Question

During the time of the Jim crow Laws, many black American's struggled with the idea of living in the "land of the free" but being denied basic human rights. How does McKay's poem "America" reflect this experience?

Answer 1

The poem shows how America fed its children, but left them with bitterness and sadness, that even so it was not able to take their love for it.

Step-by-step explanation:

In the poem the poet reveals how America has the capacity to feed its children, but it feeds them with bitterness. This reflects the fact that blacks could dream and even receive a life of freedom, as America preached, but this freedom was bitter, since it was not full and complete, leaving blacks bitter and disrespected. In addition, the poet shows how violent America was and acted as if it sucked people. This can be seen in the lines "And sinks into my throat her tiger’s tooth, / Stealing my breath of life, I will confess / I love this cultured hell that tests my youth."

However, even in the midst of adversity, the author shows how she still loves America. This reflects the fact that even if blacks were deprived of all the basic rights that a citizen should have, they still saw America as their homeland and their land and hoped that these situations would change in the future.