Cover Letter

Ahram Kim

Doucet Wilfred

English 2

20 November 2015

Part 1 - Emily Dickinson

Emily Dickinson is a well-known poet who has had many of works published and achieved great success. Emily Dickinson was a very open minded lady and a free thinker. She might have been the pioneer of modern day open-ended poetry. The general impression on Emily Dickinson’s poetry works is that they are involving and mind probing. Her poetry works inspire a person to think outside the norm as she involves sharp-sighted observers who question the limitations of the society. Her works bring about the essence of free expression and constantly questions the moral values and obligations in the society (Bianchi, 1939).

Emily Dickinson, having lived in a time where people followed a system of governance where the rules were established by only a few influential people in the society, used poetry to communicate her views to the public and even prompted her readers to question the already set society norms instead of blindly following them without proper course other than the fact that they were pre-set.

A fascinating thing about Emily Dickinson is her ability to communicate what she thinks through poetry works given that during her time, ladies were not as privileged in offering their opinions (Bianchi, 1939). She managed to surpass this and went ahead as to establishing a new line of thought to the majority of her readers as to the set cultural norms in the society. Her readers would most certainly find themselves ensnared in the cocoon of thought of the theme that she is trying to present given that what would seem to be a straightforward theme would end up get you thinking about the validity of such a theme.

It is also fascinating how Emily demonstrated her poet’s prowess in poetry. She has a good grasp of the language and depicts events in a simple yet elegant manner. She manages to bring out her ideas in a well-crafted manner and the readers are able to easily interpret what is being communicated via the poem. The poems are also rhythmic and enjoyable making them easily readable and enjoyable.

Emily also used situations directly affecting her and which intrigued her. She covers a variety of themes in her poems that are mostly centered on nature, religion, music, law, fashion, medicine and commerce. She also encompasses much divergent themes like love, death and immortality making her very diverse and unique in her thinking and especially given that she had minimal contact with a lot of people in her life (Bianchi, 1939).

As much as Emily Dickinson was a great poet and her works no doubt thrilling, she also has a tendency to create open-ended poems which are a bit confusing for the reader. This is because Emily prompts the reader to think critically about the themes that she is trying to bring out yet does not give her personal opinions on the matter. The readers end up speculating her thoughts on the matter without having a conclusive decision on her thoughts in the subject matter.

This fact makes Emily’s poetry work open to interpretation which could lead to different versions of what she actually wanted to depict. Emily questions certain ways of handling cultural values in the society but doesn’t give a clear picture of how they should be handled instead. Being a prolific poet, she would earn points for constructive criticism but, on the other hand, loose points on account of ambiguity.

Ahram Kim

Doucet Wilfred

English 2

20 November 2015

Part 1 - Langston Hughes

Langston Hughes is an honored poet who produced works during his time that mostly depicted what was happening among the black American folk in the United States during the 1920’s. This was during the Harlem renaissance period where black people were producing revolutionary literary works.

Hughes’ work in poetry is very descriptive yet intriguing as his poems mostly show the bonds that we create with those with whom we relate to and their implications on other people and the society as a whole. Hughes’ works mostly focus on the direct reactions to particular issues mostly involving family values and looked down upon communities. His work also brings out a different kind of language set that is not right in the conventional sense. This could be just a work of art trying to bring out his specific personality in expressing his views in several opinions (New York Times, 2000).

Langston Hughes depicts the society he lives in as it is in his work making him realistic and potent in relation to the current issues in the society. He talks about the American dream as viewed by the immigrants and African American folk as well as liberty struggles among them. He also tries to show how the black American people have been ensnared in the first of prejudice, oppression and poverty.

Like Emily Dickinson, Langston Hughes is also another prolific poet who is open minded and uses his poems to express his views to his readers. He uses simplistic stylistic devices in his expression of what should be done to attain true liberty in the society. Langston’s work is also rhythmic making it enjoyable thus creating a sense of attachment of his themes in the poems to the actual current events affecting the people around his society (New York Times, 2000).

Langston also tries to envision hope among the black Americans, struggling jazz musicians and upcoming prominent African American writers. Despite most speakers in his poem starting from a point of despondency and hopelessness, the speakers usually reach a point of self-actualization and find their inherent inner strength to persevere and come out as winners in the long run.

Langston also has his own way of denouncing racism while showing the oppression that the African American people underwent at the hands of the patriarchal system. He clearly expresses his dissatisfaction in the subject matter and how the society can work together to eliminate this kind of oppression on account of racial grounds.

