If We Must Die

If we must die, let it not be like hogs
Hunted and penned in an inglorious spot,
While round us bark the mad and hungry dogs,
Making their mock at our accurséd lot.
If we must die, O let us nobly die,
So that our precious blood may not be shed
In vain; then even the monsters we defy
Shall be constrained to honor us though dead!
O, kinsmen! we must meet the common foe!
Though far outnumbered let us show us brave,
And for their thousand blows deal one death-blow!
What though before us lies the open grave?
Like men we'll face the murderous, cowardly pack,
Pressed to the wall, dying, but fighting back!

by Claude McKay

"If we must die" takes liberties with iambic pentameter, but they are slight. Look at the 2nd line--that's in 3, really. (musical shortcut, like 3/4 time instead of 2/4, which is iambic pentameter,...sorta. I wanna teach a poetry class to musicians!) The 4th line does that too, so there is consistency in the pattern. Likewise, the next to last line is more than 10 syllables--depending on how you say them. It's straight iambic pentameter then. Notice that the last line messes up the rhythm, too, for effect. Emphasizing dying and fighting back, so the rhythm emphasizes the meaning--which should be what rhythm does.

His tone is strong, defiant--rythym and word choice work together to create that.

The language in this is interesting, too--notice the juxtaposition between the "dying like hogs"--very common, degrading, coarse image, and the exalted imagery and language--"the monsters we defy," "nobly die" constrained, kinsmen, foe--words used very sincerely to paint an image of heroism to counter the "dying like hogs."

When talking about poetry, the speaker and the tone are important. For analysis purposes, the speaker is not the poet personally, even if it's first person. Obviously, sometimes there's an excpetion to this.

Ok--you probably saw all that and knew all that and wonder if that's all there is to talking about poetry. Yes. Throw in a couple allusions to T S Eliot or Ezra Pound and you've got a PhD! I'm just warming up!

Dinner Guest, Second Entry

Social screeds or political poems often are pedantic. I'd name some to prove my point, but can't off the top of my head--later, I'll try to prove it. However, this "Dinner Guest" makes an important point about society in a friendly, humorous manner. Sure, the imagery is part of that, as is the setting, but the tone is established in large part by his use of rhythm and rhyme.

The rhythm is fast, with either 2 or 3 hard beats per line. There's a pattern, but it's not obvious or regular. It sounds breezy, unconcerned, not ponderous or preachy. The rhyme is simplistic--dined/mind, way/USA, night/white--and irregular, keeping the poem from becoming sing songy or nursey rhyme-ish. The commonness of the rhyming words enhances the breezy tone, but it's deceptive; hints of hoity-toity culture seep in, with "damask" and "fraises du bois." The speaker in the poem (which may or may not be based on Hughes) is common folk, using common language, but he can make small talk with the white liberals who are demurely probing their guest, the mouthpiece of all African-Americans, so they can understand "The Negro Problem."

The language sets a tone that is gently ironic, poking fun not only at the hosts but also at the guest, who acknowledges that he's enjoying his moment of fame as he sips his wine and nibbles the lobster. Even the ending twist, where the guest acknowledges that the whole evening is just a way of passing time, with no serious intent to address the issue, keeps with the light toned rhythm and rhyme even as a pointed bard sticks through the words.

Rhythm and rhyme create a tone that sets the scene and draws the reader into consideration of potentially uneasy questions with an inviting lilt. "Dinner Guest" is strong proof that social commentary can be poetic and incisive while still making important points.