If We Must Die

The poem’s central theme is resilience against oppression. The speaker aligns himself with the oppressed by using the first-person plural when describing the plight of the persecuted. The speaker essentially says two things about the oppressed: They are precious, and they have power.

The idea that the oppressed are precious is an uplifting message designed to inspire self-worth and love in the oppressed people of the poem. It is easy to internalize oppression, hatred, and insignificance. When the entire world tells a person they are worthless, the most difficult thing that person can do is reject what the world is saying and hold true to themselves.

McKay affirms his people’s significance and worth by giving them power and agency in the poem. The oppressed are noble (Line 5), precious (Line 6), honored (Line 8), and brave (Line 10). The oppressed people oppose the monstrous animals that oppress them. This framing flips the way the narrative by making the oppressed the heroes and the powerful the villains.

After affirming the preciousness of the oppressed, the second thing the speaker says about the oppressed is they have power. This power takes time to develop, and it only comes with self-realization.