Analysis of Cane
As I began to read "Cane," I quickly realized this was going to be a difficult read. I kept thinking about the title because it brought back memories of my grandfather's story of the origin of the black man. My grandfather believed Cain's curse for slaying Abel was that he was turned black, "marked". That was the point in time when the black man was born. He also stated that since black represents the curse, then all black people are inferior to white. It's disturbing to see how people manipulate the scriptures to feed their personal cause. My grandpa was not the first and he won't be the last. As you can see my grandpa was a racist. I don't know why for sure. He was born in 1896 and lived to be 86 years old. He lived through the years of hate and oppression of the black man. I guess somewhere along the way he was taught to be a racist. Children have to be taught, this it doesn't come natural. Just go to any playground and watch the rainbow of children play with one another, t!I don't think that was what Toomer had in mind when he titled it "Cane." I think the title "Cane" reflects the sorghum sugar cane that was a way of life for the black man. Yet, Toomer may have intended th
"Fern" is beautiful, her eyes are like mirrors of the soul reflecting the oppression at work in rural Georgia. Nothing can fill the emptiness inside. The eyes are the mirrors of our soul and they reflect our true being. Fern's eyes reflect emptiness; I interpret this as a reflection of the broken spirit of the black society brought on by the years of oppression. Here again the cane is significant as Fern has a spiritual breakdown in the canebrake. It appears to me that the African American and nature are almost one, even to a level of spirituality. And the cane brings them back to their awareness, their spirituality ------------------------------------------------------------------------ e title to have a double meaning. I'll consider this as I make my way through his book. In "Nullo" we see the pine needles fall from the tree. No one knows why they fall or even question it, it just happens. I interpret this as the silence of the people who watch the violence and oppression of the African American and do nothing. They accept it as a part of life, like the falling of a pine needle. "Reapers" is a poem that reflects the way of life of the rural black man harvesting the fields. Then everything changes when the cold, unfeeling machine comes into the scene. It moves forward, cutting down anything in its path. I believe this represents the move from manpower (warm/feeling) to mechanical power (cold/unfeeling). With this transition comes loss of jobs and ultimately loss of lives because of the loss of jobs. And like the rat that gets cut in two, so it goes with man if he doesn't step forward into the machine age. "Conversion" is a testimony to the saving power of Christ. Salvation is for anyone who believes black or white. In Heaven there will be no racial prejudice or violence. This is the hope that we strive forward for. The persecuted will be persecuted no more. rican lived there and died there. They worked there and found refuge there. "Time and space have no meaning in a cane field." bsolete because of the automobile. Eventually, Kabnis awakens from his denial to the acknowledgement of the Southern violence, domination and economic exploitation. As we see him climb the stairs of the cellar we can almost hear the voice of change, the voice of an orator. Therefore, I think "Kabnis" ends in hope. Ralph's awakening and renewal brings the hope of racial redemption. Lewis' and Kabnis' voices will be heard. But how many more have to die, Lewis and Kabnis? "Cotton Song" gives hope to the black man that there is more to life than this. There is a hope of a good life without prejudice and oppression. God is colorblind; he sees the inside of a man, his heart. And on the inside we are all the same color. The white man can crush the physical body but he can't crush the soul of the black man. I read "Box Seat" as a condemnation of urban black bourgeois striving. It also displays the direct contrast between liberation and domination. So how do I come to this belief? First, Dan Moore who "was born in a canefield," is portrayed as a prophet, a Moses, trying to rescue the black people from the Northern urban life. This story alludes to the point that urban life is slowly sterilizing and destroying the spirit of the black people. We hear the click of a metal bolt when anyone sits down; I interpret this as the industrialization and mechanization of the urban life. It's pulling the folk culture and basic values out of the black urban and ultimately destroying their spirit. The mirror in the story is important. Because the same mirror has the ability to blind even as it illuminates. This is why the black people Dan is trying to rescue do not realize what is happening to them. They are blinded, not illuminated. Dan is like Moses trying to lead his people away from the fals! In the story "Bona and Paul," I believe Paul is Toomer himself. He is battling with his identity throughout this story, a struggle to reconcile both the con
Some common words found in the essay are:
Jean Toomer, Cotton Flower, River Toomer, African American, Georgia Dusk, Dan Moore, Bane Carma's, North Washington, Heaven Reapers, Ground Kabnis, black people, southern black, white black, black white, urban life, african american, white black communities, destroying spirit, city life, space meaning, black rural, black rural life, eyes mirrors soul,
Approximate Word count = 2745
Approximate Pages = 11 (250 words per page double spaced)
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