SESSION 5 — Metaphors of Resistance
Photo by Gayatri Malhotra on Unsplash
Discussion:
The peoples and cultures of the Caribbean region share a history of colonization, resistance and resilience.
How does this poem use metaphors and similes to frame the challenges that the poet is referring to and his response to it?
Remember, a metaphor is a comparison between two things. And a simile is as well, but with the use of the words “like” or “as”. Unlike a simile, a metaphor does not have to be expressly stated. It can be implied or described.
Claude McKay was a Jamaican-American poet whose work became famous during the Harlem Renaissance of the 1920s. His most famous poem, “If We Must Die”, was written in response to mob attacks on African American communities during the Red Summer of 1919.
If We Must Die
If we must die, let it not be like hogs
Hunted and penned in an inglorious spot,
While round us bark the mad and hungry dogs,
Making their mock at our accursèd lot.
If we must die, O let us nobly die,
So that our precious blood may not be shed
In vain; then even the monsters we defy
Shall be constrained to honor us though dead!
O kinsmen! We must meet the common foe!
Though far outnumbered let us show us brave,
And for their thousand blows deal one death-blow!
What though before us lies the open grave?
Like men we’ll face the murderous, cowardly pack,
Pressed to the wall, dying, but fighting back!
OLLY W. WILSON: "If We Must Die"
Writing Prompt
Think about a challenge—whether it’s a fight for justice, a personal trial, or something you’ve had to endure or overcome.
Close your eyes and ask: if this experience were an animal, an object, or a force of nature, what would it be? Or if I were an animal, an object, or a force of nature, what would I be?
Use a metaphor or simile to describe this (e.g., “like a seedling fighting through stone” or “waves swallowing the coast”).
Let that image guide you as you write a poem about the emotions, growth, or resilience tied to this experience.
If you’d like to share your new creation with us, click below. We’d love to read your work!