Question

5. Infer In "A Black Man Talks of Reaping," what does the speaker mean when he says

"My brother's sons are gathering stalk and root"? Who is the brother? What is the
"bitter fruit" at the end of the poem?

Answer 1

In his novels and poetry, Bontemps portrayed the lives and struggles of African Americans, a theme that can be seen in his poem "A black man talks for reaping." In this poem he uses the metaphor of farming to express the bitterness felt by blacks in a racist America.