As we live our lives we will go through many emotions. These emotions could range from anger, fear, sadness or guilt. But one of the deepest emotions a person can feel in his life is love and hate. On paper, these emotions seem opposite as one is associated with attachment and intimacy and the other is associated with aversion and contempt. However, upon deeper analysis, you may find that these emotions can produce some striking similarities. For example, both of these emotions can drive a man or woman to an extreme, so extreme, in fact, that many have killed in both the name of love and hate. Therefore, although these emotions are very different in terms of the connotations they serve, the depth and breadth of these emotions are strikingly similar. In the poem “America” by Claude McKay, we are subjected to both of these emotions in a poem full of division and a lasting statement about society. Say no to plagiarism. Get a tailor-made essay on "Why Violent Video Games Shouldn't Be Banned"? Get an Original Essay This piece is a "Shakespearean" sonnet composed of fourteen standard lines and is composed of three quatrains and a couplet with the traditional ABABCDCDEFEFGG rhyme scheme. The structure is divided into two main stanzas, the first stanza describes McKay's feelings towards America and the second stanza shows his feeling of acceptance towards the reader. Throughout the poem, McKay goes back and forth between his positive and negative feelings towards both America and the American social norms of the period. This poem was published in the 1920s, more specifically in 1921. This was a very exciting time for Americans as it was a time of economic prosperity with a distinctive cultural edge, but there was also a dark underbelly to America at the time. In the South, where McKay resided after immigrating from Jamaica, blacks were heavily discriminated against and their rights were limited due to Jim Crow laws. This bitter division of conflicting emotions, which was a prevalent attitude among blacks at the time, is a recurring theme throughout the poem. McKay begins to express his contempt for America in the first quatrain; however, he then proceeds to also express his confidence in the country. When McKay says, “Though he feed me bitter bread” (1), he is telling us that he depends on America to feed him as if he were a child dependent on his mother. You will also understand that he refers to America as “she” (1), further emphasizing the idea that he is as dependent on the country as a child is on this mother. This also leads us to believe that America is the source of his supplies, although the food provided to him is bitter. Moving forward, McKay felt as if America was draining the life out of him, as is evident when he states, “he sinks his tiger tooth down my throat, stealing the breath of life from me, I will confess” (2-3). This tells us how the unequal treatment of blacks is slowing the drain of the spirit of life from McKay. This also shows us the metaphor that McKay used to highlight American violence: the “tiger tooth” (2). He challenges the nation's self-conception by comparing America to an exotic foreign animal. We continue, McKay hits us with something we didn't expect. “…I must confess, I love this cultured hell that tests my youth!” (3-4) Although Mckay begins the poem with many negative feelings towards America and American society, he ironically then expresses his positive feelings in this verse. This is the very first evidence that McKay has used to express his mixed feelings throughout the poem. Even in this sentence,however, McKay uses the phrase “cultured hell” (4) which indicates that even through positivity there will always be a negative as further proof of the dividing point. It seems, however, that McKay enjoyed the difficulties that American society presented to him during that time. "I love this cultured hell that tests my youth!" Continuing, the second quatrain shifts to more positive thinking, seemingly leading us to see some of the reasons why McKay, in fact, has positive feelings about America. His vigor flows like tides in my blood, giving me strength erected against his hatred” (5-6). lines five and six indicate that the strength of the expanding country was the energy that fueled McKay's life. speaker brings out the conflicted nature of this poem. As McKay boldly proclaims that America is the source of his strength, he rebels against the provider of that strength and harnesses it to address the racial hatred that was present during this time in America. Although McKay stands strong against intolerance and injustice in America, he seems to have a sense that his personal position may be insignificant in the larger picture of the fight for equality. “His greatness overwhelms my being like a flood ” (7). It is not possible for a person to resist the rushing waters of a flood because it pours onto the land. Perhaps McKay is expressing the futility of a person who opposes the intolerant history of one nation. However, just because the speaker is alone in the uselessness, that doesn't stop him from taking that position. “And yet, as a rebel faces a king of state, I stand with his walls without a shred of terror, malice, without a word of mockery” (8-10). Nothing good usually comes from a person who has to stand before a king. Typically, once this occurs, it is most likely the result of the king making or executing a judicial sentence. This is another example from the poem where McKay turns the perceived American social standard on its head and leads the reader down another path less traveled. McKay stands confident in the face of the racist ideals that society has made normal, just as a rebel would stand proudly before the king. Remarkably, it is the reaction of the “king” that breaks down the expected barrier in the interaction between the two. He does not retreat or strike, nor does he shout words of malice at the people around him. The “rebel” presents himself without fear before the king within his walls, because there will be no consequences and he will be protected by the law. This is another metaphor to show the division of the American ideal and also the reality that existed in America at that time. Free speech is an inalienable right guaranteed by the First Amendment of the Constitution. Therefore, McKay can confidently appear before the people of American society because he knows that whatever he says will be protected by law. However, many people in society, especially in the South, did not believe in the ideals of the “king” and held hatred and hostility against McKay for his position, despite what the king had ordered. Actions like these can be found in places where discrimination and racism were rampant throughout society, despite the government's claims that all men are created equal and should have equal rights under the law. Please note: this is just an example. Get a custom paper now from our expert writers. Get Custom Essay “America” ends on a somber note as McKay provides his prediction for America’s future. “Darkly I look upon the days to come, and there I see its power and its granite wonders, under the touch of time's infallible hand, like priceless treasures.