The nineteenth century ushered in an era of expression in America. During this period, the publication and interpretations of literature, music, theatrical performance, and art flourished, especially in black communities across the country. For this reason, young black poets such as Claude McKay and Gwendolyn Brooks used their literary talents to highlight the oppression constantly present around them. Both authors embody Shakespeare's writing style, writing compelling poems that questioned the social narrative of the time. By comparing “If We Must Die” by Claude McKay and “Piano After War” by Gwendolyn Brooks, readers can understand how African Americans struggled to adapt to harsh racism in America during the 1900s. Say no to plagiarism. Get a tailor-made essay on "Why Violent Video Games Shouldn't Be Banned"? Get an original essay Jamaican-born poet and novelist Claude McKay was one of the most influential black authors of the early 1900s. Raised in Jamaica, McKay's racial pride and sense of his African heritage were instilled at an early age and manifested in his works many years later. Local educated gentlemen helped McKay study the masters, British romantics, and European philosophers. These men advised the aspiring poet McKay to stop imitating English poets and begin producing verse in Jamaican dialect. He studied in America at the Tuskegee Institute (1912) and at the Kansas State Teachers College. In 1914 he left school entirely for New York City, where he faced racism, which forced him to continue writing poetry. After only knowing Jamaican traditionalism, the shock of American racism changed his perspective. In his poetry, McKay wrote both about simple peasant life in Jamaica and poems that questioned the racist structure of authority in America. Throughout his career, Communists attacked MacKay for his refusal to adopt their beliefs and liberal whites and blacks for his criticism of integration-oriented civil rights groups. Despite this opposition, McKay remained a supporter of full civil liberties and racial solidarity. The publication of “Spring in New Hampshire” (1920) and “Harlem Shadows” (1922) allowed McKay to emerge as the first and most active voice of the Harlem Renaissance – a golden age in African social and artistic culture. American at the beginning of the 20th century. After a few years working in New York, McKay befriended Max Eastman, a communist sympathizer and editor of Liberator magazine. McKay published poems in Eastman magazine, most notably "If We Must Die," noted for its advocacy of black rights and the threat of retaliation for discrimination and abuse. “If We Must Die” takes the form of a Shakespearean sonnet. The poem's old-fashioned form is elegant and refined, an attempt to bring the prestige of the Middle Ages into a desperate and dark struggle for justice. Using alliteration, Shakespearean rhyme scheme, and meter, the poem calls for political resistance. Calling on oppressed minorities to resist their oppressors, violently and courageously, McKay insists that they must seek to gain respect and equality, even if they die in the process. As a result, the poem has served as an inspiration to a wide variety of oppressed people around the world as they fight for their rights and freedom. McKay achieves this by writing in a desperate voice, addressing a group of oppressed people. Because they must face death, the speaker argues that the group must not die “like pigs.” This reveals the speaker's fear that the group will comemassacred or hunted down, allowing those left behind to be stripped of their humanity. An alternative interpretation concludes that he does not want these people to die in vain. Pigs are slaughtered all the time. With this analogy, he could be saying that he wants their deaths to have a purpose. In the following lines, he invites them to fight back despite being “vastly outnumbered”. In the last two lines, he anticipates their defeat, but relentlessly encourages them to fight the "murderous and cowardly pack." The poem makes no clear accusation of racial discrimination. Therefore, he is widely known as a source of inspiration for persecuted people around the world. It showcases Americans' innate will to resist oppression while giving voice to the will of oppressed people of all ages who are fighting with their backs against the wall to win their freedom. A native of Chicago, Gwendolyn Brooks was another of the most important African American authors of the 20th century. According to D.H. Melhem, his father was a janitor who hoped to become a doctor; his mother was a classically trained teacher and pianist. The creative atmosphere supported her daughter's passion for reading and writing. Her works portrayed the daily lives of urban blacks from 1917 to 2000. Her early works focused on the challenges of women facing racism in America, but she later depicted male soldiers returning from war. Brooks's later work addressed politics more openly, displaying what National Observer contributor Bruce Cook called "an intense awareness of issues of color and justice." For all of her projects, she adopted the unique perspectives of those around her. Describing his style as a type of folk fiction, Brooks varied his forms, using free verse, sonnets, and inspiration from iconic poets. Using this eclectic method, many of Brooks' works present a political consciousness, especially those during the Civil Rights Movement, with many of his poems reflecting the activism of that period. One such work was Gay Chaps at the Bar. Writing from the perspective of black soldiers who are experiencing the intertwined violence of war and racism, Brooks addresses their complex relationship with their “home” in a country that was still segregated and still motivated by racism, hatred and fear. A home should be welcoming; America at that time was not. The most Shakespearean sonnet of Brook's poetic collection, "Piano After War" imitates Shakespeare in both structure and style. Although it adopts Shakespeare's style, the poem is clearly written by Brooks due to the political tone. A soldier imagines what peace will be like in a room where a woman plays the piano, recovering the "old hungers" who will "break their coffins." The first lines of a celebration of life before the war quickly fall into "A cry of embittered dead men." This post-war reevaluation calls into question racism in America, with the blatant disrespect and injustices highlighted by the Civil Rights Movement. Premature and unnecessary death serves as a bitter retrospective for both survivors and victims. These soldiers feel that their future will always be cold. The thawed eye will return to the ice again. / And the stone will sweep away the softness from my face.' “Shove,” crudely suggesting “shovel,” provides the poem’s inexorable momentum. Although all African Americans struggled to adapt to America's harsh racism during this time, these soldiers fared worse. They left for war and returned to the hostility of the people they were protecting. Paused at a moment of