Poems of the Harlem Renaissance

Guiding Questions

1. Author Information: How are these poets similar? How are they different? What was each writer's view on race? They are similar by b all poetns being a African American decent and all their poems relate to African American struggle such as slavery. Lastly, they are all poets and writing at the same time, which was during Harlem Renaissance took place in 1918 to 1937.

“Song of the Son” Jean Toomer

2. Lines 1-5: What aspects of the first stanza reflect the fact that this poem called a “song” in its title? The first aspects to which we that that this poem is called a song is because of the rhyming and the repetition of the same word and symbolism.
3. Lines 9-10: How are lines 9 and 10 different? What is the impact on meaning of the author’s choice? The difference between lines 9 and 10 is that in line talks about how when he has the time he will return to thee, but in line 10 it tells you that he has return in time.
4. Lines 16-23: What metaphor is in these lines? Explain its meaning. What is being compared to what?  O Negro slaves, dark purple ripened plums, Squeezed, and bursting in the pine-wood air which basically says that they are overworked and squeezed out and the fear, also the pressure.

“From the Dark Tower”

5. Lines 1-8: What injustice is Bontemps discussing via the metaphor of sowing and reaping? The golden increment of bursting fruit. He is saying that they shouldn't be doing the hard work (sowing), when they don't even benefit from it because other people just takes all the profit basically.
6. Lines 9-14: How does the sestet resolve the problem introduced in the octave? It basically says that they will eventually grow out of it.
7. Lines 1-14: Compare Cullen's poem to “Song of the Son” by Toomer. There are physical and emotional damage, as well as the hardships being expressed and how they will grow, also the symbolism of being remembered.
8. Lines 1-8: What injustices is Bontemps discussing via the metaphor of sowing and reaping? The injustices that Bontemps speaks of is his time he was being enslaved and how he sown and from people reaping from Canada to Mexico. Also how his hands are tired and yet he gets nothing from it, not money, not pride, but fear.

9. Lines 9-12 Compare what the speakers in “From the Dark Tower and “ A Black Man Talks of Reaping” say about who will reap the benefit of the seeds sown. THe foreshadowing of both poems talks about who benefits from sowing and reaping, which were slave owners.
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   Analyzing the Text (Page 444)
   
   
   1. Summarize What is the speaker describing---both literally and figuratively---in themes on the topic of African American history? The speaker is describing how you put your soul into a song and the valley will carry it along and the trees of souls will be carolling.Also, when the sun set goes down they cannot escape racism, they no rest, and nothing at all. The poems and images that express topic of African American history is when the writer wants to use literary devices like metaphors, simile, and etc.  
   2. Infer 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 something like a after life or a soul that knows about how the hardships of slavery and gives them the encouragement that their memories one day will be sang.
   3. Analyze In “From the Dark Tower,” what does the phrase “golden increment of bursting fruit” suggest? This suggest that this person is standing up against or wants he or she’s to be heard because of the mistreatment of those group.
   4. Analyze In ”From the Dark Tower” is written in the form of a Petrarchan sonnet, in which the octave, or first eight lines, presents 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? The first lines presents the problem because the Cullen says “We shall not always plant while others reap’”. Cullen apply this structure to expresses his message by the combination of beautiful and sheltering comparison of the dark with the typical symbolism and of the foolishness of planting.
   5. Infer In “A Black Man Talks of Reaping,” what does the speaker mean when he says “My brother's son are gathering stalk and root” ?Who is the brother? What is the “bitter fruit” He basically means that all African American people will be doing the same thing such as sowing and other people will reap what they have sowed and the bitter fruit is the hard work that they have put in it and how they hate it.
   6. Identify 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 land and soil re soil and sweet gum tree. From the Dark Tower: The golden increment of bursting fruit. A Black Man Talks of Reaping: I planted deep, within my heart the fear.
   7. Cite Evidence How does Toomer’s use of repetition---of both lines and important ideas---contribute to the aesthetic metaphor in each poem. The use of repetition makes those repetition a song which we can feel the vibe and the emotional feeling through the poem.
   8. Compare How do Toomer and Cullen use the metaphor of night and darkness to support the themes and ideas they want to express? Both these writers use the metaphor of night and darkness to support their themes and ideas to really express how the night is the lower shade of black, but darkness is the lowest you can get and there pretty much the emotional feeling of hardships.
   9. Synthesize How would you describe the tone of each poem? I would say the tone would be something comparable to darkness or it will express the fear and the mistreatment of those racist group.
      
      
      
      
      
      
      10. Compare 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. They are all the same because of the similar views of the African American history, which was slavery.