There does not seem to be any one site that fully tells the story of McKay. The best I can work together for you is a few pages that tell different parts you can piece together. Try your own searches, but be careful; I found one page that claims McKay left the US around 1920s "never to return", which is not true.
To the right is a good link on McKay himself, though this link from Poetry Foundation is also informational. Make sure to look up the Harlem Renaissance (also in link to the right, though feel free to skim a few pages of your own searches).
For further reference, there are also links which explain the various sonnet forms. You will need to have a strong understanding of how to tell the difference between sonnet forms, as each style carries its own meanings and associations. Remember: "The first eight lines, called the octave, presents an argument or question after which there is a turning point or volta. The question or argument is then answered by the sestet, the last six lines."
Finally, here is a student analysis that I thought was pretty insightful and may yield some strong observations.
Let me know if you have any questions!
- T. Marcus
P.S. - Mr. Sir is a genius. If you do not look at his analysis, you are a pudding head.
P.P.S. - That said, I do not fully agree with him all the time. For example, the poem is only a Shakespearean sonnet by way of the rhyming pattern, and even that has been altered.
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