Hey guys, its Alex Fortis, Daniel Kim’s cohort. Further expanding on Daniel Kim’s post, the recurrence of the flower as the title of a few of the poems written by Claude McKay seems to possess various meanings, all of which seem to follow themes of love and beauty.
In “The Easter Flower,” we find the Easter lily serving as a symbol of the Easter Holiday. The narrator tells us that he or she does not believe in religion, yet still finds beauty in the scent of the flower.
“And I, a pagan, worshiped at its shrine,
Yielding my heart unto its perfumed power.”
Why does the author choose to use the scent of the flower as its charm, rather than color?
In “A Red Flower
,” the narrator compares a pair of red lips to a red southern lily using a metaphor. He brings up bees multiple times within the poem, telling us what he would do if he were a bee and her lips were red lilies.
“O were I hovering, a bee, to probe…
Amorous of sweets, for but one perfect hour!”
By using the metaphor of the bee, does the narrator imply that he or she wishes to kiss these lips for one, sweet hour?
In “Flower of Love,” we find in the first line that the author uses the word perfume again, touching on the recurring theme of scent linked with beauty. Also, similarly to “The Easter Flower,” we find the narrator worshipping the beauty of the flower as if it is a religion. Why does the author compare the beauty of a flower to religion?
In “Jasmines,” the word scent is used again in the first line. The poem takes a darker turn as a figure within leaves indefinitely. But even after this figure has left, its scent has not left the room. 
Why do you think the author, with the exception of “A Red Flower,” uses scent as the most important sense in these poems, regardless of what the flower is serving to represent?
English 4W: Transnational America 