If We Must Die by Claude McKay

    When I first read, If We Must Die, I believed Claude McKay to be referencing some kind of war. He evokes strong emotion with his use of words such as hog and monsters. This poem is about dying with dignity and nobility. The narrator does not want to be 'hunted and penned in an inglorious spot.' He doesn't want their 'precious blood' to be shed in vain. This line is what made me believe he was referencing war. They want their lives to count and be part of the cause. They do not want to just lay down their weapons because they have been outnumbered, they, 'Like men we'll face the murderous, cowardly pack, Pressed to the wall, dying, but fighting back.'  
     It is interesting to note that Claude McKay was a descendant of slaves. At the age of twenty-three he came to the United Stated to attend college. At age thirty he was in England, later living in Russia and France. In 1934, McKay moved back to the United States and settled in Harlem, New York.
     After reading some of McKay's background, I am not sure what this poem is referencing. I am certain that he would have seen some oppression in Harlem and possibly in Moscow and the tales of slavery from his relatives. Was it a combination of these events that inspired him to write?

Poetry by Marianne Moore

     This poem is a poem for the individuals that do not think they like poetry. Marianne Moore extends her hand and acknowledges 'there are things that are important beyond all this fiddle.' I understand her statement, as I have read some poems with contempt and overall dislike. Moore wants to make a change in how people feel about poetry. After reading any kind of poem, the poet invokes some kind of response. Every reader has 'hands that can grasp, eyes that can dilate, hair that can rise'. She appeals to the universal feeling of, 'that we do not admire what we cannot understand.' Poetry can be a bridge to

understanding.

     Moore references Dutton's 'Diary of Tolstoy', and his thoughts of the boundary between prose and poetry, this is important because it helps strengthen her argument that the informative language of 'business documents and school books', should not be discriminated against. 'All these phenomena are important.' She encourages poetry to be well done not by 'half poets', but by those who accept their role as 'literalists of the imagination'. Their words need to be sowing the seeds of an 'imaginary garden with real toads in them.' And that is how poetry will have a broader appeal. Moore appeals to the public to seek 'the raw materials of poetry' and genuine thought and emotion, put into words by a true poet.

A Jelly-Fish By Marianne More

The title of the poem 'A Jelly-Fish' draws me in, because of my interest of marine life.  I am unclear as to the purpose of Moore's use of an alternate spelling with a hyphen. The contrast presented in the first line, 'Visible, invisible', hints to the hidden danger of the jellyfish. Moore's use of the term 'fluctuating charm' can be interpreted two different ways. There is fluctuating, as in the floating motion of the jellyfish or that the level of his charm can fluctuate. Moore's describtion, 'an amber-tinctured amethyst',  paints a picture of the beauty and elegance of a jellyfish, although I am aware of their danger.  As you read on, you realize the subject is drawn to touch and ultimately catch, this thing of such grace. For the subject, it is the 'quiver' of the jellyfish, that causes him to abandon his intent. Which leads me to question if the 'quiver' was threatening or provided a pause for the subject to withdraw and respect the jellyfish in its natural habitat. I myself, have been captivated by the charm of jellyfish, but also weary of the danger they present. I have seen first hand the victim of a sting and the pain that was inflicted.