The Children of the Poor by Gwendolyn Brooks
"The Children of the Poor" is a poignant poem by Gwendolyn Brooks, part of her larger work *Annie Allen*. This piece reflects on the struggles and resilience of children growing up in impoverished circumstances, particularly in the aftermath of World War II. Through a series of five sonnets, Brooks adopts a maternal perspective, examining the profound challenges faced by children who are left fatherless and often neglected due to their mothers' economic hardships. The poem captures complex themes of motherhood, depicting the dual nature of nurturing as both a burden and a source of joy.
Each sonnet delves into different aspects of life, such as the importance of imparting wisdom to children, the complexities of faith, and the intersection of personal identity and racial dignity. Brooks emphasizes the necessity for children to forge their own paths in a world filled with obstacles while also grappling with the notion of mortality. The exploration of death is portrayed not merely as a tragic end but as a potential release from the struggles of life, suggesting a nuanced understanding of existence for those in poverty. Overall, "The Children of the Poor" invites readers to reflect on the resilience of the human spirit amidst adversity, highlighting the unique experiences of marginalized communities.
The Children of the Poor by Gwendolyn Brooks
Excerpted from an article in Magill’s Survey of American Literature, Revised Edition
First published: 1949 (collected in Annie Allen, 1949)
Type of work: Poem
The Work
“The Children of the Poor” is contained in the third part of Annie Allen. Partly autobiographical, Annie Allen consists of three sections: “Notes from the Childhood and Girlhood;” “The Anniad,” a poem of forty-three stanzas, in which the central character, Annie, attains personhood; and “The Womanhood,” in which Annie reaches maturity. In general, Annie Allen requires more concentrated reading than A Street in Bronzeville, as Brooks makes more obscure implications regarding human nature and uses more complex language marked by symbolism, figures of speech, twists of diction, and unusual combinations of words.
In “The Children of the Poor,” Brooks looks at the ravages of World War II from a mother’s standpoint. To her, the most vulnerable survivors were the children left fatherless, especially those whose widowed or abandoned mothers were economically impoverished. The poem consists of five sonnets in the Shakespearean and Petrarchan styles, each sonnet examining a different aspect of life from a maternal view.
In the first sonnet, Brooks describes the nature of motherhood by combining positive and negative images. For example, children’s “softness” makes a “trap” and a “curse” for their mothers. Nevertheless, youngsters provide “sugar” for the “malocclusions” of the love that produced them. Motherhood is confining, yet fulfilling.
In the next sonnet, Annie declares the need to give her children something that will lend shape and meaning to their lives. Lacking material resources, she concludes that her gift will be a few lessons in coping with the world.
Sonnet 3 proceeds to examine the issue of religion. Having come from a Christian home, Annie retains a core of faith along with a degree of skepticism. Therefore, she advises her children to hold their faith in “jellied,” or pliable rules; to “resemble graves,” that they might bury doctrines that do not conform to their personal beliefs; and to become “metaphysical mules,” stubbornly refusing to accept church teachings without first scrutinizing them. At the same time, she tells them that should their faith falter, she will be there to rebuild it, even if rebuilding involves reinterpreting Scripture or blinding the eyes of her young to disturbing doctrines.
In the following sonnet, Annie sets priorities: Although aesthetics are important, politics must come first. That is, if her children are to be productive, they must first attain a strong sense of self as well as a sense of the dignity of the black race.
In the final sonnet, Annie ponders whether her children will achieve justice for themselves and their race or succumb to “the universality of death.” Ironically, Brooks presents dying in a positive light. By referring to death as completion and the grave as “familiar ground,” she may be implying that for the poor, death is a release from the hardships of life and the only thing poor children really have to look forward to.
Bibliography
Brooks, Gwendolyn. Report from Part One. Detroit: Broadside Press, 1972.
Bryant, Jacqueline, ed. Gwendolyn Brooks’ “Maud Martha”: A Critical Collection. Chicago: Third World Press, 2002.
Kent, George E. A Life of Gwendolyn Brooks. Lexington: University Press of Kentucky, 1990.
Lanker, Brian. I Dream a World: Portraits of Black Women Who Changed America. New York: Stewart, Tabori & Chang, 1989.
Madhubuti, Haki R., ed. Say That the River Turns: The Impact of Gwendolyn Brooks. Chicago: Third World Press, 1987.
Melhem, D. H. Gwendolyn Brooks: Poetry and the Heroic Voice. Lexington: University Press of Kentucky, 1987.
Mootry, Maria K., and Gary Smith, eds. A Life Distilled: Gwendolyn Brooks, Her Poetry and Fiction. Urbana: University of Illinois Press, 1987.
Washington, Mary Helen. “Plain, Black, and Decently Wild: The Heroic Possibilities of Maud Martha.” In The Voyage In: Fictions of Female Development, edited by Elizabeth Abel, Marianne Hirsch, and Elizabeth Langland. Hanover, N.H.: University Press of New England, 1983.
Wright, Stephen Caldwell, ed. On Gwendolyn Brooks: Reliant Conversation. Ann Arbor: University of Michigan Press, 1996.