The Lynching

“To the White Fiends” by Claude McKay (1918)

One of McKay’s first poems written in America, “To the White Fiends” represents the immigrant McKay’s anger at American racial prejudice and violence. In this protest sonnet, McKay informs his white oppressors, whom he addresses as “fiends,” that he and other Black Americans are just as capable of violence should they choose to ignore their conscience and Christian calling. Like “The Lynching,” “To the White Fiends” expresses intense feelings of bitterness and indignation against violent and “fiendish” racists (“The Lynching,” Line 14).

“If We Must Die” by Claude McKay (1919)

“If We Must Die” remains McKay’s most famous and enduring poem. Its spirit of defiance against oppression and its speaker’s refusal to die or give up without a fight have made the poem a popular rallying cry within Black political movements for decades. McKay’s sonnet emphasizes the inherent nobility and courage of the often-dehumanized Black race in the face of violent persecution.

“The White House” by Claude McKay (1922)

Like McKay’s previously mentioned poems, “The White House” explores the effects of bigotry as well as the author’s bitterness toward the racial prejudice he experiences. Within the poem, McKay confesses the difficulty of refraining from the “potent poison” (Line 14) of hatred and portrays his struggle to find the “grace” (Line 3) to accept another door being “shut against” (Line 1) his face. The poem’s title deliberately connotes the center of American government in addition to the house the speaker is barred from, suggesting that racial prejudice is not just individual but also institutionalized and systemic.

“America” by Claude McKay (1921)

In this Petrarchan-inspired sonnet, McKay dramatizes his complicated relationship with America, characterized as a cruel and disinterested female lover. He describes America as a “cultured hell” (Line 4), which simultaneously offers him opportunities and “priceless treasures” (Line 14) as well as “bitterness” (Line 1). Though he loves the idea of America, he acknowledges the country’s repeated attempts to destroy and “steal” the “breath of life” (Line 3) from him.

“The Haunted Oak” by Paul Laurence Dunbar (1903)

McKay’s predecessor, Paul Laurence Dunbar was a Black poet whose poetic endeavors were spent condemning racial injustice and celebrating Black culture. In “The Haunted Oak,” Dunbar portrays an oak tree that is cursed to bear no leaves after the lynching of a “guiltless man” (Line 56). Based on a true story a former slave shared with Dunbar, “The Haunted Oak” recounts the unjust hanging of an innocent Black man through the figure of a personified oak tree used for the execution. Like McKay’s “The Lynching,” Dunbar’s poem evokes a sense of horror at human cruelty and violent racism.