McKay personifies America as a woman who feeds him "bread and bitterness" and who sinks her "tiger's tooth" into his throat. By using the pronouns she and her to refer to America, McKay turns the concept of a country into a person who can cause the narrator harm even while he loves her. The effect of this personification turns the relationship between the narrator and his country into a more personal relationship, full of the conflicting emotions that come along with loving a person.
I think they viewed the American dream as freedom, mutual respect no matter what race, and freedom to work at a job you choose.
When reading a play it is easier to imagine what's happening on stage if the stage directions there. We can picture how the actors are looking and what they're doing. And if you are acting in the play itself then it gives you information for what your character does next whether its 'exit stage left' or 'enter stage right' for example.
