Imagery of death and monotony in Jean Toomer's "Reapers"

¶ … Imagery: "Reapers"

Response to Imagery in Jean Toomer's Poem "Reapers"

In the "Reapers" (p. 737), the poet Jean Toomer describes many image that affected me strongly, and that disturb me. These involve cutting, chopping, death, and monotony.

First is cutting. The whole poem has strong images, but for me field rat that is killed in blades of mower was worst one. The field rat "startled, squealing bleeds (Line 6). This is very cruel and stark image, and this emphasizes the impersonal way mower is just for working and not stopping, no matter what, or no matter if something lives or die.

Other images remind me strongly of death and monotony, and make me feel depressed. For example, black horses (line 5) often are use at funeral, for transporting casket of deceased persons. In the poem, these black horses pull along a mowing machine with sharp blades that killed the field rat. The "Black reapers" (line 1) are human, but seem so mechanical they seem dead, numb from always working the same way every day.

Most monotonous (but threatening) images, to me, are "sharpening scythes" (line 2); "a thing that's done" (line 3) and "continue cutting weeds and shade" (line 8). These images make me feel numbness (from repetition); despair, futility. This is because effect is like no difference exists at all between machines and humans.