The speaker presents America as a racist country that oppresses him because of his race. He alludes to the anti-Black racism without ever naming it explicitly. However, given McKay’s work as a whole, the “I” in the poem is autobiographical. As a Black man living in New York City, McKay knew at first hand the majority white population’s racism. So extreme is the racism that the speaker presents it as life-threatening, in the image of a tiger sinking its teeth into her victim’s throat, “Stealing my breath of life” (Line 3). The verb “stealing” shows how wrong it is; white America has no right to inflict this on its minority population, and yet it is pervasive and inevitably results in bitterness. The metaphorical “bread of bitterness” (Line 1) becomes a daily diet for those who have been wronged. It fills them up, like bread. For the speaker, then, living in America is like living in a hell.

Given the oppressive images in the first three lines, the word “love” in Line 4 comes as a surprise. Despite enduring its extreme racism, the speaker loves America. His feelings are complex; love coexists with bitterness and hatred. McKay was familiar with New York City, and as he explains in Lines 5-7, what he loves about America is its irresistible, irrepressible energy, which fills him and gives him strength.