"If We Must Die"

      McKay’s poem “If We Must Die” contains such a sense of hope, courage, strength, and determination. This is most notably done through vivid language and powerful diction. Claude McKay incorporates strong pronouns that emphasize a sense of community.  “If we must die”, “Oh, Kinsmen!”, and “the common foe” highlight the bond he feels with those fighting the same adversity.  It also pushes the reader to align with the narrator. By using words such as “we” and “our”, readers are those that “must die”, and therefore, fight. A united front is the only way to achieve their common goal. If they cannot gain rights or freedom, they will at least have the glory of dying men.

     He also portrays those they face as “murderous, cowardly” and “mad and hungry dogs”. This sharp contrast allows readers to focus on the intensity of their battle. He describes them as “hunted” and “penned”. They are “pressed to the wall, dying”. This harsh language also emphasizes the horrors of their social situation. However when all seems lost, they push on. They fight.

    McKay sends a message of hope in a battle that seems bleak. By publishing literature such as this, he was able to empower those around him to help promote change by “fighting back!”

   The language and imagery in this poem was so powerful. I feel that it made the poems message that more poignant. Obviously, he is discussing Civil Rights, but this can be applied to so many problems in the world today. I think I enjoyed this poem, not only because of the message and writing style, but because it is a fantastic example of the power of words. This poem stirs up feelings of hope, empowerment, and duty through his incredible word choice and syntax. 

A Jelly-Fish

       “A Jelly-Fish” by Marianne Moore is a short, concise poem with a much deeper theme. Moore opens it with a juxtaposition of opposites, “visible, invisible, / a fluctuating charm” (1-2). This second line provides insight into the use these contrasting adjectives. The jellyfish shifts. It is unstable. It “quivers” (7). Thus, Moore employs this technique to portray the altering state of the jellyfish. Its “ fluctuating charm” (2) is seen again in Moore’s contrasting word choice of “opens / and it closes” (5-6). These lines also mimic the  movement of the jellyfish. This undulation is seen, not only in the word choice, but the structure of the poem as well. The lines alternate from no indentation to an indentation. By doing this, Moore further emphasizes the jellyfish’s swimming pattern.

      Another way Moore illustrates the swimming of the jellyfish is through the rhyme scheme. Moore rhymes lines 2 and 4 (“charm” and “arm”), as well as 6 and 8 (“meant” and “intent”). This variation highlights the changes in the jellyfish and human. The jellyfish is not the only creature in this poem that changes. The person begins with the intention of grabbing the jellyfish, which he then deserts.

The human and the jellyfish are also paralleled through movement. As the hand opens and closes, it imitates the manner in which the jellyfish swims.

     I was unsure how to take this poem. After reading it the first time, I thought Moore was referencing a human’s ever-changing, and sometimes fickle, desires. Just as the person in “Jelly-fish” gives up his plan to grab the jellyfish, many people abandon their dreams or ideas. I then read it a second time and thought a little more about the metaphorical use of the jellyfish. When one touches a jellyfish, they get stung. Perhaps, Moore uses this animal for more than what I initially assumed. A jellyfish is beautiful, yet harmful to the touch. What if its purpose was to exemplify the idea that not everything that is attractive and the one desires should be attained? Maybe it is a cautionary tale. I am still uncertain on this.  

Lucinda Matlock

"It takes life to love Life." This very powerful, yet simple, statement highlights the matter-of-fact manner in which the poem "Lucinda Matlock", by Edgar Lee Masters, is written. The poem is fairly straightforward. Masters' language is nothing complicated, and he refrains from including anything overly detailed. This enhances the candid nature of the poem. Even his handling of death is blunt. “At ninety-six I had lived enough, that is all.”  Lucinda describes her life in a series of verbs and simple statements, again avoiding any excessive description. (“Enjoying, working, raising the twelve children, / Eight of whom we lost”) By paralleling the plain style and language to the theme, Master’s emphasizes the simplicity of Lucinda Matlock’s life and of the world around her. She took long aimless walks through fields, gardened, and gathered flowers. Lucinda enjoyed the beauty of the “wooded hills” and “green valleys”.  It is for this reason, that she welcomed death as a “sweet repose”- or peaceful sleep- uniting with nature in death. Perhaps, Masters also hints at a healing side to it as well. The "flowers and medicinal weed" could, in fact, be a reference to how Mother Nature can heal a soul. Nature is the world in its most basic form. A life lived valuing this and void of “sorrow, weariness, anger, discontent, and drooping hopes” is a life worth living.

     I quite enjoyed this poem. Masters’ suggestion to the younger generation that one must live life in order to love it is so true. How can one really enjoy something they have yet to experience? Opening one’s eyes to the world around them and living in the moment makes life much sweeter. I think that far too often humans allow materials, problems, and feelings to cloud their thoughts. Sometimes, it is better to view the world in black and white rather than color.