Essay on Usage of the Outsider Theme in Claude McKays...

Usage of the Outsider Theme in Claude McKays Poetry Claude McKay was an important figure during the 1920s in the Harlem Rennaisance. Primarily a poet, McKay used the point of view of the outsider as a prevalent theme in his works. This is best observed in such poems as Outcast, America, and The White House. In these poems, McKay portrays the African-American as the outsiderof western society and its politics and laws and at times, the very land that he is native to. McKayss poem, Outcast, is the most obvious example of this outsider theme. From the title to the last line there are many references to a feeling of alienation and neglect. The voice in the poem longs for the dim regions whence my fathers came. The†¦show more content†¦This feeling of aliention is even further revealed in later lines where he must walk the way of life a ghost among the sons of earth, a thing apart. This line best exemplifies the plight of the African-American feeling removed from home and lost even in the western civilization he is forced to adopt. McKays Outcast is the poem which the outsider theme is most apparent. It creates a bleak yet vivid picture of the alienation to which the African-American is subjected. America is another poem written by McKay that reveals the outsider theme of the Negro in America. McKay voices his love/hate relationship with America in this poem. He states that she sinks into my throat her tigers tooth, stealing my breath of life. He does however confess I love this cultured hell that tests my youth! Her vigor flows like tides into my blood giving me strength erect against her hate. This line indicates that while he struggles as an American, it is America that keeps him going; that she gives him life even as she sucks it away. McKay is saying that he loves America not so much as an American but as an outsider that needs the test to live and become stronger. Another example of the theme of alientation is in the line Yet as a rebel fronts a king in state I stand within her walls. McKay is once again using the point of view of the outsider rather than someone that really feels American. This poem isShow MoreRelated Visions of The Primitive in Langston Hughesà ¢â‚¬â„¢s The Big Sea Essay examples6201 Words   |  25 Pagesdid Conrad or India did Kipling: as an alien territory, forbidden, dangerous yet compelling in its intensity. It is ironic that this very conception of Harlem was one of the key reasons why it was overrun and exploited by sensation-seeking white outsiders. Hughes makes implicit comparisons between the colonial despoliation of African natural resources and the whites’ frivolous engagement with Harlem’s â€Å"exotic† cabaret nightlife in the 1920s. Hughes’s gesture of throwing his own personal collection

