The poem "America" ​​by Claude McKay deals with both how America is represented in relation to attitude reality of America and the negativity shown towards African-Americans. Mckay wrote this poem to express how he, as a Jamaican immigrant, feels about America. Many African Americans came to America hoping to achieve the American dream. Instead, they were welcomed with closed arms because of the color of their skin. There is this facade that has been created and accepted around the world that America is the land of freedom and, more importantly, opportunity. But McKay shines a light on the flawed and corrupt system that crushes the dreams and aspirations of countless African Americans. Yet there is a duality: McKay believes that even with the racism and hardships African Americans face in America, the American dream is worth fighting for. Mckay uses figurative language such as; personification, metaphors, and images to highlight America's ambivalent relationship within the black community during the 20th century. Say no to plagiarism. Get a tailor-made essay on “Why Violent Video Games Should Not Be Banned”? Get an Original Essay The poem begins with the word “Although,” preparing readers for the ambivalence that will come later in the poem. McKay goes on to personify America as a "she", describing her as a woman, which creates a parallel to the idea of ​​being a real mother. A mother's role is to protect, clothe and feed her young. Yet in McKay's poem, the motherland feeds her young only "bread of bitterness" and "sinks" "her tiger's tooth" into the speaker's neck, "stealing" his "breath of life." (lines 1-3). McKay creates this metaphor of America as a predatory animal to highlight the violence the nation has inflicted on African Americans. The metaphor is further used to challenge white Americans' self-concept that they are the only people with the right to inhabit America by comparing America to a foreign animal. This image suggests that white Americans are the true foreigners because of the way they treat African Americans because this does not align with the morals of a true American. It also goes against the fundamental American principle of welcoming those who come from overseas with open arms. Despite the discrimination, the speaker declares his "love" (line 4) in the first four lines of the poem, although just before saying "I will confess" suggesting some uncertainty. This line highlights the inner conflict that the speaker faces because, although the speaker is aware that he is not wanted in America, as he describes it as "hell" (line 4), he quickly undermines this statement by saying that this abuse is simply America "testing" it (line 4). This stoic remark symbolizes this idea in the speaker's mind that this abuse is a rite of passage for the speaker to earn his rightful place in America. The end of this remark is accompanied by an exclamation point showing the speaker's passion for the American dream creating even more paradox between his thoughts. America is clearly exploiting the speaker, but they are using him to fight racism and as motivation. As the poem continues, McKay continues to develop the relationship between America and the speaker. In the opening lines of the first quatrain, the speaker says that America is sucking his blood, thereby sucking his life. But in lines 5-7, the speaker now says that America's strength runs in its "blood" and..