Claude McKay
Claude McKay, who was born in Jamaica in 1889, wrote about social and political concerns from his perspective as a black man in the United States, as well as a variety of subjects ranging from his Jamaican homeland to romantic love.
Africa
The sun sought thy dim bed and brought forth light,
The sciences were sucklings at thy breast;
When all the world was young in pregnant night
Thy slaves toiled at thy monumental best.
Thou ancient treasure-land, thou modern prize,
New peoples marvel at thy pyramids!
The years roll on, thy sphinx of riddle eyes
Watches the mad world with immobile lids.
The Hebrews humbled them at Pharaoh's name.
Cradle of Power! Yet all things were in vain!
Honor and Glory, Arrogance and Fame!
They went. The darkness swallowed thee again.
Thou art the harlot, now thy time is done,
Of all the mighty nations of the sun.
In "Africa" by Claude Mckay it refers to a short but tragic life of a fallen culture.
"The sun sought thy dim bed and brought forth light"
Mckay uses intellectual devices to dig deep inside the mind of the reader, he uses an allusion. This line alludes to genesis in which God bring forth light with one command. line 1 with a reference to scientific and historical speaking on Africa's origins. The word dim refers to Africa's lack of knowledge of God's intervention, which also connotes the dark complexion of Africa's ancestors.
The sciences were sucklings at thy breast;
He uses personification as he gives Africa a mother's quality as a nurture, Mckay's theme of this poem was to show that invocation was taken from Africa. This sentence implies that the poet believes Africa to be considered a woman – similar to nature being referred to as Mother Nature. So not only is Africa considered a woman, but she is a mother – one who comforts you and stays by your side. Then Science, which so many rely on due to it giving us hard facts and helping us understand the world we live in, is being portrayed as an infant that is relying on its mother. This gives Africa the utmost respect – the image of a mother who takes care of her young and her young happening to be something as respected as Science. It also sets the tone for the rest of the poem. If someone had wronged their mother after she had cared for them so deeply, it would be considered absolutely scandalous.
When all the world was young in pregnant night ,Thy slaves toiled at thy monumental best.
In lines 3-4, reflects a maternal image but indirectly addresses the difference between African and American slavery before the arrival of "new people". When all part of the world is still uncivilized Africa was already civilized even enslave other people from the world eg Hebrews in Egypt
Thou ancient treasure-land, thou modern prize, New peoples marvel at thy pyramids!
“Treasure-land” implies to fertile land of Africa. New people like Arabs were surprised with Egypt pyramids this implies that Africa is already developed in different sector that many other continent. For example during dark time Egypt was leading country is architecture
The years roll on, thy sphinx of riddle eyes. Watches the mad world with immobile lids.
the author address the sphinx, which was a mythical creature in Africa that killed anyone that couldn't solve it's riddles. Mckay shows that the wise sphinx, Africa's representation, failed to see the approaching destruction.
The Hebrews humbled them at Pharaoh's name It makes another reference to biblical history of the Hebrew slaves which creates a African heritage. If Africa succeeded to enslave the Hebrews (whites) means that Egyptian were developed than Hebrews.
Cradle of Power! Yet all things were in vain!
After Africa becoming the continent with leading development in different areas and have power but its power were immature one (Cradle). And Africa become drunken with power hence all it prosperities, development and power were lost”Yet all things were in vain”
Honor and Glory, Arrogance and Fame!They went. The darkness swallowed thee again.
Claude McKay talks about the honor, glory, arrogance and fame that the people of Africa tried so hard to achieve. Darkness swallowed Africa by stripping Africans from moral values in place of fame.
McKay uses the word “harlot”, also known as a woman prostitute. This suggests that Africans “whore
No comments:
Post a Comment