Have chosen Thomas DUrfeys, Sir Barnaby Whig Essay Example For Students

Have chosen Thomas DUrfeys, Sir Barnaby Whig Essay However Whiggs arrest follows what again appears to be the last straw for a man intent on subverting the rightful system. In this case, rather than Shaftesburys declaration of support for Monmouth, it is the total and instantaneous renunciation not only of his protestant faith but also his country and heritage, by choosing the prospect of enrichment over his nationality. Ile dot by Alha, by Mahomet I will()7. The treachery is uttered without a second thought because there does not even appear to be a moral question in his head, and so his removal is seen as a just and necessary act. That there are more than seven full pages following this incident in which the lead figure of hate has no part does not appear to matter, since his only real role in the play was to exemplify all of those traits of his Tribe that DUrfey wishes to denigrate. Indeed, the characters barely seem to notice his departure, and it certainly does not bear on any of their subplots of seduction and evasion of discovery that have occupied them for the majority of the play. Whigg himself seems often to be nothing but a board for the other, more loyal figures to push off and make attacks on his type. It would appear that the plays real focus is the vigorous and combative relationship between Gratiana and Wilding, or the gender divide that it signifies, since he is afforded the last line to comment on the problems affecting men and womens relationships. However I think that this is merely a factor in the plays comedic value, Whiggs arrest is funny purely because of the speed of his conversion, and then the equally swift acceptance of his impending death. That he will die is a point of information, not a dramtic or humourous event. DUrfey tries and succeeds in disrupting our expectations of what a comedy should be. The expectations that we develop for this piece begin with the prologue, an essential dramatic tool in this particular piece since it serves to bring the audiences attention not only to the goal of the play, but also highlights the fact that the views being expressed are DUrfeys, bringing all acclaim and political affirmation back onto his own head. The passage describes the turmoil that exists in England at the time, Distraction rages now, and th frantick town, / plagued with sham-plots, a very Bedlams grown. (Prologue)8 This responsibility for this loss of reason, of wit and intelligence, is placed firmly on the shoulders of mistrust and disloyalty, that the climate of England is rife with discord due to the constant plotting of its citizens, and the paranoia which that evinces, either in response to foreign threats for fear the French should come and eat them up, or in the fractious religious climate, Protestants that rail and grieve ye think all the Loyal Party Dogs and Bears/Run mad(Prologue)9. This assault on the causes of tension in England places no doubt in the mind of the audience as to the distress caused to the playwright, the descriptive language of the plots and plotters harsh and condescending, like Lunatics yr roar and range about (Prologue)10, but DUrfey also takes pains to separate himself somewhat, as though the poet is beyond this. It may appear to be an appeal to the audience to leave politics at the entrance and treat his work fairly again, When shall we see an Audience in the Pit, / Not swayd by faction that will silent sit, / And friends to the poet calmly judge his Wit? Poetry Essay copyIn the Epilogue, we hope to be afforded some insight into why the appeal to so many different strands of audience, and an explanation as to why the title figure seemed to remain only a peripheral figure during the play. The new actress coming in at the end seems to be claiming the role of scapegoat and emissary of the poet, seeking to assuage any feelings of resentment towards the piece, an escape clause almost to prevent criticism. But to introduce a self-aware masque-like figure at this point seems strange, especially since her role appears to be to ridicule those who choose political sides and cannot see past them. It is this suggestion that the future may be a time when there will be impartiality, and that at that point she will have authority and control. As it stands, she has neither and so the play ends on what feels like a weak point until you realise that she represents the artistic or creative urge, unfettered by politics that is currently constrained by the social structure of the time. In conclusion we can see that DUrfey has used satire and incisive wit on behalf of his heroic characters to ridicule what can easily be construed as his political enemies, considering his loyalty and close relationship with Charles II. However whilst the force of his vitriol is most definitely focussed on Whigg and what he represents, it would appear that he is trying to eliminate this from the audiences mind when they come to see a play. Hence the marginalisation of Whiggs role in the play, and the entreaty in the prologue and epilogue to the audience to keep a degree of political distance when observing his work, hoping no doubt that in the future, hopefully lest tempestuous political climate, drama will be able to return to a position outside of parties and sides. Considering the climate it was written in however it is no surprise that DUrfey comes down hard on those opposed to the King, and still begs the favourable indulgence of his patron. Bibliography Sir Barnaby Whigg: Thomas DUrfey, 1681 Sourced from LION http://www. contemplator. com/history/durfey. html http://www. ajdrake. com/teachers/teaching/guides/brit_civil_war/restoration_comedy. htm http://www. encyclopedia. com/html/S/Shaftes1. asp John Milton Paradise Lost Penguin Popular Classics 1996 Approx Word Count: 2, 495. 1The First Modern Comedies Norman Holland sourced at http://www. ajdrake. com/teachers/teaching/guides/brit_civil_war/restoration_comedy. htm 2 http://www. encyclopedia. com/html/S/Shaftes1. asp 3 http://www. contemplator. com/history/durfey. html 4 http://www. contemplator. com/history/durfey. html 5 http://www. encyclopedia. com/html/S/Shaftes1. asp 6 Sir Barnaby Whigg: Thomas DUrfey, 1681 Sourced from LION 7 Sir Barnaby Whigg: Thomas DUrfey, 1681 Sourced from LION 8Sir Barnaby Whigg: Thomas DUrfey, 1681 Sourced from LION. 9 Sir Barnaby Whigg: Thomas DUrfey, 1681 Sourced from LION 10 Sir Barnaby Whigg: Thomas DUrfey, 1681 Sourced from LION 11 Sir Barnaby Whigg: Thomas DUrfey, 1681 Sourced from LION 12 Sir Barnaby Whigg: Thomas DUrfey, 1681 Sourced from LION 13 http://www. contemplator. com/history/durfey. html 14 John Milton Paradise Lost Penguin Popular Classics 1996 15 Sir Barnaby Whigg: Thomas DUrfey, 1681 Sourced from LION University Number 0200853 Course: Seventeenth Century Literature and Culture Module Tutor: Sarah Knight.