Poem analysis and literary interpretation

Claude McKay "America"

At times, writers can take personal experiences and turn them into messages that embody the emotions of an entire generation. Claude McKay's poem, "America" is such an example.

There are several reasons why the reader would get the impression that the voice of "America" is personal for the most part. First and probably most obviously, the poem is written in first person throughout. In addition to being written in first person, the poet also seems to be relating a very personal, or emotional, experience. The first few lines of the poem indicate the poet's feelings are personal when he describes how, "she feeds me bread of bitterness" and "sinks into my throat her tiger's tooth."

The poem also can be understood as personal because of the inner conflict the writer is expressing when he says, "I love this cultured hell that tests my youth." The poet also mentions another source contention when he states that "her vigor flows... giving me strength against her hate." In addition, the writer is able to speak about himself looking ahead into the future, "gazing into the days ahead," which is a personal act. These are very strong emotions that might be difficult to express if they were not experienced by the writer.

However, it is also easy for the reader to interpret this poem as a voice for an entire generation. By personifying America, the writer is able to place it in confrontational situation with the African-American race. McKay's "I" could easily be read as "us" by the reader and the circumstances the poet experiences are, in a way, no different that what African-Americans experience as a whole.