Ernesto McConnell Professor Bergman ENGL200 If We Must Die: an Explication

If We Must Die (1919) is an English sonnet published by Jamaican born writer Claude

McKay (3). The poem is written in iambic pentameter and is about never giving up or backing down from confrontation, regardless of the situation. Personally, the poem brings to mind the story of the Battle of Thermopylae, where roughly seven thousand Greek Warriors waged in battle against a Persian army of an estimated one-hundred-thousand soldiers. If We Must Die inspires the audience so that one may still find glory against all odds and facing certain death. Much like the leaders of the Greek warriors engaging in combat during the Battle of Thermopylae, McKay inspires his kinsman to stand up against all odds through the use of If We Must Die. McKay, though West Indian, has been categorized in the United States as an African American author. This false generalization could be the driving force behind the tone of this poem, or as ___5___ states, the half-imploring, half reprimanding qualities of [McKays] tone may be a tool used to measure how far the audience must go. ___1____ suggests that the poem was written in the midst of, and in response to, the race riots and the Red Summer of 1919 (The Red Summer refers to the six month span in which over one hundred Americans were killed due to race related violence). If We Must Die divides people between two groups; the protagonists and the antagonists. It is made clear that McKay has sided with the protagonists of the poem by referring to them (the protagonists) as kinsmen and the antagonists as the common foe. If We Must Die, according to ___4___, became a rallying cry for justice and freedom through the race

riots. This idea is sound if one were to include the time in which this poem was published, however, there is little evidence of any specific motivation found directly in the text of the poem. Through examination of this poem, based soly on textual evidence, the people to which this poem refers are split into two sides. Each side of the poem is composed of multiple people, despite the fact that neither group is identified with a distinct number of members. The poem does however directly indicate that the group of antagonists is much larger than the group of protagonists in the line Though far outnumbered, let us show us brave. Using history based evidence, ___5___ states that the protagonists of this poem are the black men of the United States, who encountered a campaign of terror at the hands of their some of their white counterparts, including members of the Klu Klux Klan (___5___131). McKay contrasts the virtues of being a man versus the less-than human antagonists in If We Must Die. Although ___5____ affirms that protagonists are too preoccupied with the opinions of their enemy (__5__133), McKay makes a point to distinguish the differences between the two groups throughout the poem. McKay refers to the antagonist multiple times through animal references with negative connotation. Lines such as While round us bark the mad and hungry dogs, and . . . even the monsters we defy describe the way the speaker of If We Must Die views the antagonists. Toward the end, he describes the antagonists as a . . . murderous, cowardly, pack. In the first line of the poem the writer first uses the negative connotation that is connected with animals in the poem; If we must dielet it not be like hogs/ Hunted and penned in an inglorious spot. This instantly identifies the speakers fear of being reduced to an animal, and according to __2__ establish McKays disdain for passivity in the face of degredation and violence (__2__23). In the first line of the second quatrain, the opening words of the poem are repeated and once again: If we must dieoh, let us nobly die. This

describes the speaker as wishing to die with honor and dignity, much unlike the less than human creatures the antagonists of this poem have set out to create. Throughout If We Must Die there is not a single line that depicts the protagonists and antagonists of the poem as on the same level of morality or virtue. The entire poem casts a positive light on the plight of those on the side of the speaker, regardless of the outcome. The inevitable defeat of the speaker in If We Must Die is frequently expressed because the poem is about standing up against all odds, including certain death; this ideal is a necessity in If We Must Die. Although the poem often describes the lower level of virtue held by the antagonist collective, the poem often describes the advantage held by the antagonists. The lines Though far outnumbered, let us show brave,/ And for their thousand blows deal one deathblow! states the speaker is vastly outnumbered. The speakers determination in the face of adversity arouses admiration writes __5__ (__5__133). __5__ also suggests that through If We Must Die McKay aims to stir African Americans out of their passivity and complacencey. __5__ goes on to state that McKay assumes . . . his audience shares his perception of the nature and extent of their common dilemma (___5__132). The concept of this shared common dilemma is backed through McKays use of the term common foe in the poem. It is important to note the McKay refers to the protagonists in the poem as . . . our accursed lot. This line not only once again relates McKay to the audience and protagonists of the poem, but to their state of being. The term accursed brings to light that fact that the issues facing the protagonists in this poem are nothing new; the terminology used infers the audience of the poem has always faced, what seems, insurmountable odds. In addition, our accursed lot references the hopelessness and inevitability of the speakers situation. The created image of hopelessness is described in lines such as What though before us lies the open grave? and Pressed to the wall,

dying. These lines create images of death and loss with no chance of dying an honorable death. The author expresses the inevitability of his or her impended fate in the title of the poem as well as throughout it, as the title can be found twice within the text of the poem itself. The line If we must die concedes the author to defeat, however, . . . let us nobly die expresses the way in which the speaker wishes to be remembered. This line is a reminder that although the speaker may die by the hands of the antagonists, he or she will die in a morally respectable manner. The speaker in If We Must Die exhibits a great deal of personal courage. Throughout the poem the speaker describes what must be done to stand up against the much larger group (in numbers) of antagonists. The words used in the lines of the poem are inspirational despite being paired with the descriptions of certain defeat. The second quatrain of this poem is a prime example: If we must dieoh, let us nobly die, So that our precious blood may not be shed In vain; then even the monsters we defy Shall be constrained to honor us thought dead! Here the speaker refers to the fact that he or she knows that they will die, but through their final actions will find honor in death. The speaker often refers to the much higher level of importance he or she holds in contrast to the animal-like antagonists. McKay uses terms such as brave, nobly, precious, and honor in reference to the speaker or audience, while dogs and murderous, cowardly pack describe the poems antagonists. The positive light in which the speaker views dying honorably is also described in the poems opening lines If we must dielet us not be like hogs/ Hunted and penned in an inglorious spot. These lines not only affirm that

the speaker is prepared to die, but also states his or her view dying without honor: pig-like and held against his or her will. The imagery used in If We Must Die creates a bleak and desolate landscape. There is little hope for the poems protagonists as they deal with their common foes. Bleak and desperate images are created through use of the terms deathblow, grave, dying, and dead to describe the dreary and unfavorable outcome of the poems speaker. The poem uses term such as dogs, monsters, and murderous to describe the dark, villain-like antagonists of the poem. The silver lining for the protagonists in this poem is the hope that by dying an honorable death, they will be regarded in a higher fashion than their evil counterparts in this poem; Like men well face the murderous, cowardly pack/ Pressed to the wall, dying, but fighting back! alludes to the fact that there is hope in a situation that seems hopeless, and that if one must die against ones own wishes, let it be done so as to create honor and nobility in death. If We Must Die depicts the classic battle of good versus evil, as well as the virtue and value of never giving up. The speaker refers to the situation of impending doom with hope that in a proud and virtuous death, his or her memory will be held in high regard. The poems protagonist speaker denounces the thought of being on the antagonists side by using terms that identify them as less than human. As __5__ suggests, McKays ethos serves as the model to emulate (__5__133). If We Must Die may serve as an inspirational reminder to those facing what they view as insurmountable odds, to never back down.