Langston, in an attempt to convey relevant information as to liberty trials and addressing poverty issues among farmers, writers, musicians and most African Americans, he also neglects the ethical implications of the content of his work. He disregards the implications that his work has on specific communities that do not take the exposition of their dirty laundry to the public very well.

Langston’s work shows that most African Americans in his era had given up on the ideal life in America and set out the American dream to be virtually unattainable as perceived by the African Americans arguing that those who believed in the same only did so, so as to have the will to live and be able to tolerate the misfortunes that were then happening to them.

Ahram Kim

Doucet Wilfred

English 2

20 November 2015

Part 2 – Five Poems

I picked the poem “If we must die’ because of two things; the poet and the theme of the master piece. First, the poet Claude McKay is one of my favorite poets together with the late Lady Maya Angelou, whose poetry lives amongst the hearts of people. For the case of Claude McKay, he has a way with his words that sink down to the depths of people’s hearts. The most catching line is the very last ‘Pressed to the wall, dying, but fighting back’ that really shows how deep the issue of slavery has sank into the nerves of the blacks. Claude McKay is one of the poets that arose into the pinnacle of art during times of fighting for liberation from slavery in USA. In this poem he cultivates a spirit of conflict resolution as the main theme of the poem to the blacks that should they die then they should nobly die that the enemy will honor them though dead. Claude McKay capitalizes on the theme of slavery and peace and reconciliation to depict the truth about what really transpires during times when Africans are exploited of their labor.

Emily Dickinson’s ‘Wild Nights’ is another poem painted with dark colors of love that fail to nourish the soul of the persona. The reason why I chose this poem is because of the thematic inspiration brought on board. There is an element that shows cracks and crevices in the heart of persona that ends with insatiation that is clearly depicted from the arresting line ‘Wild Nights should be our Luxury’. This draws a thin line between Fantasy and reality since the persona is just wishing but have no effort to reverse the fantasies into a reality from the poet’s best selection of words that actually poisons the sole fountain in which the persona should draw of its waters but can’t. The theme of love is clearly brought on board. The persona deeply rooted into the fountain of love but betrayed by the fact they can’t get the nourishment from it. Emily Dickinson’s diction is just on point. There are words that help her message sink home as expected. For instance ‘futile- the winds-‘in the first line of the second stanza is a plain word that stirs a wave of in-depth emotion to the reader.

Emily Dickson’s ‘The Soul Selects its Society’ is another powerful poem that I selected due to its metaphoric element that narrates the aspect of privacy and reclusiveness where the persona is seen to select the few entities of them that matter to their lives and lock everyone else out. The persona takes the readers through the shores of their minds and consciousness by inviting them to know how solemn it is to only allow the sun to shine on the universe they value than inviting the whole solar system to the fragility of their mind when they need to make peace with themselves. The poem paints mental pictures as read silently depicted by words like: divine majority, emperor, chariots, mat, ample nation and stony valves of attention. The poem’s dominant theme is that of self-awareness and consciousness. The arresting line is ‘Then-shuts the door’ that brings the very last of twilights that always happens to people when they are having a moment of self-reflection.

Nicki Giovani’s poem ‘Ego-Tripping’ is a powerful piece that I selected due to its narrative feature that combines all aspects of poetry to champion the persona thought and events. The persona says she was born in Congo and is able to use the utopic ego to make herself shine high in the sky like a kite where she treats the world as a very arena for her superstitious whims. There is no particular rhythm and flow of events that follow any chronological order. The events just happen so randomly that the reader will have a clear picture how egocentric the persona is. The persona sails through the minds of her son and daughters by trying to win their hearts. This she does by calling them the famous names. The dominant theme in the poem is ‘Ego’ as depicted from the title. It’s very evident throughout the poem that the persona has got some kind of pride stuck in her throat that is not possible to be swallow. The very arresting line is ‘Drinking nectar with Allah’ that shows the exaggeration of personas pride who says they sit at the throne with Allah, the god of the Muslim family.

The death of Marilyn Monroe by Sharon Olds is a poem that I selected for it’s a Gothic poem painted with dark images portraying the depth of the phenomenon of interest which in this case is death that befell upon the life of a heart of the society. The arresting line is the very first ‘The Ambulance men touched her cold body’. This line alone give the reader all the reasons to ask themselves why the ambulance men and why the cold body? This really captures the anxiety of the reader to read more and more. The narration of how the legend dies is so deep that if anyone reads through it without feeling anything, then they have a problem. The poem portrays a theme of responsibly and innocence to highlight the public reaction about the sudden death of Monroe who is perceived a child by use of the line ‘crumpled orphan’ but now is dead because of her irresponsible actions. It’s expected that should anyone marry sin, then they should not divorce the consequences.

