Read the excerpt from "Rhobert” in Cane. He is way down. Down. Mud, coming to his banty knees, almost hides them. Soon people will be looking at him and calling him a strong man. No doubt he is for one who has had rickets. Lets give it to him. Lets call him great when the water shall have been all drawn off. Lets build a monument and set it in the ooze where he goes down. A monument of hewn oak. [. . .] Lets open our throats, brother, and sing "Deep River” when he goes down. Brother, Rhobert is sinking. Lets open our throats, brother, Lets sing Deep River when he goes down. Which best describes Toomer’s use of diction in this excerpt?
Read the excerpt from "Fern” in Cane. From the train window I saw her as I crossed her road. Saw her on her porch, head tilted a little forward where the nail was, eyes vaguely focused on the sunset. Saw her face flow into them, the countryside and something that I call God, flowing into them. . . . Nothing ever really happened. Nothing ever came to Fern, not even I. Something I would do for her. Some fine unnamed thing. . . . And friend, you? She is still living, I have reason to know. Her name, against the chance that you might happen down that way, is Fernie May Rosen. What is the effect of the repetition of the word "nothing” on the tone of this excerpt?
Read the excerpt from "Fern” in Cane . One evening I walked up the Pike on purpose, and stopped to say hello. Some of her family were about, but they moved away to make room for me . . . if I knew how to begin. Would you? Mr. and Miss So-and-So, people, the weather, the crops, the new preacher, the frolic, the church benefit, rabbit and possum hunting, the new soft drink they had at old Pap’s store, the schedule of trains, what kind of town Macon was, Negro’s migration north, boll-weevils, syrup, the Bible—to all these things she gave a yassur or nassur, without further comment. What is the effect of this long list of conversation topics in this excerpt?
Read the excerpt from "Fern” in Cane. From the train window I saw her as I crossed the road. Saw her on her porch, head tilted a little forward where the nail was, eyes vaguely focused on the sunset. Saw her face flow into them, the countryside and something that I call God, flowing into them. Which statement best describes Toomer’s use of diction in this excerpt?
Read the excerpt from "Fern” in Cane. She sprang up. Rushed some distance from me. Fell to her knees, and began swaying, swaying. Which best describes Toomer’s use of syntax in this excerpt?
Read the excerpt from "Fern” in Cane. From force of habit, I suppose, I held Fern in my arms—that is, without at first noticing it. Then my mind came back to her. Her eyes, unusually weird and open, held me. Held God. He flowed in as I’ve seen the countryside flow in. Seen men. I must have done something—what, I don’t know, in the confusion of my emotion. Which statement best describes Toomer’s use of punctuation in this excerpt?
Read the excerpt from "Fern” in Cane. And then she sang, brokenly. A Jewish cantor singing with a broken voice. A child’s voice, uncertain, or an old man’s. Dusk hid her; I could only hear her song. It seemed to me as though she were pounding her head in anguish upon the ground. I rushed to her. She fainted in my arms. Which stylistic element most creates the mood of despair in this excerpt?
Read the excerpt from "Fern” in Cane. She sprang up. Rushed some distance from me. Fell to her knees, and began swaying, swaying. Her body was tortured with something it could not let out. Like boiling sap it flooded arms and fingers till she shook them as if they burned her. It found her throat, and spattered inarticulately in plaintive, convulsing sounds, mingled with calls to Christ Jesus. Which statement best describes Toomer’s use of figurative language in this excerpt?
Read the excerpt from "Rhobert” in Cane. Nothing ever really happened. Nothing ever came to Fern, not even I. Something I would do for her. Some fine unnamed thing. . . . And friend, you? She is still living, I have reason to know. Her name, against the chance that you might happen down that way, is Fernie May Rosen. How does Toomer best create a tone of familiarity in this excerpt?
Read the excerpt from "Fern” in Cane. We walked down the Pike with people on all the porches gaping at us. "Does it make you mad?” She meant the row of petty gossiping people. She meant the world. Which stylistic element most contributes to the pessimistic tone of this excerpt?
Did you find these answers helpful?