Timed Writing #7 "De Fiel' Pretty? It Couldn't Less 'An Dat"

In Claude McKay's peom "De Fiel' Pretty? It Couldn't Less 'An Dat," the encorporation of love for work and the beauty of the product creates an innocent and honest way of life. Because of the simple way of writing, and the way McKay writes as if the speaker were actually speaking, it adds to the idea that the speaker is a poor and uneducated farmer, passionate about his work. Through the two stanzas, the reader can infer that McKay criticizes the "you" and idolizes the "we."

The first stanza opens with a question, which speaks directly to the reader, as if they had asked a question to begin the dialogue. "De fiel' pretty?" the speaker asks. The slightly offended and shocked tone at this creates a feeling of honest pride in the work the speaker has done. Yet, by not taking all of the credit for the "fat" land, and by saying "we wuk" and "we dig," the speaker shows with what sincere care his community takes care of the land, in order to produce the "petater." It "mus' look fine" because of their hard work, because they work to "dig de row dem eben in a line, An' keep it clean."

The second stanza makes the reader feel petty, by only "tas'e petater" and merely saying it is "sweet." Obviously "you no know how hard we wuk fe it." Just because the "you" or the reader might be educated, and skilled, with world experience and an occupation which provides money, doesn't mean that they know the first thing about taking care of a "fiel'." The speaker avoids complaining by stating that the "hardships always melt away" whenever it "come roun' to reapin' day." This depicts their joy and happiness, finding that it was worth the hard work in order to produce a "lan'" which is "fat." The enjambent of the last line adds to its importance, creating an even more meaninful line, alluding to the farmers' excitement for "reapin' day."

This poem expresses the enjoyment of hard, and honest work. It may not produce much profit or allow the workers to become rich, but McKay portrays them as happy and thankeful for their "fiel'." By doing this, McKay creates an idolization of the workers with their happy and wholesome attitude of working together in order to produce something out of the eath.