Question

read the poem
a black man talks of reaping
by arna bontemps
i have sown beside all waters in my day.
i planted deep, within my heart the fear
that wind or fowl would take the grain away.
i planted safe against this stark, lean year.
i scattered seed enough to plant the land
in rows from canada to mexico
but for my reaping only what the hand
can hold at once is all that i can show.
yet what i sowed and what the orchard yields
my brother’s sons are gathering stalk and root,

what does the line “my children glean in fields they have
not sown, and feed on bitter fruit” from “a black man talks
of reaping” suggest?

no matter how hard the speaker works to grow
food, most of the crops are not edible.

the speaker’s children must participate in
harvesting the crops if they want to eat well

despite working hard in the fields, black
farmers faced injustice while trying to feed
their families.

the speaker’s children are given leftovers
because they did not help their father with the

Explanation:

To solve this, we analyze the poem's context and the line. The poem is about a Black man's reaping (farming) experience. The line "my children glean in fields they have not sown, and feed on bitter fruit" implies that despite the speaker's hard work (sowing), his children get what's left (glean) and bitter fruit, reflecting injustice (they don't reap what he sowed, get bitter results). Let's evaluate options:

• First option: The line doesn't say crops are inedible, but about what children get. Eliminate.
• Second option: "Must participate" is not implied; gleaning is not active participation as sowing. Eliminate.
• Third option: Matches - he worked (sowed), children glean (get leftovers) from fields not sown by them, "bitter fruit" suggests injustice in feeding families (hard work but unfair outcomes for Black farmers).
• Fourth option: "Because they did not help" is wrong; the poem shows systemic issues, not children's lack of help. Eliminate.

Answer:

Despite working hard in the fields, Black farmers faced injustice while trying to feed their families.