Poem: The Day-Breakers by Arna Bontemps

The Day-Breakers

We are not come to wage a strife
With swords upon this hill,
It is not wise to waste life 
Against a stubborn will.





Yet would we die as some have done.
Beating a way for the rising sun.

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This poem, "The Day-Breakers", by Arna Bontemps, is a reflection on the bravery and valiance that people in Harlem had for creating a black renaissance in racist America.  The overall tone of the poem is bold and courageous and speaks in the first person perspective of the speaker. It can be assumed that the poet himself is speaking throughout the poem, as Arna Bontemps was a poet of the Harlem Renaissance and witness the embarking of a new frontier for African Americans first-hand. The use of figurative language to express courage along with couplet of rhyme to weave a image of revolution in the Harlem Renaissance.

Arna Bontemps

In the Poem, Bontemps uses figurative language that hold a distinct diction-upheaval and genesis. The poet used words such as "strife" ans "swords upon the hill" to sound like a revolt; to sound like the first charge of a battle. This is symbolic for the pioneers of the Harlem Renaissance who gave themselves, black America, a face and a space to expand their own minds and express and recognize themselves without oppression. The development of a racial renaissance amidst a highly racist society is a captivating feet, and this poem depicts that rebirth.


Bontemps uses Couplet of rhyme in the poem, such as "Strife/Life" and "Hill/Will" to create the characteristics of a mantra or a chant. The rhyme composes to make the piece more rhythmic and spoken. This speaks to the call and response rhythm and the beats of the music at the time. the rhyme in the poem is melodious in comparison to if he had chosen end stopped lines or words that were non rhythmic.


The Renaissance theme most portrayed  in Bontemps' poem is pride. He celebrates the qualities of the Harlem Renaissance that are distinctive and innovative to say the least through literary devices. Bontemps paints a revolution with words, and showcases the pride and valor of the artists and inhabitants of Harlem. Instead of pleading the tragedies a of racist America, Bontemps celebrates the dawn of the new age.



Citations:
http://www.afropoets.net/arnabontemps.html