Black Reapers (“Reapers”)
The black reapers are figurative of slaves. If the title of the poem had omitted the word black, which has subtexts of slavery, then the short poem would have contracted the undertones of slavery. Alternatively, if there were white reapers as well, then the elucidation of slavery would have been beside the point.
The colors (“People” )
The multiple colors of people a motif for diversity in the world. The main colors that are included in “people” are: white, black, and red. The assorted colors should not be basis for defining people that is why the poem requests the reader adopt colorblindness, by concentrating on people as beings and not their peripheral forms.
Opaqueness ( “Prayer”)
The opaqueness embodies the interconnectedness between the somatic body and the incorporeal soul. The speaker’s body and mind are “opaque to the soul” which means that the soul is outside the fleshly body. For a prayer to be effective, it should be connected to the soul.
