Thirst
by Claude McKay
Jennifer Radcliff
Bio/Poetic Influences
• Born on September 15, 1890 in Jamaica
• Became first voice of the Harlem Renaissance
• Studied at Tuskegee Institute and Kansas State
Teachers College
• Died on May 22, 1948
• Wrote the poem, Home to Harlem, which was most
popular novel written by an American black to that
time.
• Poetic Influences were George Bernard Shaw,
Thirst
My spirit wails for water, water now!
My tongue is aching dry, my throat is hot
For water, fresh rain shaken from a bough,
Or dawn dews heavy in some leafy spot.
My hungry body's burning for a swim
In sunlit water where the air is cool,
As in Trout Valley where upon a limb
The golden finch sings sweetly to the pool.
Oh water, water, when the night is done,
When day steals gray-white through the windowpane,
Clear silver water when I wake, alone,
All impotent of parts, of fevered brain;
Pure water from a forest fountain first,
To wash me, cleanse me, and to quench my thirst!
The poem is talking about the thirst for water
the author has. Water is important for many
things, not just drinking. For cleansing and
washing as well. The authors body wants
water in every way.
Poetic Devices
• “My spirit wails for water” (Personification)
• “My hungry body's burning for a swim” (Hyperbole)
• “When day steals gray-white through the windowpane”
(Personification)
• “My tongue is aching dry” (Imagery)
• “Clear silver water when I wake” (Hyperbole)
Works Cited
http://www.poemhunter.com/poem/thirst/
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Claude_McKay