Analyzing the Text
1. What is the speaker describing both literally and figuratively in "Song of the Son"? How do the poem's ideas and images express one or more themes on the topic of African American history?
- One of the themes represented in this poem is African Americans trying to make a better society. The speaker is describing the spark of interest in remembering the slaves from the past to give knowledge to readers of how slavery was at that time period.
2. Who is the speaker in "Song of the Son"? In the context of African American culture, what does he represent to the poet?
- The speaker in "Song of the Son" is the son's father, once a slave.
3. In "From the Dark Tower", what does the phrase "golden increment of bursting fruit" suggest?
- It suggests that plants partake a big part of our lives.
4. "From the Dark Tower" is written in the form of Petrarchan sonnet, in which the octave, or first eight lines, present a problem or challenge, and the final six lines, the sestet, resolves or comments on the problem. How does Cullen apply this structure to express his message?
- Cullen does this to give the readers knowledge of the fact that there are always solutions to problems.
5. In "A Black Man Talks of Reaping," what does the speaker mean when he says "My brother's sons are gathering stalk and root"? Who is the brother? What is the "bitter fruit" at the end of the poem?
- "Bitter fruit" represents the African Americans denied of ownership of property.
6. An extended metaphor is a metaphor that is developed over many lines. Identify an example of extended metaphor in each poem.
- "Song of the Son": "O Negro Slaves, dark purple ripened plums, squeezed, and bursting in the pine-wood air,"
- "From the Dark Tower": "The night whose sable breast relieves the stark, White stars is no less lovely being dark, And there are buds that cannot bloom at all In light"
- "A Black Man talks of Reaping": "I scattered seed enough to plant the land In rows from Canada to Mexico,"
7. How does Toomer's use of repetition of both lines and important ideas contribute to the aesthetic impact of "Song of the Son"?
- Toomer made the poem as if it was a song.
8. How do Toomer and Cullen use the metaphor of night and darkness to support the themes and ideas they want to express?
- In the "Song of the Son," "dark" is used to express that the slaves were of color, while in the "From the Dark Tower," "night" is used as a time where slaves were able to hide.
9. How would you describe the tone of each poem?
- "Song of the Son": Passion
- "From the Dark Tower": Anger
- "A Black Man Talks of Reaping": Anger
10. In what ways might these poems represent different aspects or strains of the Harlem Renaissance? Consider formal, topical, and thematic elements in all three poems.
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- One of the themes represented in this poem is African Americans trying to make a better society. The speaker is describing the spark of interest in remembering the slaves from the past to give knowledge to readers of how slavery was at that time period.
2. Who is the speaker in "Song of the Son"? In the context of African American culture, what does he represent to the poet?
- The speaker in "Song of the Son" is the son's father, once a slave.
3. In "From the Dark Tower", what does the phrase "golden increment of bursting fruit" suggest?
- It suggests that plants partake a big part of our lives.
4. "From the Dark Tower" is written in the form of Petrarchan sonnet, in which the octave, or first eight lines, present a problem or challenge, and the final six lines, the sestet, resolves or comments on the problem. How does Cullen apply this structure to express his message?
- Cullen does this to give the readers knowledge of the fact that there are always solutions to problems.
5. In "A Black Man Talks of Reaping," what does the speaker mean when he says "My brother's sons are gathering stalk and root"? Who is the brother? What is the "bitter fruit" at the end of the poem?
- "Bitter fruit" represents the African Americans denied of ownership of property.
6. An extended metaphor is a metaphor that is developed over many lines. Identify an example of extended metaphor in each poem.
- "Song of the Son": "O Negro Slaves, dark purple ripened plums, squeezed, and bursting in the pine-wood air,"
- "From the Dark Tower": "The night whose sable breast relieves the stark, White stars is no less lovely being dark, And there are buds that cannot bloom at all In light"
- "A Black Man talks of Reaping": "I scattered seed enough to plant the land In rows from Canada to Mexico,"
7. How does Toomer's use of repetition
- Toomer made the poem as if it was a song.
8. How do Toomer and Cullen use the metaphor of night and darkness to support the themes and ideas they want to express?
- In the "Song of the Son," "dark" is used to express that the slaves were of color, while in the "From the Dark Tower," "night" is used as a time where slaves were able to hide.
9. How would you describe the tone of each poem?
- "Song of the Son": Passion
- "From the Dark Tower": Anger
- "A Black Man Talks of Reaping": Anger
10. In what ways might these poems represent different aspects or strains of the Harlem Renaissance? Consider formal, topical, and thematic elements in all three poems.
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