Blades

Blades symbolize the physical and emotional defenses that enslaved people were forced to put up in order to try to survive their brutal circumstances. Nichols compares this to the way that sugarcane adapted to have extremely sharp leaves (in order to discourage animals from grazing). Beneath this sharp exterior, however, the plant (and people that it symbolizes) wave their arms as "a sign for help" (8).

Juice

The juice inside the sugarcane symbolizes energy and vitality. Both the plant and the people that the plant represents in the poem require a thick skin in order to protect this juice.

Sugarcane

Sugarcane is not only used as a metaphor for the enslaved people forced to toil on plantations, but also it symbolizes Caribbean history in general. The Dutch West Indian Company brought sugarcane to Guyana in 1658, tying Guyana's sugar industry to colonization. Throughout the Caribbean, this industry contributed...