Poem- "The Tropics in New York" by Claude McKay

[Ms. Knarr]

The Tropics in New York By Claude McKay



Bananas ripe and green, and ginger-root,

Cocoa in pods and alligator pears,

And tangerines and mangoes and grape fruit,

Fit for the highest prize at parish fairs,



Set in the window, bringing memories

Of fruit-trees laden by low-singing rills,

And dewy dawns, and mystical blue skies

In benediction over nun-like hills.



My eyes grew 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.





Hear Ziggy Marley read the poem here: www.poetryfoundation.org/features/video/289

[colleenpoling]

1. In my opinion, the overall all meaning of "The Tropics in New York" by Claude McKay was someone who was new to living in New York, was trying to find some of her past memories of where he or she came from. The tropic place where the rich, luscious fruits and species live are for some reason appearing everywhere this person looks. They are trying to find some sort of a connection to the urban New York. It seems as if this New York area is a burden on their usual life style and is making he or she re think their reason of leaving. This person is trying to grasp their old, familiar ways of life stated in the second to last line of the poem.

2.This poem brought out so many personal feelings in which the author was feeling. It was made very clear this person was trying to find who he or she used to be and what had happened. Such a simple thing as moving to a different location changed their whole outlook on life. Towards the end of the poem, such deep dreary emotions came through and the author just let down. He or she was giving up finding their inner self seemed to be hurting inside. Overall, I enjoyed this poem because it was very personal and almost everyone could relate to this feeling of emptiness and trying to find their meaning when life seems too difficult.

3.Questions:
1. Why did the author focus on so much description in the beginning and then wait till the end to show the whole problem coming through?
2. Did all of the food descriptions at the beginning have a bigger meaning then anything else?
3. In the last stanza, what was he or she gazing at, and eventually giving up on?
4. Where did this person come from where everything seemed to be so "magical" and bright?

[marysiagarcia]

1. I agree with Colleen that this poem is about someone who has moved to New York and misses home. When they see things that remind them of home, it brings up home sickness and tears. They want the old ways but know that it can never happen again for whatever reason.
2. This poem is about a change in someones life and lerning how to cope with it. It shows that even something small can just mkae you want to break down and its normal to feel that way. I think anyway can relate to this poem through a time in their life where they missed what used to be. I know i can relate to it.
3. Answering question three, i think that the author was gazing at all the things that reminded them of home and they just gave up on being strong and not showing emotion and broke down crying.
(my question) Why do you think the author chose New York as the new place?

[colleenpoling]

1. In response to Marysia's post I am glad we agreed on the main point of this poem. Marysia can relate to this poem, and I'm sure others can just like i stated in my original post. Seeing two people pick up the same general ideas and concepts of this poem; I am curious to see what other readers pick up.

2. (In response to Marysia's question) I think the author chose New York because its know for NYC which is such a hustling and up beat city that seems to be the heart of the state. It could be anywhere in New York, but New York City seems to be the furthest away from the tropics where he or she came from.
My Question:
1. Do you think the author had to personally experience this? Or do you think this was just based off of someone else or made up?

[jessicanoel]

1. I agree with both Marysia and Colleen here. You can especially tell the narrator is experiencing nostalgia by the way he says, "set in the window, bring memories" in line 5. I think the narrator is having time adjusting to the fast-paced, urban New York life style. To move from a tranquil type of area with beautiful scenery and succulent fruits to an upbeat urban area is a drastic change. This person is trying to savor whatever memories they have left, making it harder for them to adjust.

2. Due to personal experience, it was easy to relate to this poem. In fact, I recently have changed schools. I understand what it is like to be unfamiliar with certain customs. I like the way the author was honest and showed that the narrator tried, but could not give up their old life. I personally am still not used to some things at my new school! I understand that it is hard to be open to changes, because everything is easy when you're accustomed to it.

Answer to question one: I believe the saying "you don't know what you got till it's gone" really applies here. Now that the narrator was far from his tropical home he admired every detail about it.

Q1: Because the narrator was so homesick, do you think he/she was forced to leave their land?

[dylanzaliwski]

1. I believe the poem is about person who is homesick. The narrator talks about the beautiful landscapes and naturally growing fruits in the wild. In the final stanza, the narrator shows that he is homesick and misses his true home. The poem sounds as if the narrator was taken from his beautiful home and forced to live in an unfamiliar place.

2. I did like the poem for many reasons. I likes how descriptive the author was in describing the landscapes and emotions that were felt in the poem. The descriptions painted a good picture of what was going on around and in the mind of the narrator.

3. (Answering Question 2) The descriptions of the food gave the last stanza much more meaning. The descriptions show how the narrator missed the smallest details of his home and show how homesick he truly is.

(My Question) Could the author be homesick because he decided to leave his home rather than being forced to leave?

[darbycasey]

1. I agree with Colleen, Marysia, Jessica and Dylan. I think this poem by Claude McKay is about his feelings of missing home. He feels out of place and longs to be home where he is familiar with everything. He seems to be alone and being alone in a big city such as New York can be very overwhelming. Everything he is seeing, such as the various fruits, seem to bring back memories of a familiar place to him, which we can tell he misses because he ends up crying.

2. This poem makes me sympathize for the author. I know being in a new place on your own can seem scary and overwhelming, especially if you are far from home. I also like how he was very descriptive in showing us what reminded him of home. By the things he mentions we can get an idea that he is from somewhere warm in the South. I can imagine how different the lifestyle would be in moving from the South to a big city like New York and how difficult it may be to make the change.

3. In response to Dylan's question: I do think it is possible he could have decided to leave home, but i think it is more likely that he was forced to leave, given the time period. I would imagine tyat he was running away from slavery to freedom in the North.
My Question: Do you think the person in this poem is alone in this new place?

[nickchiarello]

1.The overall meaning of this poem is that there is no place like home. He used to live in a tropical environment before he moved to the city. However, he is faced with homesickness and is relentlessly reminded of his tropic home. He visualizes things in New York that remind him of the tropical fruit and atmosphere that he once lived and ate in. From the last stanza, it is easily seen that he is upset with his "new home" and wishes he was back in the tropics.

2. My overall opinion on this poem by Claude McKay is that like his poem and i agree with him. Many times i have been on vacation for too long and i miss my home and my friends. Sometimes, it is nice to just be home and relax. I agree with Darby that it must be very hard to change environments like that, especially when we are constantly reminded of our old home. However, we have to be susceptible to change and adapt to new environments.

3. Darby's question - I think that he is very lonely. In the last stanza, he wants his old home back and he just wept. He definitely could've used a friend to help him get through his immense change of environment. He left all that he had behind (possibly even family), and basically started a new life in the city.
Question-Do you think that he will get use to his new environment that he hates or do you think he will move back to his old home?