The White House Mckay

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“The White House” by Claude Mckay bears many complex attitudes towards the ideas of prejudice and segregation, and there is a strong vein of racial pride running throughout. The attitudes presented to the reader are those of rage. The “White house” acts as a symbol for a vast place where negroes were barred and condemned as second class citizens by a mostly white accommodating society. The poem is set in sonnet form, this structure as well as the use of diction and rhythm in the poem aid to present to the reader the speakers sheer fury and telling sense of character.

The title of the poem plays a significant role in presenting the speakers attitudes as immediately it broadens the meaning of the entire poem from a specific instance of racism …show more content…
The speaker recognises to avoid being regarded as a “chafing savage”, he must find an intellectual approach to prejudice rather than violence. The word choice denotes imperative, that the speaker “must” suppress his fury to rise above and prove his civility. The speaker then goes on to describe himself as being “sore” and “raw”, suggesting the control of his discontent is inflicting pain on him. This highlights the intensity of his suffering, his anger not a remote feeling but something consuming him. The finishing rhyming couplet is one of the few instances in the poem where the poet has conformed to the sonnets structure. This symbolises the speaker resisting acts of rebellion and trying to “hold” himself to a law that puts him through indescribable inequality .The ‘excluders’ are pushing the speaker towards acts of barbarity, as described “with the potent poison” of their bigotry. This metaphor comparing their discrimination to ‘poison’ demonstrates the pain being caused and suggests that their “potent” attitudes could seep into society and kill the civility of the oppressed.

McKay has integrated the speakers attitudes extremely successfully through the use of structure, rhyme and diction. He creates an image of opulence and comfort, contrasted with one of deprivation and poverty. This image not only helps us to empathise with the speaker’s
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