What is the meaning of the poem Reapers by Jean Toomer?

“Reapers” is a short poem of eight lines in iambic pentameter rhymed couplets, a form sometimes referred to as heroic couplets. It appears as the second piece in Jean Toomer’s Cane, a collection of short stories, sketches, and poems intended to show the beauty and strength of African American life.

What is the rhyme scheme of reapers?

“The Solitary Reaper” is made up of four octaves, primarily written in iambic tetrametre and generally following the rhyme scheme of ababccdd. The narrator is transfixed by the sight and sound of the titular figure, whose arresting voice fills the empty valley.

What is the structure of the poem Reapers?

Jean Toomer’s “Reapers” is an octet that consists of only four rhyming couplets. The rhyme scheme incorporated into the poem is “aabbccdd” and the entire poem is written in Iambic pentameter.

What is the tone of reapers?

While the mood and imagery of the poem are certainly gloomy, I would describe the overall tone of the poem as scathing. Toomer employs the dark imagery and word choice to convey a deep criticism of the subject of the poem.

What is the meaning of reapers by Jean Toomer?

“Reapers” is an extraordinarily well-written poem by Jean Toomer that indicates cultural issues of the 1920s through various literary devices and exceptional symbolism. It is almost inconceivable how much meaning is behind this eight-lined iambic poem.

How is the theme of the poem ” reapers ” developed?

Reapers Homework Help Questions. How is the theme of the poem “Reapers” by Jean Toomer developed (diction, tone and rhythm?) The poem “Reapers”, by Jean Toomer, consists of four heroic couplets. The first two couplets describe reaping by hand and the second two a reaping machine.

How does Toomer’s alliteration work in Reapers song of the son?

Toomer’s alliteration, present in phrases like “sound of steel on stones” and “sharpening scythes,” gives the poem an auditory hiss, adding a layer of texture. “November Cotton Flower” reveals hope in the midst of death.

What did Jean Toomer mean by ” silent swinging “?

Toomer begins the poem by describing African-American reapers sharpening their scythes, putting the “hones,” meaning whetstones, back into their pockets, and then carrying on with their work of reaping fields with their scythes. He describes their work when he says each “start [s] their silent swinging, one by one.”