Gwendolyn Brooks
On June 7, 1917, Keziah Corine Wims and David Anderson Brooks gave birth to one of the most gifted African-American poets of the 20th century. They named her Gwendolyn Brooks. Although she was born in Topeka, Kansas, Brooks grew up in Chicago where her mother worked as a schoolteacher and her father worked as a janitor. He quit going to school for financial reasons and while quitting went away his dream of becoming a doctor. David Brooks was still a proud man. Being a janitor wasn't, and still isn't considered a highly skilled job, but Brooks was still proud of her father's self-sacrifice. Brooks' wrote a poem directly titled In Honor of David Anderson Brooks, My Father. In this poem she writes of how much she misses him and the things he did for his family. Lines such as "A dryness is upon the house/ My father loved and tended/ Beyond his firm and sculptured door/ His light and lease have ended" show how much she cared for her father. Growing up in the south side of Chicago gave Brooks an insight to the social poverty that existed in this world. The people around her may have been poor, but they still had pride in their existence. The poem The Bean Eaters is a reflection of her surroundings. The
During the 40's to the 50's, women across America were torn between choosing a simple domestic life or having a career. Brooks' take on this controversial topic is apparent in the poem Sadie and Maud. With lines such as: "Maud went to college/ Sadie stayed at home/ Sadie scraped life/ With a fine-tooth comb/ ... Sadie bore two babies/ Under her maiden name/ Maud and Ma and Papa/ Nearly died of shame/ ... Maud, who went to college/ Is a thin brown mouse/ She is living all alone/ In this old house." Sadie is possibly symbolizing Brooks, for Brooks did bear two children and after she had children, she became a housewife and mother. Her take on the family vs. career choice is shown in this poem. She appears to be saying: although you may be staying home, it doesn't mean you won't have a fulfilling life. On the other hand, just because you have a career won't necessarily make you a happy person. Brooks, Gwendolyn. Selected Poems. New York. Harper & Row Publishers: 1944. The post World War II era was prosperous for many Americans, especially returning soldiers. The attitude sweeping through America was one of "If you can survive the war, you can survive anything." It was almost as if Americans felt immortal. Brooks' attacked this notion with her poem We Real Cool. In this poem, she writes, "The Pool Players/ Seven at the Golden Shovel/ We real cool. We/ Left school. We/ Strike straight. We/ Sing sin. We/ Thin gin. We/ Jazz June. We/ Die Soon." The "Pool Players" symbolizes the average man, but with the "Golden Shovel" is foreshadowing death. The "Jazz June" symbolizes the carefree demeanor that was flowing through the country, but the last line "Die soon" show the same conclusion that everybody will encounter, whether you were rich or poor, black or white, old or young. Growing older, Brooks' children soon eventually grew up and moved on. Brooks' had been married for so long that they have become utterly comfortable with one another. It seems as if marriage has become nothing but repetition for her. A Sunset of the City shows all that Brooks was feeling at this period in her life. She writes, "Already I am no longer looked at with lechery or love/ My daughters and sons have put me away with marbles and dolls/ Are gone from the house/ My husbands and lovers are pleasant or somewhat polite/ And night is night." The title itse
Some common words found in the essay are:
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Approximate Word count = 1595
Approximate Pages = 6 (250 words per page double spaced)
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