Growing up, Jean Toomer moved from all white to all black neighborhoods and shifted around all white and all black segregated schools. This gave Toomer a unique view of the world, fueling his ideas on racial equality. Toomer utilized his poetry as a way to express his feeling of racial equality and, became one of the most influential writers of the harlem renaissance. Jean collaborated with great reformers such as Alaine Locke, W.E.B. duBois, Zora Neale Hurston, Wallace Thurman, Nella Larsen, Harold Jackman, Rudolph Fisher, Dorothy West, Dorothy Peterson, and Aaron Douglass (Jean Toomer poets). Throughout his writing career Toomer instituted imagery in his poems to convey messages regarding racial equality.
One of Toomer’s most famous poems …show more content…
Though this poem may be fairly short, Toomer has chosen words that convey significant amounts of imagery to create a vivid scene of a team of reapers. The poem starts with the image of “black reapers” (line 1) as they sharpen their scythes “the sound of steel on stones” (line 1). The “sound of steel on stones” adds a whole new layer to the imagery as you can not just see the black reapers but also hear the actions of their work. “I see them place the hones in their hip-pockets as a thing that’s done, and start their silent swinging” (line 2-4) . When you see the reapers place the hones in their pockets you know they are done sharpening their scythes and something is about to begin. ‘Silent swinging” goes back to the extra layer of sound adding to the imagery, and plunges the reader deeper into Toomer’s dark ominous setting. The next image “black horses” (line 5) mirrors the first image “black reapers” (line 1) this imagery shows the reader a shift in the poem. The image of the rat’s death, “And there, a field rat, startled, squealing bleeds.” (line 6), is magnified by the constant sound of the slicing scythe. Toomer also uses terrific imagery in “Portrait in Georgia” . “Portrait in Georgia” exploits imagery to get the reader pondering Toomer’s ideas. “Her slim body, whites as the ash of black flesh after flame” (line 6-7). “Her slim body” alludes to that of a beautiful woman and “white” adds to this picture, but then it changes when sensual white flesh is compared to white “ash” of burnt black flesh. Toomer does this again in lines 1 and 2 “Hair-- braided chestnut, coiled like a lynchers rope”. These quick flashes of imagery pull many different subjects to the brain eventually planting Toomer's ideas in the head of the reader. These poems both showcase Jean Toomer’s exquisite imagery but both in very different ways. “Reapers” utilizes imagery in a more simplistic
One of Toomer’s most famous poems …show more content…
Though this poem may be fairly short, Toomer has chosen words that convey significant amounts of imagery to create a vivid scene of a team of reapers. The poem starts with the image of “black reapers” (line 1) as they sharpen their scythes “the sound of steel on stones” (line 1). The “sound of steel on stones” adds a whole new layer to the imagery as you can not just see the black reapers but also hear the actions of their work. “I see them place the hones in their hip-pockets as a thing that’s done, and start their silent swinging” (line 2-4) . When you see the reapers place the hones in their pockets you know they are done sharpening their scythes and something is about to begin. ‘Silent swinging” goes back to the extra layer of sound adding to the imagery, and plunges the reader deeper into Toomer’s dark ominous setting. The next image “black horses” (line 5) mirrors the first image “black reapers” (line 1) this imagery shows the reader a shift in the poem. The image of the rat’s death, “And there, a field rat, startled, squealing bleeds.” (line 6), is magnified by the constant sound of the slicing scythe. Toomer also uses terrific imagery in “Portrait in Georgia” . “Portrait in Georgia” exploits imagery to get the reader pondering Toomer’s ideas. “Her slim body, whites as the ash of black flesh after flame” (line 6-7). “Her slim body” alludes to that of a beautiful woman and “white” adds to this picture, but then it changes when sensual white flesh is compared to white “ash” of burnt black flesh. Toomer does this again in lines 1 and 2 “Hair-- braided chestnut, coiled like a lynchers rope”. These quick flashes of imagery pull many different subjects to the brain eventually planting Toomer's ideas in the head of the reader. These poems both showcase Jean Toomer’s exquisite imagery but both in very different ways. “Reapers” utilizes imagery in a more simplistic