Jean Toomer: Poems

Jean Toomer: Poems Analysis

"Reapers"

The color black is the guiding light for the reader’s analysis of “Reapers”. The blackness of the horses highlights the subject of slavery in the poem “Reapers” even though the theme is not overtly revealed. The poet bids the reader to draw deductions on the poem using the color black which is also used in portraying the reapers. In other words, black reapers and black horses create the imagery and ambiance of slavery.

“Prayer”

In “Prayer”, the speaker matches his/her soul to ‘a little finger’. However, the speaker has ambivalent assessments about the little finger. In the ninth line, “How strong a thing is the little finger!, the speaker avows the forte of the little finger. However, in the twelfth nine, “How frail is the little finger”, the speaker declares the infirmity of the finger. So, the speaker is diverged about the eminence of the little finger. The incompatible views reveal the divine existence of the soul which make it challenging for the speaker to figure it out.

“Storm Ending”

“Storm Ending” builds an imagery of a stunning and placid milieu after the winding up of a storm. Although the poem is terse, it integrates influential features of nature, such as thunder, flowers, winds, clappers, sun , rain and earth, in its lines. The fusion of these aspects initiates an unabridged image of a scenery at the culmination of the storm. Therefore, “Storm Ending” is an allegory to the finale of a grim phase in one’s life. Once a difficult phase finishes, one’s life bustles.

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