Ahram Kim

Doucet Wilfred

English 2

20 November 2015

Part 3 - If We Must Die by Claude McKay

This poem, If We Must Die by Claude McKay is favored a million times in my heart because of it has remained relevant in history for a very long time and it will always be relevant. Claude McKay was born in the late 18th Century as a black, fighting to liberate the blacks from slavery. Therefore, he writes this poem a long time ago, almost two hundred years ago, but still the poem has importance that if read even in a millennium to come by generations and generations, it will have some significance save the impact the will be created. The choice of words also by the poet has a great significance in the conveyance of the message. The opening part ‘if we must die’… alone has a very deep meaning that the poet has to take the first person narration to really aid sharing the magnitude and the scope of pain he feels. The opening part, serves to bring an element of fighting back, as the last denouement part of the poem also depict …’but fighting back’.

First of all, ‘If we must die’ shows that the persona is aware that there is a higher possibility that they can all die. However, it serves to show that the persona isn’t ready to die any time soon, for if anything, the phrase should have been…’let us die’. The last portion that closes the curtains of the master piece that says…‘but fighting back!’ is even answering the question that is posed in the beginning of the poem which the persona isn’t ready to give up but willing to nobly die fighting for liberty. McKay still asks the African Americans living under shadows of doom due to the fact that there is no legitimacy that they have to fight till the last drop of their blood. The poet who purposefully takes the mouth of the persona sails amongst the minds of the readers by telling fellow slaves that the only way to liberate themselves is to either fight or fight. There is no other way. There is no other cave to hide but to fight for liberty in the cage they are kept and hunted like hogs, as McKay would put. McKay also praises the African blood as very expensive that deserves respect and acknowledgement by the whites as the line says ‘So that our precious blood may not be shed in vain’. This is a punch line that elaborates what the narrator feels about the whites: an attitude of contempt and disgust. The narrator feels like as much as they are few, of which they will die, should they fight the whites anyway. He flows in the masculinity of the African Americans by stirring an emotion of inspiration that they should wake up and defend their liberty. (Catton, 1992) paints a very hurting picture of Africans being used and exploited just because they are black. The narrator also shows clearly that they must shed blood anyway, but their blood must be worth what they are fighting for. Thus, clearly, the narrator brings an argument of paying the price of their liberty through blood shed as Christians believe that Messiah sacrificed His life for the sake of the world.

I selected this poem because of the benefit of doubt given to the poet. The dexterity of the poet himself and the poems he has in history written is an enough reason why I selected this poem. There are several poems that I archived written by the very same Claude McKay especially the sonnet ‘I shall return’. This poem ‘I shall return’ narrates the life of the persona in deep pain, held captive but having the hope that he shall return back to the normal life. The narrator emotionally feels the depth of the solemnity and loneliness by sharing things that he has missed in the freer environment full of fresh oxygen. McKay is one poet that will be remembered in history for never disappointing the readers. He is a poet that once you see a poem by him, you will always expect to flow with the rhythm and the dexterity that generates from the use of his powerful selected words. The poet, though dead lives in the hearts and souls of many people just as his blood still flows in the books of memories. The poet’s reputation shows how truly life is, that every successful person must have had a ridiculous beginning. Tribute is given to the poet Claude McKay in this paper, for he lives amongst the pitfalls of the heavens, carefully held by the very subtle chains that hold the universe together for things he has done in the industry of art, no words can ever explain. May McKay’s soul rest in eternal peace?

Ahram Kim

Doucet Wilfred

English 2

20 November 2015

Part 4 – If We Must Die by Claude McKay

Concrete Analysis of the Poem, ‘If We Must die’

Title of the poem- the title of the poem to start with is an interesting aspect that draws the imagination of the reader to always have the anxiety to read more. The title is structured as a subordinate clause grammatically that does not finish up the whole idea of why should ‘we’ die? The title cultivates some sort of suspense that nurtures the heart of being patient to get the hit of the cognitively thought and selected words that, blow by blow, fall to the ear drums of the reader word by word like a sledge hammer. The title of the poem will leave the reader with millions of questions that will take like a whole day debating without answers, until the very second the reader begins to read the poem. These are questions like; why should ‘we’ die? Why ‘us’ and not others? What is it that ‘we’ are to die of? What is it that ‘we’ should die for? Is it worth ‘our’ blood? Who are ‘our’ assailants? Is there anything ‘we’ can do not to die? Will ‘we’ die at the very last of evenings? Is there any hope for ’us’? The questions that the readers ask themselves will be very many. Thus the tittle is very relevant and just on point.

