The+Tropics+in+New+York

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“The Tropics of New York” is a short poem written by Claude McKay in which he reflects upon his former life in Jamaica ( "The Tropics of New York."). He describes the natural world in Jamaica such us the trees, animals, and overall landscape that brought him happiness and a sense of inner peace. Then, the flashback seems to disappear and McKay is left pondering his current life in New York ( "The Tropics of New York."). This poem is strongly affected by the events in McKay’s life. It also is a good example of a work that contains many aspects of the modernistic style of writing.

Modernism, by definition in literature, is a style marked by a strong change or break with tradition. These traditions include religion, politics, social views, etc ("Modernism in Literature: What Is Modernism?"). “The Tropics of New York” meet this definition of Modernism because the poem clearly expresses a strong break with tradition. This break does not necessarily deal with the writing style itself, but rather the situation of McKay. In 1912, he moved from Jamaica to New York ("Claude McKay's Life."). In the poem, he describes his past-life in Jamaica by saying “Bananas ripe and green, the ginger-root, Cocoa in pods and alligator pears, And tangerines and mangoes and grape fruit, Fit for the highest prize at parish fairs”("The Tropics of New York."). A move from a life of great simplicity to New York just before the 1920s (The Roaring Twenties) would be an extremely difficult and require a great amount of adaptation..

The change in lifestyle is the main reason for writing the poem. After describing Jamaica, McKay goes on to say “My eyes grow dim, and I could no more gaze; A wave of longing through my body swept. And, hungry for the old, familiar ways, I turned aside and bowed my head and wept.” ( "The Tropics of New York."). He misses his old life in Jamaica and longs to return, however something beyond the reader's knowledge is prohibiting this move back. The tropics of Jamaica were what he once called home. Now, the tropics of New York are his new home. However, unlike Jamaica, these tropics are not filled with trees and animals. These tropics are filled with big buildings, cars, and tons of people. The sadness that filled him when he thought about his homeland helped him place emotion within his work.

The use of emotion seems to be a common trait in many of McKay’s works. It appears as though he writes only of things that are of great importance to him in order to provide a sense of passion in his poems. In “A Prayer”, another poem by McKay, emotion is evident; it can be found on any line. One line that particularly sticks out is “Mine eyes are open but they cannot see for gloom of night: I can no more than lift my heart to thee for inward light” ("A Prayer by Claude McKay."). McKay is not the only author that expresses great emotion however, another one from the same era is Langston Hughes. In Hughes’ poem “The Ballad of the Landlord”, he deeply expresses his feelings about the terrible conditions his landlord makes him deal with ("The Ballad Of The Landlord by Langston Hughes at Old Poetry.").

Overall, "The Tropics of New York" is clearly a work of Modernism. Not only does it contain a break with tradition, but it is also a creation of his true feelings towards his situation. The poem thrives off of McKay's desire for his homeland. For being a short poem, it is packed with emotion and meaning.

"A Prayer by Claude McKay." //PoemHunter.Com - Thousands of Poems and Poets.. Poetry Search Engine // . Web. 28 Apr. 2010. .

"Claude McKay's Life." //Welcome to English « Department of English, College of LAS, University of Illinois // <span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: 12.8px; line-height: 32px;">. Web. 28 Apr. 2010. <http://www.english.illinois.edu/maps/poets/m_r/mckay/life.htm>.

"Modernism in Literature: What Is Modernism?" <span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman',Times,serif; font-size: 16px; line-height: 32px;">//<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: 80%;">Find Health, Education, Science & Technology Articles, Reviews, How-To and Tech Tips At Bright Hub - Apply To Be A Writer Today! // <span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: 12.8px; line-height: 32px;"> Web. 27 Apr. 2010. <http://www.brighthub.com/education/k-12/articles/29453.aspx>.

"The Ballad Of The Landlord by Langston Hughes at Old Poetry." <span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman',Times,serif; font-size: 16px; line-height: 32px;">//<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: 80%;">Oldpoetry - Classical Poetry Discussion // <span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: 12.8px; line-height: 32px;">. Web. 03 May 2010. <http://oldpoetry.com/opoem/49026-Langston-Hughes-The-Ballad-Of-The-Landlord>.

"The Tropics of New York." <span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman',Times,serif; font-size: 16px; line-height: 32px;">//<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: 80%;">Poets.org - Poetry, Poems, Bios & More // <span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: 12.8px; line-height: 32px;">. Web. 27 Apr. 2010. <http://www.poets.org/viewmedia.php/prmMID/15249>. code <span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif";">

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