care that went

into preparing the

childfor church.
She did not
send her childout
into the world
with an
uncaringtouch.3.
IRONY
(situational)The
overwhelming
irony that exists
in this poem is the
fact that the
mother was so
adamant about N
OT sending her
child to the
freedom march,
because she
considered it to be
so dangerous.
Yetit is while in
church, the place
that she thought
was sacred
and safe, that the
child got
killed.IMPORTA
NT WORDS /
PHRASES4. wet
and wild:This
tells the readers
that the mother
was crying
when she heard
the explosion,
while the
termwild points to
the panic that
overtakes the
mother. Her love
for her child is
emphasized in
thesetwo words.5.
raced:The mother
ran very quickly
down the streets
of Birmingham.
This emphasizes
her panic,
and inturn, the
great love that she
felt for her
child.6.
clawed:This word
is striking in its
intensity. It means
that she did
not simply
remove the
rubble, but didso
with a desperation
that highlights the
love that she has
for her
child.THEMEDea
th is the
overwhelming
theme in this
poem. A mother's
over
protectiveness
does
not, andseemingly
cannot, prevent
this tragic event
from occurring.
The
Lynching -
Literature
Notes
His spirit in
smoke ascended
to high
heaven.1.His
father, by the
cruellest way
of pain,Had
bidden him to his
bosom once
again;The 3.awful
sin remained still
unforgiven.1.All
night a bright and
solitary
star (Perchance
the one that ever
guided him,Yet
gave him up at
last to Fate's wild
whim)Hung
pitifully o'er the
swinging
4.char.Day
dawned, and soon
the 5.mixed
crowdscame to
viewThe 6.ghastly
body swaying in
the sun:The
women thronged
to look, but never
a one2.Showed
sorrow in her eyes
of 7.steely
blue;And little
lads, lynchers that
were to
be,Danced round
the dreadful
thing in
8.fiendishglee.
Claude McKay,
A World of Poetry
(2005)
This is the
OPINION of one
individual,which
might not
coincide with the
views of others.
LITERAL
MEANINGThe
poem is about a
black male who
has beenlynched.
The morning
brings with it
spectatorsthat
have come to see
the body. These
arewomen and
children who
show no remorse
for the scene
before
them.LITERARY
DEVICES1.
ALLUSION

This alludes to the

death of
theindividual,
presumably a
Black person,who
is now in heaven.
This seen in
thereference to
being bidden, or
called, tohis
father's 'bosom'.

This star alludes

to the one that
guidedthe three
wise men to baby
Jesus. Inthis
context, it
highlights that
this star has,
possibly, provided
illumination inthe
night for the
victim of the
lynching, but also
served to lead
others to him
aswell.2.
ALLITERATION
/ METAPHOR

The alliteration
serves the purpose
of drawing the
readers' eye to
this particular
passagein the
poem. This line
also doubles as a
metaphor. In this
case, the
metaphor tells
thereader that the
woman is white,
because blue eyes
are a feature of
the Caucasian
race. Italso
highlights the
level of racism in
the society. This
is the case
because if
women, whoare
suppose to be
nurturing
and caring, show
steel (unfeeling,
clinical) in their
eyes, thenit is an
echo of the
views of the
society.IMPORTA
NT WORDS /
PHRASES3.
awful sin:This
'awful sin' refers
to the state of
being Black. This
term serves to
highlight that
racism wasthe
basis on which
this individual
was lynched. The
use of the
word awful also
lends a
sarcasticedge to
the tone of
the persona
because it implies
that colour is
something
that can be
controlled,when
that is not the
case. people do
awful acts, people
cannot be awful
based on race.
4. char This word
implies that the
body was
blackened on the
outside. This
highlights the
horrific painthat
the person must
have endured
during the process
of being
lynched.5. mixed
crowdsThis tells
the reader that
different races
were present to
view the body
after the
event.6.ghastlyTh
is word implies
extreme disgust.
The body is in a
deplorable state
that is not
pleasing to
theeye. A few
synonyms for this
word are: horror,
fear, frightful,
macabre. This
emphasizes, or
isthe
manifestation, of
the level of hate
that it takes to
lynch some-one.7.
steelyThe root
word in this
context is steel.
Characteristics of
steel are hard and
impersonal.
Therefore,the
eyes of the
women,
supposedly
representative of
soft and nurturing
qualities, are,
instead,impersona
l and cold.8.
fiendishThis
literally means to
be devilish, or
intentionally
cruel. The fact
that children can
dance aroundin
this type of glee
implies that
innocence is lost.
They, like the
women,
are steeped in the
racistvalues of the
society in
which they
live.THEME
Racism
 The poem
confronts a time
in history when
Black people
were not viewed
as human. On
this premise, they
could be lynched
without it causing
a ripple in the
moral fiber of
their society.
Thefact that
women and
children could
view the charred
remains with little
or no feeling
speaksvolumes
about the extent
to which racist
values were
entrenched in the
society.