A Comparison the Migrant’s Point of View to the New Country in “America” by Claude McKay and “Australia” by Ania Walwicz

Migrant identity is the common problem that we face until now. Many writers are vocal in racism and discrimination in all over the world, especially migrant. Some example of the migrant voice in racism and discrimination being migrant are: Claude McKay in “America” and Ania Walwicz in her poetry “Australia”. Here I will compare both of the poetry focus on the migrants point of view to the new country they live, Claude McKay to America and Ania Walwicz to Australia. I have three major points in this paper. First, I would like to show the information about the writers at glance. Second, show the point of view of each writer through their poems by explains the supporting line. Finally, I will deal with the conclusion in comparing two poems.  

1.                  The writer of each poem

a.                  Claude McKay

Claude McKay was born in Jamaica, West Indies, in 1889. He was educated by his older brother, who possessed a library of English novels, poetry, and scientific texts. Claude Mc Kay stands as one of the most significant writers of the Harlem Renaissance movement. After becoming a writer in his native Jamaica, In 1912, Mc Kay immigrated to the U.S. where he enrolled in the Tuskegee Institute and Kansas State University where he studied agriculture. He did not finish his studies of agronomy he moved to New York where he learned about the plight of the American Negro. He then migrated to Britain and become a journalist. In Britain he was free to express his views on racism.

A believer in communist ideals, Mc Kay’s works are reflective of the injustices and inequality of the black people in the United States. In his poem America we can appreciate the bitter tone as he talks about the cruelty felt by the black people. In 1917, he published two sonnets, "The Harlem Dancer" and "Invocation," and would later use the same poetic form to record his reactionary views on the injustices of black life in America. In addition to social and political concerns, McKay wrote on a variety of subjects, from his Jamaican homeland to romantic love, with a use of passionate language.

During the twenties, McKay developed an interest in Communism and travelled to Russia and then to France where he met Edna St. Vincent Millay and Lewis Sinclair. In 1934, McKay moved back to the United States and lived in Harlem, New York. Losing faith in Communism, he turned his attention to the teachings of various spiritual and political leaders in Harlem, eventually converting to Catholicism. McKay's viewpoints and poetic achievements in the earlier part of the twentieth century set the tone for the Harlem Renaissance and gained the deep respect of younger black poets of the time, including Langston Hughes. He died in 1948.

b.                  Ania Walwicz 

She was born in 1951 become a contemporary Australian poet and prose writer, and visual artist.  Ania Walwicz spent her childhood in Poland, coming to Australia in 1963 where she attended the Victorian College of the Arts (VCA) in Melbourne. Her writing tends toward an impressionistic, stream of consciousness exploration of inner states. It also exploits appropriative or sampling techniques of production. In publishing anthologies, journals and several books her work has been performed by La Mama Theatre, the Sydney Chamber Choir and set to music by ChamberMade.

2.a             The Migrant’s Point of View to the New Country in “America” by Claude McKay

 McKay’s struggles of racism and prejudice as an African American immigrant helped provide much of the motivation reflected in his well known poem “America.” In my opinion there are two sides of America according to Claude McKay, he praise and carp America through his poem ”America”. First, I will explain how he carp America. Throughout the poem, McKay uses personification when describing many of the problems African American’s faced growing up in the early 20th century. McKay uses metaphors linking America to a mother that is sometimes harsh and sometimes gentle. “Although she feeds me bread of bitterness” and “I stand within her walls with not a shred of terror” are both images of a mother providing nourishment and protection to child. True that’s line we also can appreciate the bitter tone as he talks about the cruelty felt by the black people, indicates that the country not only makes him bitter, but also it threatens his life and wellbeing. He mixed emotions of his mother are evident in the contradicting line, “Stealing my breath of life, I will confess I love this cultured hell that tests my youth.”By personifying the subject of his poem, McKay turns a topic “America”, I seems it as impersonal to one where individuals can directly relate to it.

Then, McKay uses personification when talking about time. Not only is time capitalized to resemble a person but when McKay writes, “Darkly I gaze into the days ahead … beneath the touch of Time’s unerring hand, like priceless treasures sinking in the sand,” it is almost as if Time is the husband or male counterpart to America which represents the mother or female.

