From the Dark Tower is a poem written by Countee Cullen. It can be interpreted to showcase the restrictions and struggles that African American people have to face when it comes to growing and being valued as an important members of society and life because of their skin color. This becomes much more clear as the poem goes on and by examining the figurative language, diction, structure, and other prominent literary elements.
To begin, the very first line starts off the poem by beginning an extended metaphor. It states, “We shall not always plant while others reap” (l. 1) The explicit meaning is that a group of people should not always plant, what the next line states is fruit, if others are gathering it for themselves. However, this can be interpreted beyond its literal meaning. This provokes feeling and memories of times in life where you create or produce something and some else reaps or benefits from your hard work. The metaphor of planting, I believe is used as a symbol of growth. It can be the growth in knowledge, social and economic statuses, emotions, perspectives, ectara. This comparison creates a connection and understanding about growth in people by using
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The second to last line say “So in the dark we hide the heart that bleeds,” (13). To me this is comparing being unable to see in the dark to those who cannot see past dark skin colors to realize the pain hidden within those who are not white. Then, the last line says “And wait, and tend our agonizing seeds” (14). I felt that this is a beautiful way of saying that people must care for themselves even when starting from a bad place and keep on fighting to become what they want to become, to sprout. The group suffering, who I interpreted to be African American people, have to wait for the end of discrimination but will continue to try overcome the unfairness present throughout their