Lynching- Claude McKay

The Lynching, by  Claude Mckay, is a poem about what it is like to be at a lynching back around the time of the civil war.  It talks about how the black man's sins were still unforgivable, and how his body swayed from the limb of a tree.  Most disturbing is how the women were described as thronging to look, but never did. (Thronging means to rush to the front or to a scene. Like how at a concert you have the people who want to be up close and up front to see.) Also, a part I read that was also disturbing, is when McKay says, how the little lads were lynchers to be.

I guess the main reason, I chose this poem to write about is because of how disturbing and devastating it was. For me, I could never think about watching someone struggle to live. I wouldn't be able to just stand their and watch someone die a gruesome and painful death, and let alone enjoy it. In my history class, that I'm currently taking, we learned that schools were closed, these lynchings were public events that happened during the day, so that as many people as possible were able to attend. That fact alone, showed me at least that they had no regret or remorse for what they were doing, They were able to kill a human being in broad daylight. They sometimes even advertised it. Lynchings were a family event. In a way I picture it was an outdoor drive in theater. They would have a family outing with a picnic.

Claude McKay does a great job at portraying the seen of a lynching. He makes it so his poem just paints a picture in your head. This is one reason why I am a fan of his poetry in particular. He makes it so his poems paint a picture in your mind, which helps plays with your emotions.