Lessons 2 and 3: "If We Must Die" by Claude McKay
Lesson 2
Students will read McKay's sonnet aloud. They will listen to the first reading. They will listen to the second reading and write down what they hear.
"If We Must Die" by Claude McKay
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 accursed 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 blow 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!
I will identify the poem as a sonnet and ask class if anyone knows what a sonnet is. I will define a sonnet, a 14 line poem, with a specific rhyming pattern. Class volunteers will identify the rhyming pattern of the poem and whole class will write it down. I will share some of the characteristics with class. Students will listen to a third reading by the teacher and this time will focus on the emotion they hear in the poem. The class and I will identify the different types of emotions in the sonnet and the words McKay uses to convey these emotions. Students will support their responses by reference to the text. For example, if they identify the emotion of anger, they can refer to the first three lines of the poem: "Let it not be like hogs," "penned in an inglorious spot" and "While around us bark the mad and hungry dogs." If they identify the emotion as inspirational, they will direct the class' attention to the relevant section of the poem.
Students will research the context in which the poem was written, the 1919 race riots. These riots took place in Chicago, Illinois, from July 27 through August 2, 1919.The riots were precipitated by White gangs attacking Blacks neighborhoods. The drive by shooting emerged as a new phenomenon and by the end of the violence, 38 people were dead, 537 injured, and 1000 made homeless. When Blacks tried to defend themselves by fighting back, they were mercilessly attacked by the police, who ignored the violent behavior of the White gangs.
Armed with this information, teacher and class will analyze the poem. Students will write a response journal on the techniques McKay uses to connect with his reader.
Lesson 3
I will ask class to define optimism and pessimism. Once students are clear about the differences in meaning, I will ask them if they think either term applies to the sonnet they read the previous day. The class and I will discuss the relevance of McKay's poem in the year 2009: Do we still need to fight? How do we fight?
I will introduce the title, "If We Must Live." The whole class will discuss how this can possibly be achievedby changing the diction, using happier words, changing the beat, using softer sounds and more appealing imagery, slowing down the pace by using longer words. I will distribute my version of stanza one of "If We Must Live" for the class to study and use as a model..
"If We Must Live"
If we must live, then let it be like babes
Celebrated and dined in each and every way
While round us surge the paparazzi knaves
Doing their best to desecrate our day
Working in dyads or triads, students will write their versions of "If We Must Live." They will share their poems with the class, discussing the reasons for the choices they made. They and class will pay particular attention to what they hear in each poem as they listen to it being read by the authors. In addition, they will identify the words that triggered a particular emotion in them. They will provide feedback in a non-threatening manner. Students will publish their poems in Poets' Corner, the publication section of the poetry unit.
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