Africa American Final project
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AfricanAmericanessayoutline.docxMiller 3
Carrie Miller
African American Authors from 1900’s to Present
04/26/2020
Claude McKay Outline
I. Introduction
A. Background: For every literary period, there is always a group of writers that define it. When it comes to the Harlem Renaissance, a period that characterized eruption of activities among the African Americans in almost every art field, Claude McKay was the unquestioned leader. Born in 1889, in Sunny Ville, Jamaica, McKay went to become a novelist and a poet known in Britain, USA, and his home land. At the age of seventeen, McKay started writing poems with the influence of his brother, Theophilus. Theophilus was a school teacher in Jamaica, therefore was interested in literature. At a young age, Theophilus helped McKay to develop an interest in the British literature. Claude McKay started receiving mentorship from Walter Jekyll, an Englishman from Jamaica. Jekyll encouraged McKay to write dialect verses. Later on in 1912, McKay immigrated to USA, establishing himself as a renowned poet. He went on to publish Songs of Jamaica, Constab Ballads and two volumes of dialect verse.
B. Transition to Thesis: After his immigration to the United States of America, McKay started to experience things that he did not expect. McKay had not experienced racism until he joined the Tuskegee Institute to study agronomy. America’s racism sparked the fire in McKay to write even more, talking real issues and letting his readers understand what was happening and getting to their guts. He then moved to New York and invested in a restaurant. He married Eulalie Imelda Lewars. McKay published two poems there before he gained recognition as a lyric poet from Frank Harris, an editor at Pearson’s magazine. The Liberator’s editor Max Eastman also recognized him. Throughout his life, McKay was keen to make sure that he addressed the issues that were in the society.
C. Thesis Statement: Claude McKay was an influential poet that was best in addressing real life issues from the Harlem Renaissance period.
II. Significance to New York City
McKay was Voice to the people of Harlem
McKay had a famous voice to the rights of the African Americans in America. During his time, the situation for the blacks was tough and dangerous. The African Americans at that time who dared to oppose discrimination ended up suffering at the hands of the police. The African Americans had no choice but to live in fear of speaking the truth as it was and facing the real life. They, as a result, decide to play down their feeling and thoughts. McKay gave the people of Harlem a helping hand to break from their cocoon. He gave the people a voice, inspired them to go for their rights.
McKay helped in the Cultural Identity of the black people
McKay raised the consciousness of the need to reflect on the issues that affect the African Americans in USA. He attracted the attention of researchers and people in academia to explore the unique problems that the African Americans faced.
By attracting the attention of researchers and academicians, McKay allowed people to understand the New York was a city occupied by people from different backgrounds. He allowed the black community to discover its niche.
III. Against Racial Discrimination
Defending Black rights
In his poem “If we must die”, McKay looks to be defending the rights of the African Americans and threatens for abuse and prejudice. The poem encourages the blacks to fight with determined hears and courage against those that murder them. Also, McKay not only encourages the blacks, he also encourages any other race that faces discrimination to fight for its freedom.
IV. Personal Life
McKay was a hard worker
Claude McKay joined the Industrial Workers of the world while working in a factory after he had worked as a waiter of a dining car in on the railways.
McKay was against American Communists and fought them
He believed that communists had different agendas and that the African Americans were not part of the plan. This, however, was after he joined the Communist party. He believed that the communists were using the African Americans to fight their battles. The views about communism became wild that he sought to help Russia. He had heard of the acceptance of the Russians towards communist and even willingness to normalize homosexuality.
McKay believed that the American Communist party suppressed the idea of individuality and independent thinking. He moved to Russia. Before moving back to America, he denounced the communist thoughts.
McKay engaged in social activism
McKay engaged in activism both through his literature and in person. McKay strongly urged that the African American man should be accepted fully. He even urged that the homosexuals should be accepted; in his novel “home to Harlem”. McKay also worked to make sure that equality and acceptance of diversity would not be an issue.
McKay was bisexual
Generally, people assume that McKay was bisexual because he pursued relationships with men and women alike. Even though he never officially came out to state his sexual preference, he enjoyed the secrecy of New York. His ability to enter any homosexual community and get accepted is a reason why people strongly believe he was bisexual. In some of his poems, homosexual sentiments are seen. According to Josephine Herbst, she was convinced that he was bisexual and that she got syphilis one time in their relationship.
V. Conclusion
A. Summary of the paper
Claude McKay was a well-travelled person, an author that had experienced different things in his life because of his constant migration. Born in Jamaica, McKay moved to USA, Russia, UK, and Morocco and also visited other countries. His interest in authorship was mentored by his elder brother and an Englishman living in Jamaica. He went on to write poems, narratives, novels and short stories. His works were mainly political and urged the African Americans to fight for their rights. He was also against American Communism that he believed did not have the interest to the blacks at heart. His personal life also reflected what he was writing in his novels and poems. For instance, he was very political and was also believed to be bisexual, something that he seemed to fight for in his poems.
B. Closing Thoughts
McKay was political and fought for the rights of his people.
McKay was willing to go to an extra length to tackle the issues in the society and was not fearful of anything or anyone.
VI. Citations
Biography.com editors. Claude McKay Biography. Author, Poet, Journalist (1889-1948). May 14, 2019. Retrieved from https://www.biography.com/writer/claude-mckay on April 20, 2020.
Hathaway, Heather. Caribbean Waves: Relocating Claude McKay and Paule Marshall. Indiana University Press, 1999.
Holcomb, Gary Edward. Claude McKay, Code Name Sasha: Queer Black Marxism and the Harlem Renaissance. University Press of Florida, 2007.
Poetry Foundation. Claude McKay 1889–1948. Beinecke Rare Book and Manuscript Library, Yale University, 2020. Retrieved from https://www.poetryfoundation.org/poets/claude-mckay on April 20, 2020.
Ramesh, Kotti Sree, and Kandula Nirupa Rani. Claude McKay: The Literary Identity from Jamaica to Harlem and Beyond. McFarland, 2006.
