Claude McKay, born Festus Claudius McKay, was a key figure in the Harlem Renaissance, a key to the literary movement of the 1920s. A Jamaican American poet, McKay used the point view of the foreigner or of a “character” as a recurring theme in his works. This is best seen in poems such as “Outcast,” “America,” and “If We Must Die.” In these poems, McKay portrays the African American as an outsider to Western society, its politics, its laws, and its general way of life. Say no to plagiarism. Get a tailor-made essay on “Why Violent Video Games Should Not Be Banned”? Get the original essay The Representation of African-American Life in Mckay's PoemsBlack-American literature has a community of themes and subjects that best express the social, economic, and political situations of blacks in America. These themes serve as a backdrop to the lives of Black Americans. Not to mention protest literature that takes the form of racial themes like racial oppression, the deprivation of a black individual, their family and community, their rightful freedom, and many more. These constitute the bulk of African-American writing from the era of slavery to the present day. “If We Must Die” is an aggressive militia poem in which the character calls on black men in America to arm themselves against racial oppression and lynching. It demands that black men oppose all forces of evil and respond to violence with violence to ensure their ethical dignity in their struggle for social, economic and political emancipation, despite all obstacles. The character reveals the unbreakable dignity of black Americans. Even if they die because of the suffering and oppression they experience, they should not die like “pigs,” but rather die “a noble death.” “If we must die, let it not be like pigs. Hunted out and parked in an inglorious place.” The character shows in him the pride of his homeland, Africa, bragging loudly about the beauty of blackness in the presence of white people who consider themselves superior beings. While around us the hungry and mad dogs bark, mocking our cursed fate. If we must die, oh let us die nobly So that our precious blood does not flow. In the poem “Outcast,” the character sulks about his grief while speaking about his experience as a foreigner from another country. McKay's "Outcast" is the poem with the most obvious "outsider" theme. It paints a striking picture of the alienation to which the African-American community is subjected. He also talks about his roots, Africa, a land that breeds peace, love and tranquility. He talks about losing the contract with his culture and then embracing alien gods. He regrets having given birth in a foreign country. The theme of alienation is evident in the poem. The character is removed from his natural roots in Africa and taken to a foreign country. He shows resentment in his remarks about his roots; Africa. He cries over the fact that he may never see him again in his life: "For the dark regions from which my father came My spirit, bound by the body, yearns For words felt, but never heard, my lips My souls would sing forgotten songs of the jungle. “America” is another poem written by McKay that furthers the theme of the foreigner in America. McKay expresses his love and hate relationship with America in this poem. He states that she "sinks her tiger's tooth into my throat, stealing my breath of life." He admits, however, that I love this cultivated hell which puts my youth to the test! Its vigor flows like tides through my blood, giving me the.