Claude McKay was an advocate for social change and a primary figure in the Harlem Renaissance movement. This movement took place in the 1920s and 30s and was a celebration of the Negro culture. The idea behind it was that intellect, mainly through the production of literature, art, and music, would challenge the racial stereotypes that had developed and allow "The New Negro" to become integrated into society. This movement was the impetus for the development of Jazz music.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BB_DmFz6Xoc&feature=related
McKay's poem "To the White Fiends" is a perfect embodiment of the ideals of the Harlem Renaissance Movement. The poem reads, "Be not deceived, for every deed you do I could match - out-match: am I not Afric's son" (lines 5-6). These lines are an assertion of the pride in the Negro heritage, which is characteristic of the movement. Rather than looking upon their heritage as a curse or a hardship, Negros are now learning to embrace it. The language McKay uses here is very assertive, and he reframes the plight of the Negro race as an opportunity saying, "Thy dusky face I set among the white for thee to prove thyself of higher worth" (11-12). In these lines, McKay depicts the inequality and social injustice that has fallen on the black race as a chance to improve themselves. The language that McKay uses in this work seems combative and threatening towards the whites. However, his purpose in using this type of diction is not to promote violence, but to show the determination and newly found power of the black race. The language used in this poem also reflects McKay's views on writing poetry as a social activist. He believed that black poets would often be too worried about offending white readers, and thus would not deliver the intended message. McKay, while remaining very eloquent, was not afraid to directly express his views of social injustice.
In his poem "Harlem Shadows," McKay presents Harlem as a dreary, lamentable place for black women. Because of the social injustices that existed at the hands of the white population, these women were forced into prostitution and "made to go prowling through the night from street to street" (line 6)! The language used in this poem is very downtrodden and overall tone is very sorrowful. The title of the poem, "Harlem Shadows," is very fitting in that it connotes darkness and gloom. Also, the "shadows" might be referring to the girls as their silhouettes can be seen wandering the dark Harlem streets. The image of a black, faceless shadow, conveys to the reader a sense that these girls have been defiled and have no identity other than the one forced upon them by the forces in white society.
In the third stanza, McKay describes the world as "stern" and "harsh" (13) and seems to sympathize with these women for the lifestyle that they are forced to live. Many of these women not only have little chance to escape poverty, but they are also forced to live lives of dishonor and disgrace because of they are forced into prostitution. The line, "Has pushed the timid little feet of clay" (15) depicts the women as completely powerless, being reduced and subjected to the "wretched"(13) system that exists in this society. McKay's use of the word 'clay' is yet another indication of this society's complete control over the condition of these women. Just as a pair of hands have the power to mold clay into a desired shape, the 'hands' of this cruel white society have the power to force these women into the most despicable and dishonorable positions.
Discussion Questions:
1.) Does McKay seem to take a more urgent, combative approach in calling for social justice, or does he see it as more of a gradual cooperative process like Washington does?
2.) Do you think that the Harlem Renaissance really created a new Negro identity separate from the whites, or was the movement more focused on mimicking whites to assimilate into their culture?
3.) How does McKay’s work fit into the concept of “The New Negro” as described by Alain Lock?
http://www.oup.com/us/pdf/americanlit/h_renaissance.pdf
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