Poetry Analysis Essay on "America" by Claude Mckay and Mikhail Dunya's "I Was in a Hurry"

This essay will focus on two poems, first of all, "America" by Claude Mckay and the second one Mikhail Dunya's "I was in a Hurry." The two poems bring forth the oppression theme with the relationship between the disenfranchised and the nation-state coming out. In the "America" poem, the theme denotes that the poet was able to face the troubles and even fight through the issues. The poem informs the way America, in this case, referred as the 'she' has been treating him wrongly; however, he continues to love 'her' due to the strength he derives from America. In a similar approach in "I was in a Hurry," the poet underlines the way her country that is engraved in war has led her to flee (Mikhail, Mikhail, and Winslow ix). The poet passionately narrates how she lost her country, Iraq and even likens the loss as though it is scattered comparably to dreams that newfound immigrants hold in the US. The two poems expressly share the oppression theme with different kinds of repression.

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Claude Mckay approach in the poem is one that makes use of figurative language in a bid to make it even more exciting. The poet continues to use personification in the poem by referring to America throughout as a 'she.' The oppression issue that is characterized by disenfranchisement and the interrelation with the nation in the poem "America" is approached at the start of it with the employing of a sad and bitter tone that changes to love and hope the author has for America. The issue in its creation essentially relies on negative emotions due to the disenfranchisement that African Americans face as compared to the white, which also raises a racist concern. On the other hand, Dunya Mikhail approach does not use the common practice of referring to the land as she which is the case in "America" poem, she instead refers to Iraq as it; hence, there is no personification in "I was in a Hurry" poem. The poet also in "I was in a Hurry" figuratively uses language in a different way from the "America" poem as Dunya Mikhail excessively uses similes to make a comparison.

First of all, for discussion purposes, the differences matter. In that case, in America poem through the personification, the poet is able to show ambivalence and anger with the poem's creation, relying on negative emotions. The figurative language explosion at the start of "America" helps to illustrate the tension as Mckay utilizes alliterative metaphors in succession to demonstrate violence and oppression such as tiger's tooth and bread of bitterness. The discussion helps to have a particular idea or strategy when reading a poem that will depend upon why you are reading a poem. Secondly, for exploration purposes, the differences matter. The aspect that poems have of appearing to ignore writing rules familiar to people helps to have a strategy when analyzing a poem (Elimimian 206). "I was in a Hurry," likeness approach helps to show the similarity of the situation that the poet is in given that it illustrates what she underwent. The likeness approach that uses similes and gives comparison matters in showing that the poet has lost in a big way with the fleeing aspect out of her country, for instance, the simile scattered like the dreams.

The shared characteristics of the oppression theme are, first of all, the employment of negative emotions to illustrate loss, for instance, Mikhail highlights that she lost a country and Mckay through the bread of bitterness metaphor illustrates the same (Mckay 6). Secondly, the oppression theme in both poems utilizes similes or comparisons to demonstrate the situation such as Mikhail's likeness of dreams scattering like those of the new American immigrants and Mckay's illustration of how America's vigor flows just like tides in blood.

Finally, in Mikhail's poem, there is a suggestion, and she calls out for anyone in a suggestive manner who may talk to her home country, in this case, Iraq to give her back her citizenship and right to be there. In Mckay's poem, there is criticism over how African Americans get disenfranchised. The poem also critics the uncertainty in the relationship for the American Americans with America their country.

Works Cited

Elimimian, Isaac I. "Theme and Technique in Claude McKay's Poetry." CLA Journal 25.2 (1981): 203-211. Accessed 16 June 2019.

McKay, Claude. Harlem Shadows: The Poems of Claude McKay. Harcourt, Brace, 1922.

Mikhail, Dunya, Dunya Mikhail, and Elizabeth Winslow. The war works hard. Vol. 1006. New Directions Publishing, 2005.

NPR. "Revisiting Iraq Through The Eyes Of An Exiled Poet." NPR.org, 21 Mar. 2013, www.npr.org/2013/03/21/174773962/revisiting-iraq-through-the-eyes-of-an-exiled-poet. Accessed 16 June 2019.