I finally know what I would like to do for my midterm essay!
It is a rough idea and a work in progress (that required a
lot of help- thank you) but here it is.
The Main Idea
I want to examine McKay’s poetry and maybe some other
poets' work though the very specific lens of Du Bois. I am thinking about exploring the poems using
the idea of being both black and American that Du Bois expresses (page 455 in
our book).
Du Bois seem to make specific arguments about what it means
to be both black and an American. He describes
it as “warring ideals” that threaten to tear apart. He also talks about what this result in for
the African American.
Why McKay with Du Bois
I think McKay will be a good poet to use for this for a few
reasons.
1. I read that he was strongly influenced by Du
Bois (at least early in life).
2. I can see this theme and tension obvious throughout
his poetry.
I want to find other poets that explore this as well and see
where my research and reading takes me.
Because. . .
I think this idea gives enough freedom for the paper to develop, but at the same time it provides enough restriction to make sure the paper grows properly.
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