In addition to personification, McKay used a number of metaphors and imagery to help readers get a better idea of what America is to him. The metaphor “cultured hell,” as used to describe America at first is somewhat weird to think about but when the words cultured and hell are broken apart it starts to make more sense. In choosing the word “cultured” to describe “hell,” McKay saying that America is a highly advanced hell, one that has been perfected over the years yet still faces many challenges because of the racist elements present in America. It is in this challenge that McKay expresses a love for it. McKay’s intrigue in living somewhere where living is a challenge is reflected when he writes, “her vigor flows like tides into my blood, giving me strength against her hate.” The vigor reflected in the energy of the twenties that McKay was against the racist elements that comprised America’s hate. Paradoxically he exclaims “Yet as a rebel fronts a king in state, Island within her walls with not a shred of terror, malice, not a word of jeer.” In this line McKay can be seen as a patriotic rebel, who resists injustice and cruelty with the hope of making changes for a better America. In essence, the message to African Americans is that with all of its inadequacies. America is home and they should never give up their hope for a more integrated and accepting U.S.

McKay then describes the challenge he faces by comparing himself to a rebel fronting a king in state, the king being American society that has repressed African Americans for centuries. He maintains a sense of optimism by calling upon the priceless treasures out in the distance to generate a sense of hope for the future. Claude McKay captured the essence of America, creating a deep, enjoyable piece of art to speak for him and his views of this country.

Then, the praise to America shows in lines “Although she feeds me bread of bitterness” and “I stand within her walls with not a shred of terror”. This metaphor fails on two accounts,it is impossible  a tiger offering bread of any sort, bitter or otherwise, to a potential victim. The reader understands that once the tiger has ripped the victim’s throat, the victim would be dead and incapable of uttering anything further, another example the ridiculous line “I love this cultured hell that tests my youth”. On the one hand, it seems a wonderful endorsement that the speaker loves this country and seems strengthened that it tests his youth. In line: “Her vigor flows like tides into my blood”, the speaker seems to offer reasons for positive feelings toward “America”: she is vigorous and big. And even though her vigor seems to invigorate him, it actually just motivates him to stand up “against her hate.” he was very hard to survive in the new country in his young age, but he get worth lesson because of the hell culture. He glad to America.

Racism is a cancer that gnaws at the very fiber of the American way. Hateful, xenophobic ideas are not healthy for blacks, whites or any other race. In his poem McKay set the inspiration for a bitter, more tolerant society, if this is not attained, the American way could just fare away.

2.b        The Migrant’s Point of View to the New Country in “Australia” by Ania Walwicz

All of the lines in this poem reflect the hate emotion of Ania Walwicz to Australia. She feel that Australia not welcome to her visit, express in lines: “You laugh at me. When I came this woman gave me a box of biscuits. You try to be friendly but you´re not very friendly. You never ask me to your house. You insult me. You don´t know how to be with me. You never accept me. For your own. You always ask me where I´m from. You always ask me. You tell me I look strange. Different. You don´t adopt me. You laugh at the way I speak.”

 She also slanders Australia as nothing, not much better comparing to another country. “You big ugly. You too empty. You desert with your nothing nothing nothing. You big. So what. I´m small. It´s what´s in. You silent on Sunday. Nobody on your streets. You dead at night. You go to sleep too early. You don´t have any Interest in another country. Idiot centre of your own self. You think the rest of the world walks around without shoes or electric light. You big man. Poor with all your money. You ugly furniture. You ugly house.” It seems that Australia still droop behind compare to another country.

And she show us that Australia just copy Britain in line: “With your big sea. Beach beach beach. I´ve seen enough already. You Dumb dirty city with bar stools. You´re ugly. You silly shoppingtown. You copy. You too far everywhere. You laugh at me. You engaged Doreen”. Doreen that I catch here means beautiful Britain. But although Australia copy Britain, still nothing than Ania Walwicz supporting in line: “I came from crowded and many. I came from rich. You have nothing to offer.” All of lines express that Australia are unfriendly, no much better than another country and just copy Britain.

 3.                   Comparison Each Points of View to The New Country

 In America I found that although McKay hate to live in America, expecially the hell culture but he still get a positive point. How the hell culture teach him to survive in his young age. Through the personification of mother in his poem I fell that McKay gives honour to America as well as his mother, although America is cruel but actually what its act because of America want to teach in better live. But the point of view by Ania, I saw negative side only. That Australia not welcome and look down to the immigrant, not much better in developing country. If I conclude the racism and discrimination in each country teach the migrant to a better live, it is increase the power to have a better live and shows that they equal or make a motivation to blow up their ability. They struggle to show that migrant have more ability and not small as people think about.

Writer: Cilik Tripamungkas

 References:

 Hornby, A.S. 1995. Oxford Advanced Learners Dictionary. Britain. Oxford University Press 

http://wikipedia.com.william_claude_mckay.htm/ at 21.05. May 4^th 2009

http://wikipedia.com.william_ania_walwicz.htm/ at 21.03. May 4^th 2009

http//modern_america_poetry.htm/ at 21.03. May 4^th 2009

http://new_poet_press.htm/ at 20.30. May 4^th 2009