If We Must Die
E301085
"If We Must Die" is a powerful 1919 sonnet by Claude McKay that calls for dignified resistance against racial violence and oppression, and is considered a landmark of Harlem Renaissance literature.
All labels observed (1)
| Label | Occurrences |
|---|---|
| If We Must Die canonical | 3 |
Statements (48)
| Predicate | Object |
|---|---|
| instanceOf |
poem
ⓘ
sonnet ⓘ |
| addresses | racial violence in the United States ⓘ |
| associatedWith |
Black radical tradition
ⓘ
anti-lynching discourse ⓘ |
| author | Claude McKay ⓘ |
| callsFor |
fighting back against oppressors
ⓘ
organized resistance ⓘ |
| centralMessage |
even in death, oppressed people can assert their humanity
ⓘ
oppressed people should resist violently rather than die passively ⓘ |
| countryOfOrigin |
United States of America
ⓘ
surface form:
United States
|
| firstLine | If we must die, let it not be like hogs ⓘ |
| form | Shakespearean sonnet ⓘ |
| genre |
political poetry
ⓘ
protest poetry ⓘ |
| historicalContext |
Red Summer
ⓘ
surface form:
Red Summer of 1919
|
| imagery |
animal imagery
ⓘ
battle imagery ⓘ |
| influence |
African American literature
ⓘ
Harlem Renaissance writers ⓘ |
| language | English ⓘ |
| legacy |
frequently cited as a classic poem of resistance
ⓘ
used in discussions of civil rights and social justice ⓘ |
| literaryDevice |
alliteration
ⓘ
apostrophe ⓘ enjambment ⓘ metaphor ⓘ |
| literaryMovement | Harlem Renaissance ⓘ |
| meter | iambic pentameter ⓘ |
| notableReception |
considered a landmark of Harlem Renaissance literature
ⓘ
widely anthologized in American literature collections ⓘ |
| numberOfLines | 14 ⓘ |
| period | early 20th century American literature ⓘ |
| perspective | collective first-person plural "we" ⓘ |
| publicationYear | 1919 ⓘ |
| rhymeScheme | ABABCDCDEFEFGG ⓘ |
| setting | unspecified but reflective of racial conflict in the United States ⓘ |
| subject |
honor
ⓘ
racial injustice ⓘ self-defense ⓘ |
| theme |
collective struggle
ⓘ
courage ⓘ dignity in death ⓘ racial violence ⓘ resistance to oppression ⓘ |
| tone |
defiant
ⓘ
resolute ⓘ urgent ⓘ |
Referenced by (3)
Full triples — surface form annotated when it differs from this entity's canonical label.
subject surface form:
Claude McKay