“Art is the desire of a man to express himself, to record the reactions
of his personality to the world he lives in.” –Amy Lowell
Every poet is a personality, every artist an individual. Poets express the world around them through the lens of their own perspective, personality, and set of experiences. One can view art as a simple rendering of an idea or moment in time, but what gives these moments meaning is how they are presented and interpreted for us.
In "The Harlem Dancer," Claude McKay presents "applauding youths" and "young prostitutes" in what seems to be an enjoyable scene. But what the reader's attention is drawn to is dependent on the speaker. A thousand similar scenes have been set throughout poetry and literature, but this one is unique because the author is a individual with an individual's reaction to the world around him. His reaction to this part of the world he lives in is one of respect and perhaps understanding. When he says "To me she seemed a proudly-swaying palm / Grown lovelier for passing through a storm," McKay expressing his reaction to her likely hardships and is appreciative of an inner strength he senses in her. In seeing through her "falsely-smiling face," he expresses a part of himself - his wisdom and ability to truly understand people.
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