Hi all,
We hope you enjoy the second poem by Claude McKay. Please post your thoughts and responses below.
And you can watch a video of the poem too…
Hi all,
We hope you enjoy the second poem by Claude McKay. Please post your thoughts and responses below.
And you can watch a video of the poem too…
I think it’s very sad because he misses his family and the good old days back in Jamaica.
He is in New York and remembering his life in Jamaica.
Thank you Ali for sharing your thoughts on a number of resources.
Claude McKay talks to us through the poem about his childhood in Jamaica and how much he really misses it. He turned away and wept at the thought of not going back.
It has quite a sad feeling and really tugged at my heart strings a bit.
Hi Ayaan. Yes it is a moving poem. I’m glad you enjoyed it. What do you think makes it so emotive?
Translucent Diamonds and crystals,
and rusty treasure maps and shimmering gold ,
and neck less and old money,
fit for a treasure chest.
Thank you Ishan. That’s an imaginative reimagining of the poem.
He is remembering the days when he could have all of those delicious fruits to his heart’s content in Jamaica but now he is in New York and he isn’t enjoying it as much as Jamaica.
Thank you Ronan.
On the alligator pears slide the picture of the avocado is covering part of a question and I do not know how to move it.
I’ll take a look Mercy.
the question is unclear as the avocado cover it on slide 4
Thank you for the feedback Ruby.
He misses Jamaica
diamond rings and watches,
and luxurious palaces full of gold and shocking supercars,
and pearls, and Gucci and Luis Vuitton,
fit for millionaires, kings and queens!
Thank you Chloe. Your list creates a very different effect than McKay’s. It is interesting that by listing items we can create an impression and mood.
Roast meat tender and pink, and soft, boiled vegetables,
brightly coloured jams and jellies stuffed with fruit
And crisp, green apples and piles of rice and potatoes
Fit for a feast of kings
Thank you for sharing your additional stanza. Where you trying to evoke a particular country or culture?
well done Isla!
I didn’t understand the poem at first as i thought that he couldn’t afford the fruit but when i looked at the comments i understood. I also couldn’t understand what worse he said after “bringing back memories from….” does anyone know?
Hi Kate, I’m pleased to hear you found the comments of your peers helpful in understanding the poem.
The last stanza reads:
My eyes grew dim, and I could no more gaze;
A wave of longing through my body swept,
And, hungry for the old, familiar ways,
I turned aside and bowed my head and wept.
The poem is pretty tragic as the fruits remind him of his old life in the tropics, in Jamaica and right now, he is missing his old life when he was a young boy. It teaches us that things do not last forever and we have to move on, even if times are hard.
Thank you for your thoughtful response Emilia.
its very touching because he clearly misses his hometown and he wants to go back, but i think his options are very limited as well because it would be very expensive to go to his hometown when he set the poem. it looks like he set it in a very posh, perhaps victorian time because of what hes wearing. so thats why i suggested that travelling to his hometown would be very expensive, and why his options are so limited. adding on to the fact that the poem was set in victorian times, it probably meant that the tropical fruit was very expensive because it cost a lot to get from its original countries.
Many thanks for sharing your thoughts with us. I agree the poem gives a sense that it would be difficult for the speaker to return home. Beyond the cost of travel why else might it be difficult?
McKay moved to America early 1900s and to New York in 1914.
Nadia
Cotton candy and assorted liquorice,
Sour cherries and sweet bubblegum,
And milky gummies and haribos and giant rainbow lollipops
Fit for any person with a sweet tooth.
Many thanks for sharing your list Nadia.
I thought the poem was very nice but also sad because he misses Jamaica and his family
Hey Phoebe its Ewa 🙂
Here is my version of the poem:
Tea milky and sweet, and buttered crumpets
Minute cheese sandwiches and scotch eggs,
And scones and jam and clotted cream,
Fit for Her Majesty the Queen.
Can you guess where it’s set and what it’s talking about?
Many thanks Maisy. Buckingham Palace?
I don’t usually enjoy poems but I liked this one because it meant so much to Claude and he made it about his life he prepared to share his experience with the world.
Hi Maddison, I’m pleased to hear you enjoyed McKay’s poem. It does have a personal feel to it.
turkeys tall and all meat to, potatoes stacked high,
4 long tables filled to the brim,
and house elves to all within a castle,
fit for a wizard and witch.
Thank you Maddison. It’s interesting how you can change the setting through listing different items.
Birds twist and glide, and butterflies fly,
Wheat stands straight and red barns,
And cows and dogs and sunny skies,
Fit for anyone willing to accept the beauties of the farms.
Thank you Ewa. I love your opening phrase which thrusts the reader into the action of your poem.
this poem is such a great poem i love the sense that its based about Jamaica
I think it’s very sad because he misses his family and the good old days in Jamaica and now he’s in New York and he is remembering his life in Jamaica. Overall a good poem though.
I’m glad you enjoyed it Josh. Yes it has a mournful tone. What line do you find most moving?
Pearls shiny and white, and diamonds glisten
Stacks of dosh and securitized vaults,
And Ferrari’s and Lamborghini’s and Aston Martins,
Fit for the richest boy and girl.
Thank you Amelie. Your stanza is very different to McKay’s.
Pencil cases and new school blazers,
And food kiosks and lots of teachers,
And new friends and independence,
And life long responsibilities.
Fit for a new beginning
A lovely stanza Poppy. I particularly like your final line.
Massive score boards and the finest nets,
and over 60,000 fans and the freshest grass,
and flags waving and the best ball,
and the greatest players.
Fit for wining cup.
Great entry Harry. You build a sense of excitement with your list.