Sp 18-Claude McKay’s “If We Must Die” TPCASTT Analysis Dissertation Example

TITLE

Ponder the title before reading: what do you think it means if anything?
Consider both denotation and connotation of words used. The title is used symbolically to depict an honorable death. The poet reflects on the struggle for victory and the urge to achieve victory through their fight even if they die their war should not in vain but of nobility.
The use of connotation words like “not like hog” help express the nobility of the people’s death in the title of the poem

PARAPHRASE

Translate each stanza of the poem into your own words.
The first stanza claims that though they may encounter death, let it worth their glory. And their death should not be disregarded and in vain. In the next stanza talks on the belief of the black to die for their right and have a noble death that even their masters and those, they fight acknowledge their fight was worth their death. The stanza continues to assert that despite their number they need to show braveness and strength as they fight back. For eventually their death will be of glory and honor.

CONNOTATION

Contemplate the poem for meaning BEYOND the literal meaning.
What is this poet trying to impart to his readers?
Look for figurative language (Symbolism/ Imagery/ Personification/Simile/Metaphor/Repetition/etc.) and anything that is beyond literal meaning.
Include at least 3 quotes and commentary. Quote/Line
“If we must die let it not be like hogs’ (Line I)
Type of Figurative Language/Interpretation
In this line, McKay uses a simile to compare the death of African Americans to the slaughtering of pigs. He states that he does not want to die in this manner.

Quote/Line

“If we must die…” Repetition
This line is repeated throughout the poem to stress on the poem’s meaning and intention to the audience. The poet uses repetition of this line to grab readers’ attention and heighten their emotional ties on the poem’s theme of death.
“There precious blood will not be shed in vain….” (line 6) Imagery
This line expresses the use of imagery to help readers vividly image what the poet intends to explain and his feeling in the statement.

ATTITUDE

What is the speaker’s attitude or tone?
What are the poets? Are they the same, or different?
Is there more than one attitude or tone in different parts of the poem?
The poem has different tones. As it starts the poem brings out a melancholy tone which expresses the concern of death upon the African American. As the poem shifts to the end the tone changes in courageous tone as a sign of inspiring brevity among the African American to continue the fight for honor

SHIFTS

What shifts in the speaker’s attitude or tone do you see in the poem?
Where do they occur?
Shift occurs between lines
_______& ______ Tone/ Attitude Before Shift:
Melancholy
Oh, Kinsmen! We must meet the common foe;
Tone/ Attitude After Shift:
Courageous
Though far outnumbered, let us show us brave

TITLE

After reading the poem, re-examine the title on an interpretive level.
Does it mean something else to you now that you have analyzed the poem? The poem title can be interpreted differently where it can seem like the struggle for liberation and the fight for independence and freedom among the African American. It can be seen as a poem of freedom and justice

THEME

What is the thematic Topic or idea?
What message or statement is the poet trying to make about this central idea or topic? Thematic Topic:_________Inequality______

Theme Statement:

In the poem “If We Must Die” by Claude McKay, the poet uses the topic of Inequality to convey the message that… in the poem “If We Must Die” by Claude McKay, the poet conveys the message that African American need to have a place in their country and treated with respect and dignity as blacks.

CEC Response Paragraph:

Write a CEC Paragraph explaining the following: Compare/Contrast McKay’s tone and message in this poem from Langston Hughes’ “I, Too, Sing America”? Use textual evidence from both poems to explain your claim.

CEC Response Paragraph:
Both McKay and Langston poem express the need for equality and the fight for freedom among the African Americans. The two poem message and tone portrays the life and struggle of African Americans in the United States. On the contrary, McKey poem expresses the urge to stand and fight while Langston advocate for patriotism.

Work Cited

• McKay, Claude. “If We Must Die” 1889-1948.