Poet Claude Mckay's poem "If We Must Die" stood out primarily because Mckay is well known for writing about racism, especially when it came to of him. The poem was a response to the Red Summer of 1919, which involved numerous riots and hatred towards African American communities. The tragic events led to the destruction of many homes and many deaths. Claude Mckay uses imagery and similes to describe the overall theme as courageous and honorable. Then how people were wild and encouraged how African Americans should respond to hatred and described how they should fight and not be hunted. Say no to plagiarism. Get a tailor-made essay on “Why Violent Video Games Should Not Be Banned”? Get the original essay Imagery is mainly used in this poem and it is well written. Once you start reading the poem, a picture takes shape in your mind. Knowing the reason for the poem, you can imagine speaking to an audience while reading it. Which gives you images of two teams or armies facing each other. In the poem it says in line 3 “While around us the mad and hungry dogs bark”, you can imagine a dog barking viciously at you. Another imagery is where he describes that they are outnumbered, which gives you an idea of ​​one group being larger than the other. Mckay then goes on to use similes that include comparing African Americans to pigs being hunted and pinned. When Claude compares African Americans to pigs, he says that they are weak and allow themselves to be hunted. Mckay then goes on to explain how they should die fighting and that it would be a noble way to die. At first, he seemed to be trying to draw the attention of African Americans to this plight. Perhaps seeking to encourage them to die for a cause rather than being hunted down and killed for no reason. Even if they did not defeat them, they would die with honor and dignity. On the other hand, Claude might seek to help Africans by warning them from being killed. The tone of the poem “If We Had to Die” by Claude McKay is fearlessness. As McKay begins writing, he paints a picture of white people trying to push African Americans to their limits in order to prevent them from going anywhere. Additionally, Mckay wants them to just accept death, however, he wants them to fight even if it is a struggle. The poem goes on to explain that white people are cowards and that they should not be afraid and that they should speak out and not be silenced again. Keep in mind: this is just a sample. Get a personalized article from our expert writers now. .Get a Custom Essay Overall, the poem confronts a variety of issues related to racism and standing. Mckay also covered many images and comparisons, which turned into a political message. Many suffered from this event and ultimately, Claude wanted Africans to defend their rights. There are many interpretations of this poem, one of them being that it was intended to inspire people to be fearless and courageous. It turned out to be well written from Claude McKay's point of view..