"America"- Poem Reading Response 1st Draft

Living in America is often portrayed as a privilege, but for many people, such as immigrants, it is also a huge struggle. In the poem "America" by Claude McKay, the speaker feels that America's challenges make him/her a stronger person, therefore giving him/her strength to stand against all the problems and the hate in the country.

In the poem, the speaker is obviously facing problems in America. S/he describes these problems in very colorful ways. For example, "...she feeds me bread of bitterness/ And sinks into my throat her tiger's tooth..." (assuming "she" is America). The speaker could possibly be an immigrant, seeing that immigrants go through  a lot in this country. The speaker could also be a person of color, a non-straight person, someone in poverty, or someone in any type of group that has a hard time living in the US because of discrimination or lack of resources. Despite this, towards the end of the poem, the speaker says "Darky I gaze into the days ahead/ And see her might and granite wonders...". This shows that while things might be bad now, the speaker has hope for America.

Even with all the challenges, in the poem, it is shown that the speaker likes America in a way. For example, "I love this cultured hell that tests my youth!". "Cultured hell" is an oxymoron, showing the strange nature of the relationship between the speaker and the country. I also think the speaker refuses to fear America, and will only let it's problems make him/her stronger. For example, s/he says "I stand within her walls with not a shred/ Of terror, malice, not a word of jeer". This means the speaker will not fear, hate, or tease America because of what it’s done to him/her.

America is a complicated place, with it’s privileges and problems. The speaker adresses this in the poem “America”, and doesn’t let the problems get to her. I think the speaker knows that letting the country beat him/her down won’t do him/her any good, so s/he only grows stronger from his/her experiences.