Question

1. review your copy of the poem \harvest song,\ and think about the speakers reason for speaking. which phrase best describes the speakers desire?

more creative opportunities for himself and others
more and better food, to reduce physical suffering
a wider audience for his written work
a stronger connection with other people who share his trials

Explanation:

Analyze the poem's context

In Jean Toomer's poem "Harvest Song" (from his 1923 modernist masterpiece Cane), the speaker is a reaper who is physically exhausted, hungry, and blind to the world around him due to his intense labor. Throughout the poem, the speaker repeatedly mentions his physical pain, hunger, and fatigue, but emphasizes a deeper emotional and social isolation.

Evaluate the speaker's core desire

Using Theme Analysis, we look at what the speaker craves most. Although he is hungry, he fears eating because it might make him sleep and neglect his work, or because his hunger is something he shares with other laborers. He repeatedly expresses a desire to call out to other reapers, to hear their voices, and to know if they share his pain. He states: "I would call, a field-sing to my brother reapers," but is held back by fear and physical strain. This highlights that his deepest yearning is to overcome his profound isolation.

Connect to textual evidence

Using Textual Evidence, we examine the lines: "I fear to call... / O faces of my brother reapers, / ... I would know if you are also hungry." The speaker's primary struggle is the lack of connection with his fellow workers who are undergoing the same grueling labor. He wants to bridge the gap of isolation and establish a shared bond. Therefore, the phrase that best describes his desire is "a stronger connection with other people who share his trials."

Eliminate incorrect options

• "more creative opportunities for himself and others": The poem focuses on physical labor and human connection, not creative or artistic opportunities.
• "more and better food, to reduce physical suffering": While he is hungry, he actively resists or fears food ("I fear to eat") because it represents a surrender to his physical state; his actual spoken desire is to connect with his "brother reapers."
• "a wider audience for his written work": The speaker is a laborer (a reaper) in a field, not a writer seeking an audience within the narrative of the poem.

Answer:

• (A) more creative opportunities for himself and others
• (B) more and better food, to reduce physical suffering
• (C) a wider audience for his written work
• (D) a stronger connection with other people who share his trials (Correct answer)