Claude McKay's "Lynching":
* Direct and visceral: McKay's poem is a direct and powerful indictment of the act of lynching. The speaker addresses the "silent" onlookers, questioning their complicity in the gruesome act.
* The "silent" observer: The poem focuses on the "silent" observers, who are portrayed as passive and complicit in the violence. They are "blind" to the suffering of the victim and remain unmoved by the spectacle of horror unfolding before their eyes.
* The "silent" community: McKay's poem suggests that the entire community is complicit in the violence, even those who remain "silent" and do nothing to intervene. This silence amplifies the horror of the event, suggesting that the lynching is accepted as a part of their reality.
* The "horror" of the event: McKay uses vivid imagery and a strong, direct voice to paint a horrifying picture of the lynching. The poem's language is raw and blunt, leaving no room for ambiguity about the brutality of the act.
Dennis Scott's "Epitaph":
* Focus on the victim's perspective: Scott's poem takes a different approach, focusing on the victim's perspective and the lasting impact of the lynching. The speaker is the dead man, reflecting on his own demise and the "grave" silence of the onlookers.
* "Grave silence" and denial: The "grave silence" of the onlookers suggests a profound denial of the act's significance. Their silence is not simply passive but also a deliberate act of ignoring the horror and its implications.
* The lasting impact: Scott's poem explores the enduring nature of the trauma caused by lynching. Even after the victim is dead, the silence of the onlookers is a reminder of the community's complicity and the enduring impact of the event.
* The "horror" of the event: While not as graphic as McKay's poem, Scott's work evokes a sense of horror through its subtle yet powerful exploration of the victim's perspective and the chilling silence of the onlookers.
Similarities and Differences:
Both poems capture the horror of lynching by focusing on the reactions of the onlookers. They demonstrate how silence and passive observation contribute to the perpetuation of violence. While McKay's poem directly addresses the onlookers and their complicity, Scott's poem offers a more nuanced perspective by focusing on the victim's perspective and the lasting impact of the event.
In both poems, the horror of the event is not just the physical act of violence, but also the community's collective response, or lack thereof, which serves to normalize and perpetuate this form of racial terror.