Alliteration In Reapers By Jean Toomer

Symbols are intricately intertwined into all types of prose and can have very deep connections to it. Symbols are a method of repeating the theme or reflecting upon it from a different angle or view so that the theme or repeated ideas are more apparent and occurring in readers’ minds. “Reapers” by Jean Toomer is a great example of a poem that uses symbolism and other poetic devices to deliver a message to the audience. This poem was published in 1923 after the First World War when there was a great technological boom and a lot of new technologies were invented. There was not an increase only in the variety of new products, but mass production allowed inventions like microwaves and refrigerators to be made at the large scale and incorporated …show more content…
There is a dramatic shift in the poem between the first four lines and the last four lines, for Toomer shifts form describing the calm and composed actions of the reapers, to the aggressive and ruthless character of the machine. This constant rhyme scheme and iambic pentameter is used to add a beat or constant tempo to the poem. Another poetic device heavily used to produce this effect is alliteration. There is a plethora of examples of alliteration used such as “sound of steel on stones are sharpening scythes” and “hones/In their hip-pockets” to help create an effect of smoothness and swift action done by the reapers (3-4). There is also alliteration in the last four lines such as “blade, / Blood-stained; however, unlike the effect that the alliteration in the first four lines makes, the alliteration in the last four lines makes the mower seem harsh and wild …show more content…
Toomer wrote this poem because he wanted to show that machines are dangerous because they do not have the ability to think rationally like we humans do. He felt like people were so obsessed with new technology that they might give too much power to machines causing chaos. Toomer wanted to show that humans were still much more capable than machines, and that machines will just ruin everything that humans have worked so hard to build. Toomer’s argument is very sensible, for at that time, robotic technology was very new; however, now, after much research and development in various technological fields, humans have learned how to control machines and technology in a way that is safe and reliable. In addition, there has been much development and testing done in the security aspect of technology that will prevent machines from gaining too much power or