, the first is that it has a change in idea in it. After line 8, it changes ideas by saying O Kinsmen! The second is that it has 14 lines. The third is the rhyme scheme. The fourth is that it has about 10 syllables in each line. The fifth is the 7 rhyming couplets that only rhyme at the last two lines.

In "Aspiration", painted by Aaron Douglas, an idea of hope is depicted. After observing the image, I noticed that the people on the foreground are handcuffed. This leads me to the conclusion that they are slaves. Also, everyone seems to be reaching/pointing toward an illuminated, well-built building. Light usually symbolizes hope, so I presume that the it gives the slaves a glimmer of freedom. Finally, I observed that there is a large star in the direction that the people are pointing. In the Underground railroad, the North Star led the slaves to freedom. So again, Douglas illustrated hope through a sort of light.

Paintings by Aaron Douglas show a pattern of freedom, escape from slavery, this pattern is shown by a bright star which slaves followed through the Underground Railroad when they were escaping. This light gives them hope, hope radiates from the center of the picture and the slaves below raise their arms in praise and excitement. This optimism is bright in comparison to the negativity in the poem "Enslaved" by Claude McKay. "For weary centuries despised, oppressed, Enslaved and lynched, denied a human place In the great life line of the Christian West; And in the Black Land disinherited" Says Claude McKay as he speaks of his people, who were wrongly treated for their colors and cultures. They were rejected their god given rights and mistreated under the hands of the Christian West. This negative poem shows the cruelty and disgust of slavery in America, and reflects how Claude McKay thinks of it.

This is a sonnet because it has 10 syllables on each sentence, the same rhyme scheme as a sonnet (a b a b c d c d e f e f g g), and it has 14 lines and two totally different subjects separated from each other and rhyme couplets

This was written in the early part of Langston Hughes's career - around 1932.

Dreams by Langston Hughes gives a positive message to never give up on dreams and never lose hope. He wants to remind americans to never lose hope and always follow their path of what they have always wanted to do. In th white city by Claude McKay he seems to be unsure of his dreams and questioning his dreams. That sends a negative message tha you shouldnt follow your dreams of what you have always wanted to do with your life.

In "dawn in New York" by Claude McKay, he sees the dawn of the sun over Manhattan is crimson-tinted and how the domes are cheerful. his spirit rises every day he sais because of this event. In December 1919 by Claude he talks about how much he missed his mother and how he had been feeling pain for ten long years.

It has 14 lines and after 8 lines he changes thought. The last 2 lines rhyme and sum up the poem about how if we must die we should give a fight. Each line has roughly 10 syllables.

This poem uses very vivid words and makes it a very powerful poem. I also like its use of its rhymes and how it all connects at the end with December.

I chose this poem because he is setting a goal to accomplish his dreams of being happy.

This poem is similar to "To One Coming North" by Claud McKay because both poems discuss the topic of winter and how things up north change, while things in the south are consistent.

I chose this because it states the cruelty of people in Harlem were and how weary the blacks were during this time of racial abuse and misery

I like this poem because he talks about how the African American race is fallen.

After exploring poems of the Harlem Renaissance, I chose "In Time of Silver Rain" written by Langston Hughes. I enjoyed reading this poem because the poet's description of rain and how it gives birth to new life was very vivid. I especially liked the line, "The butterflies lift silken wings To catch a rainbow cry." I liked how in this line (and others) Hughes used non-living things and gave them human characteristics. Finally, the poem was positive, and I appreciated that the poet discussed how the rains of spring give way to new life. Because the Harlem Renaissance was a rebirth for African Americans, this composition is symbolic of that.

In "To One Coming North" by Claude McKay it gives the idea that winter is harsh and dark and that spring is revival or rebirth do the year. In "Time Of Silver Rain" by Langston Hughes, it gives the idea that rain is the revival or rebirth of a new life that is vivid and colorful.

This poem was similar to "To One Coming North" by Claude McKay because they both shared the same message of rebirth. In both poems, spring was described as joyous and thought to bring hope. The spring was like a light at the end of a dark tunnel; the season made the difficult times worth it. Comment by Molly J and Katelyn M

I chose this poem because it has language that is very confusing, but makes me want to read more. He doesnt sound like he is from harlem with the language he uses.

In this poem hes talking about how coming to america and taking on a new culture has made him loose his anstesteral roots and how he feels lost and an outcast.

This poem shows a negative view of America because Claude McKay feels as if he was taken away from his home and a part of him was lost forever. In one friday morning by Langston Hughes he says that America discriminates but they have to make the best of what they have so this shows a positive view of America.

This poem is about the beauty of the north in spring.

In the poem spring in New Hampshire Claude McKay describes the beauty of America and all of the things it has to offer. But in Let America be America Again Langston Hughes describes the things that America has done wrong and how it should stop descriminating.

I like this poem because it shows how bad slavery really was and that it was wrong to take peoples "human-hood" away from them. Claude is standing up for himeself and for his people with pride and dignity.

In "One Friday Morning", Langston uhughes shows a very positive view of America. Even though Nancy Lee has all these great things that she earned taken away from her, she still believes in the purpose of America and she still loves the country even though it has taken the one thing that she had worked the hardest for. This is very different than Claude McKay's view on America in the poem "Enslaved". In this poem he talks about the race of black people being torn from their homes and being used and treated horrible and how his heart begins to turn to lead a with hatred and he talks about how black people have no home on this earth. He writes that he wants the white mans world of wonders to be swallowed into the earths vast tomb or roll upward like artificial smoke. He shjoews his hatred for white people and shows his hatred for america because of the white people.

In this poem Claude McKay describes how even though America seems to hate him a lot, he uses that hate as fuel to rise up against

I chose this poem because it although was written after the time of slavery, Langston Hughes still thinks that America is not completely fee, America is not America to him, there is no equality for him, this poem expresses his feelings of America

Let America be America by Langston Hughes s very opposite to Claude McKay's To One coming north. This is because McKay says such good things about the north and all this equality, but Hughes disagrees, he says that America is a free place but not to him, he has no equality there, freedom does not spread to him. Their points of view are very different.

"Let America Be America Again" By Langston Hughes is a negative poem. Criticizing the way America treats its lower class but vital citizens, this poem uses quotes from famous documents like the Declaration of Independence to show that America never achieved its dream of equality. A positive counter-image is seen in Aaron Douglas's "Song of the Towers". In the foreground of this painting, a man stands on a bridge made of a gear in front of a row of towers. Between two towers, the statue of liberty is visible, shining a bright light on the man.