America By Claude Mckh Analysis

In 1492, Christopher Columbus sailed the ocean blues and found America. Then, the Europeans immigrated to America to start colonies. Many Americans often forget that the United States is a country built by immigrants. However, our views on immigration have changed over the past hundred years. Immigrants were treated fairly before but are now seen as poor, weak, and desperate for work. The poem “America” by Claude McKay and the song “Immigrants” from the Hamilton Mixtape both display the difficult times of living in America and how the immigrants choose to stay despite these difficulties. In the poem “America”, Claude McKay describes his love and appreciation for his new country despite the difficulties he faces. For example, McKay includes in his poem “I stand within her walls” and “darkly I gaze into the days ahead, and see her might and granite wonders there.” He will stand within the walls of America and he sees a dark future ahead of him. He describes his difficulties using phrases such as “bread of bitterness” and “sinks into my throat her tiger’s tooth” to give the reader a feeling of disgust. McKay feels uneasy about his future in his new country but he will continue to persevere and love his country. He uses rhetorical devices in the poems such as personification and
Both compositions describe not only the unwelcoming of immigrants in America but also their love. They use negative phrases such as “sinks into my throat her tiger’s tooth” and “baby boy, it’s hard times when you ain’t sent for” to help the reader sense negativity. The poems are also similar because both talk about being treated unfairly. The poem “America” talks about racism and prejudice while the song “Immigrants” describes the hardship immigrants have to go through. The two poems also talk about being unwelcomed to the country but are still willing to move there to attain a better