The Harlem Dancer is a poem by Claude McKay. It tells the story of a young woman who loves to dance and is trying to make a living doing it. The poem describes her movements and how she interacts with the people around her. The speaker in the poem is enamored with the dancer and her ability to make everyone around her happy.
The line in Claude McKay’s poem The Harlem Dancer that caught my attention was “The light gauze hanging loose about her form.” To me, this metaphor suggests that the female dancer has been hurt before, but she is still beautiful inside and out.
I think McKay feels admiration and sympathy for her plight. These are just some of the ways this connects to the rest of poem: First, as he continues describing her voice, he uses the lines “ sound of blended flutes blown by black players upon a picnic day” (McKay line 3).
The flutes represent the purity of her voice, which is an extension of her heart. The color black suggests that she is from a lower-class background. The word “picnic” could be interpreted as a day when people relax and enjoy themselves, despite their hardships. This image gives the reader a sense of hope in regards to the dancer’s future. Second, McKay compares the dancer’s movements to “the gold bird with flashing wings / That suddenly lit on some lone tree” (McKay lines 6-7).
The gold bird represents the dancer’s talent and potential. The fact that it lit on a lone tree suggests that the dancer is unique and special. The image of the bird also creates a sense of movement and energy, which is fitting for a dancer. The poem concludes with the image of the dancer “twirling in ecstasy / Before the shrine of her own youth” (McKay lines 10-11).
The word “ecstasy” suggests that the dancer is happy and free. The phrase “before the shrine of her own youth” suggests that the dancer has overcome her past hardships and is now living in the present moment. Overall, The Harlem Dancer is a poem about hope, determination, and strength.
Flutes are popular instruments played at formal occasions, and they do not belong in dirty nightclubs where young prostitutes watch half-clothed people dancing. The prostitutes don’t listen to the singing or focus on the dancer’s skills; Instead, they stare at the naked bodies.offensively Blended flute sounds representing a symbol of freshness and energy can be heard playing on picnic days everywhere.
The poem The Harlem Dancer by Claude McKay speaks to the sexualization of black women’s bodies in America. The poem is about a dancer in a Harlem night club who is being watched by a group of white men. The men are not interested in her dancing or her voice, they are only interested in her body.
The poem uses the flute as a symbol of purity and innocence, which is contrasted with the filthiness of the night club and the sexuality of the dancer’s body. The poem argues that black women’s bodies are objectified and sexualized by white America, and that this objectification leads to the degradation of black women.
The dancer is not conforming to her vulgar surroundings. She is graceful and respectable despite her actions. The black players blowing flutes probably means that the dancing girl is African American.
Consequently, she has likely experienced intense discrimination and unfair judgment in the past, which can be seen as her wounds. Second, McKay notes that her performance is “graceful and calm” (line 5). This unarmed eobody language reveals that she graceful cool is not a part of the chaos around her but instead carries on$o7=;her dance and singing regardless of the environment where people are “wine-flushed [and] bold-eyed” (line 11).
This poem is about a black girl in Harlem who is dancing in the streets. The speaker, Claude McKay, is observing her and he is amazed by her beauty and gracefulness. The girl is surrounded by people who are drunk and disorderly, but she remains calm and graceful. McKay compares her to a flower blooming in the midst of chaos. The poem ends with the image of the girl dancing away into the night.
In contrast to her profession, here her heart is pure. McKay goes on to praise her beauty, saying that she is like a palm tree that has become lovelier after surviving a storm.
The Harlem Dancer is thus a poem about how the dancer, in all her beauty and grace, manages to survive and even thrive in the tough conditions of her life.
Claude McKay was a Jamaican-American writer and poet who was a key figure in the Harlem Renaissance. He is best known for his poems “If We Must Die” and “The Lynching.”
Palm trees are known for being tall and unbranched, which is why they’re often used as a symbol of honor. McKay is saying that the dancer’s past experiences with discrimination and prejudice have actually made her stronger and more resilient, rather than weakening her. So she deserves our admiration and respect. The metaphor of stage light shining through gauze hanging loose around the dancer’s body not only creates an enjoyable image, but it also helps to explain the main point of the text more clearly.
The poem The Harlem Dancer by Claude McKay is a beautiful poem that celebrates the strength and beauty of a black woman. The poem tells the story of a woman who has been discriminated against and prejudged, but who has remained strong and unflappable. The poem uses the metaphor of stage light to light gauze that hanging loose about her form, to describe the beauty of the woman. The poem is a celebration of the strength and beauty of black women.
The Harlem Dancer is a poem written by Claude McKay. The poem is about a young woman who dances in the streets of Harlem. The woman is described as being beautiful and talented. The poem describes her dancing as being like a bird or a butterfly. The poem ends with the woman’s death, which is seen as a tragedy.