Rhythm- the poet uses some aspects like rhyme, consonants, assonance and alliteration.

The words ‘hogs’ and ‘dogs’ have a similar sound pattern and have been used by the poet to achieve musicality in the poem. Thus, rhyme is used in the poem.

Consonance as depicted from the pronunciation of the word itself is the repetition of the consonant sounds in a line. In the line ‘Making their Mock’…the poet uses two similar consonant sounds ‘m’ to give the poem the feeling of musicality.

Assonance has also been tailored in the poem. The words ‘bark’ and ‘mad’ have a similar sound pattern that the stressed syllable and sound/a/ is a long vowel that sounds the same in the two words.

Alliteration is another tool that the poet has employed in the poem to achieve musicality. The words ‘must meet’ as used in the 8th line of the poem, so placed together and have the same consonant sound at the beginning of the words is an evidence of the use of alliteration.

Mockery-The poet uses a very inciting word play to stir and call the Blacks to fight for their rights in a way those mockers, the whites, though they are their assailants will honor them. In the second last line ‘Like men we’ll face the murderous cowardly pack’, is a crystal clear element of mock to the whites. The whites are frustrating them. In fact the whites are the reason why they are dying. So, instead of making peace with them, the narrator makes fun of them. Mockery as a style is used by the poet to elaborate the extent in which the feeling of contempt sinks down to their hearts.

Imagery-the poet paints mental pictures in the minds of the readers shown in the line ‘if we must die, let it not be like hogs’. This image of speech that compares the assaulted lot as animals tries to tell how inhumane it can be to be hunted. ‘While round us bark the mad and hungry dogs’. This means that let ‘us’ not degradingly in a way that makes ‘us’ look like dogs in dirt sleep and people killing ‘us’ like animals. This means also that ‘we’ must fight for that which we believe in and that which is right for us to fight for. This creation of images makes the readers fight together with the narrator by showing the whole world that the color of the black is equal with the color of the whites and that both complexions deserve respect .

Basic Narrative of the Poem

The poem ‘If we must die’ is a flow of a river narrating the historical injustices that happened in USA in the late 18th century and the 19th century by the Jamaican immigrant Claude McKay. The poem is written as a response of what is termed as ‘The red summer’ of 1919 that encompassed rise in hate, crime and violence towards the black community in USA. (Faust, 1991) argue that the civil war is against the black race. The poem introduces the persona as the main character and is the only reason that propels the main theme and the very events that happen in the poem. The narrator is the inspiring engine that sends a wakeup call showing that they may rise and fight for their rights of walking as free men. The poem ends as an epic narrative that emotionally halts with dust particles settling and flames of African fury bursting to the air with Africans fighting and dying fighting without giving up.

The Emotional Tone of the Poem

The very emotional tone that dominantly takes the whole poem is bitter. The narrator begins by the very introductory phrase ‘If we must die’ which actually explain the fact the narrator who is an ally with the rest of the Africans is very bitter with what they are going through in slavery. (Bowman, 1992) cites the implications of slavery on African Americans. The persona is very ready to die and in fact tells the rest of the Africans that should they die, then they should not die like hogs. Death is a very ‘important’ phenomenon in this poem to sort the problem of slavery and mistreatment. How important death is, is that there is no other way that the Africans will liberate themselves unless by death. Therefore the painful and emotional tone is clearly depicted in the poem supported by the word play that the poet uses in the sonnet for the poet is not thinking of death as on a theoretical sense but he is really facing it. Therefore a bitter tone dominates the whole poem.

Physical or Psychological Movement of the Poem

The poem ‘If We Must Die’ by the greatest poet ever, Claude McKay flows as a psychological epitome of reality that sprouts out in the times when justice is defined along the edges of a sword. The poem moves as a wave of emotion as read through by a reader (since it combines all emotional entities that picture the whole thing Africans are ready to die for), as important and worth dying for. It’s a frustrating psychological phenomenon that the poet highlights as a metaphoric pictorial representation.

The central Image of the Poem

The poem, ‘If We Must Die’, creates a picture of liberation from racial liberation, where all themes are centered. The poet carefully centers everything in the fact that for Africans to liberate their selves from the pangs of racial segregation and leave as free men, then they must fight, suffer, rise for their rights, work together in unity, have one agenda and finally die if they must. This is an emotional poem that the persona tries to understand himself and his environment so as to fight for their liberation for whatever cost it will take.

Work Cited

New York Times, (2000). Books, ‘Not Without Laughter’ and Other Recent Fiction. Retrieved from,