Gwendolyn Brooks Research Paper

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Gwendolyn Brooks had many interesting aspects to all of her poems, she portrays many themes, settings, and characters. Brook’s writing was very consistent throughout all her poems by her main writing subject of choice, black life. Within Brooks’ poetry time period, the 1960s, the civil rights movement was actively on going (Gwendolyn). Being a black in Chicago during one of the most important moments in black history has more meaning to those who actually endured it, and her poems light that up. In the poem, “Primer for Blacks”, Brook’s uses the symbol of black pride to represent theme. Throughout the poem, the meaning of being black is pushed many times.
Primer for Blacks “Blackness is a title, is a preoccupation, is a commitment …show more content…

Another idea in this poem that conveys black pride theme is that black with always be here in America. Across all mountains, seas and land, the color black will continue to live on just as anyone else. “Blackness (29) / stretches over the land (30) / Blackness (38) / marches on (39)” (Brooks) This helps show black pride because they have pushed on despite what has happened, for example slavery, “And because they have given us kindly (26) / so many more of our people (27)” (Brooks), and there is no reason to not have pride in that. Brooks also reinforces the theme of black pride by saying, “… Love the fact that we are Black (42) / YOU are our costume and our fundamental bone. (50)” (Brooks). Brooks pushes the idea of loving the fact that you are black because if you don’t, you will no longer be a fundamental bone holding all up, but someone that helps everyone sink. Through a variety of lines, Gwendolyn Brooks cemented the theme of black pride. What’s unique about the poem “The Mother” is how the setting is not an actual location, but rather all in the readers and characters minds. The poem is about a mother’s thoughts after aborting her children. “I have heard in the voices of the wind the voices of my …show more content…

This child was referred to as a “villain”, not because he actually was one, but because villains are seen as people with different upcoming that make bad decisions and say bad things. This black boy was exactly that. “Herself: the milk-white maid, the “maid mild” Of the ballad. Pursued By the Dark Villain. Rescued by the Fine Prince.”
(Okokokok, 6-8) This boy tried to make ways with the fine young white woman, but this was seen as unusual and disgraced upon, so soon the “fine” white man came along to save her from the embarrassment that she was soon to stumble upon from others. The woman seemed pleased, as she thought that this white man was her happily ever after and forgot about the black boy. “She heard no hoof-beat of the horse and saw no flash of the shining steel. (115)” (Okokokok) This black boy was left behind because of the color of his skin. After it was too late, the woman realized that all to be incorrect and choose the wrong man. Throughout all of Brook’s writings, she portrays an array of black life whether it be in her theme, setting, or in her characters. After growing in a world of racial issues, Brook’s passion for black life has blossomed in her poetry, in many special

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