An Empty Heart Cup Gwendolyn Brooks Analysis

Gwendolyn Brooks, a world renowned black, female poet, made it her life’s purpose to create positive change in the lives of others. Brooks was born on “June 7, 1917, in Topeka, Kansas” (Contemporary Authors Online 1), then her family moved to Chicago during the Great Migration when she was six weeks old. Growing up on the south side, Brooks saw the daily struggles that blacks faced. There was a lot of racial tension building at this time, as many more blacks pushed back against oppression. Brooks was, “Deeply involved with black life, black pain and black spirits” (Lee 2). Throughout her lifetime, she was an activist, who worked to promote blacks to study literature by writing poetry. She published many books and wrote countless pieces of poetry,

discussing the prejudice that blacks faced throughout her lifetime.
Brooks began her career as a poet at a very young age. She had a poetry notebook which she “started at the age of 11” (Lee 1). Before publishing her first book in 1945, A Street in Bronzeville, she had professionally written more than 75 pieces of poetry which revolved around black struggle. “Her work... has always touched at some level on the problems of blacks in America” (Lee 2). Her first novel, A Street in Bronzeville, is a triumphant story about “womanhood, manhood, justice and racism”(Tate 142). These themes can be continually seen in almost all of Brooks’ work. This can prominently be noted in her second book, Annie Allen, story of “An ordinary black girl, born in an urban ghetto in the early 1900s” (Tate 142). During the 1940s, soldiers from all over America were being enlisted to fight in World War II.“The demands of World War II impacted family life throughout the United States and were especially difficult for black families whose major economic status was drastically reduced when the male heads of households were drafted or voluntarily enlisted into the armed forces” (Poetry for Students 8). It was also during this time, Brooks wrote Annie Allen, and reflected the hardships that people faced which makes the book more relatable. Published in 1949, Annie Allen won the Pulitzer Prize for Poetry. This thrusted Brooks into fame, and made her name and work known globally. Part of Annie Allen is “The Anniad” which holds the essential part to the book called “The Sonnet-Ballad”. Using two forms and a multitude of figurative language, Brooks implies larger implications of a woman’s lover going off to war and the emotional barriers she faces in “The Sonnet-Ballad”.
Just as it sounds, “The Sonnet-Ballad” is an amalgamation of the forms of a sonnet and a ballad synthesized by Brooks to communicate the idea of breaking traditional formalities. “Challenged by the need to explore the metrical structure and rhyme of traditional poetic forms such as the sonnet and the ballad, thus creating her own form and unique place as a poet” (Lee 3). This new form combines two traditional poem forms to create a new poetic form as it was Brooks’ intention to create something new with something old. Popularly used in Elizabethan times, the sonnet is used in plays as a lyrical form of speaking, whereas a ballad is a personal narrative written in an abab rhyme pattern. Both forms are dominantly used to tell stories or legends in England and Scotland. The structure of the ballad can be interchangeable; in this case, the ballad is in sonnet format. There can only be one sonnet form, but multiple ballad forms which Brooks makes a statement with, “Brooks illuminates Annie Alan dramatic romanticism by employing the formal meter, or measured rhythms, of the sauna and represent Annie’s humble origins by infusing the poem with the musical strains of a ballad ” (Poetry for Students 8). Brooks is expanding the form of a sonnet and a ballad to represent the breaking of normality. She is making the statement that traditional gender roles of women through the form used to create “The Sonnet-Ballad”. By creating a new form of poetry- she is creating a new role for women: the independent woman.
Brooks uses word choice to show the effect of distress the narrator since her lover is leaving. The poem begins with the narrator crying in desperation for “happiness” to her mother, “Oh mother, mother, where is happiness?” (1). When asking about happiness, it is commonly questioned as what is happiness, rather than “where” it is. By asking “where is happiness”, the narrator is looking for a place to go. It is inferred that the narrator has always been reliant on others to be where she can be happy, rather than creating it herself. Happiness was when she was with her lover, but now that he is gone, the happy place is gone as well, so she returns to her mother who used to provide a place of happiness. In line 2, the narrator says “They took my lover’s tallness off to war ”(2) as if he had no choice. “Took”(2) implies against one’s will, as in two people were torn apart. Although “tallness” is supposed to give an image to add to the physical attributes of the love, it also contributes to an image of a long bond breaking. Without a man, Brooks implies that women like the narrator feel that happiness doesn’t exist only hardship. All this grief that the narrator experiences because of death is only imminent because the narrator has coupled her lover and happiness together. One does not exist without the other, which is a very traditional idea. By changing the traditional form of the ballad, Brooks is implying that the gender roles of women, should be altered.
Brooks uses an orthodox tone in an unconventional manner to relay the strain to conform to traditional means of living. Mom, mommy, mama, ma these are just a few ways to refer to one’s female guardian. “Mother” (1, 14) is a standard, proper reference that is used multiple times throughout the poem. This is a grown woman who is experiencing heartache, yet who pleads in a formal manner. This seemed to be a traditional style of speaking. This formality can be seen throughout other quatrains. Instead of using crying as the word to describe the state the narrator was in after her loved one was taken away, she uses the word “lamenting” (3). “Lamenting” is defined as “a set or conventional form of mourning” (“lament”). The use of proper language to describe typical sorrow, seems to show the narrator trying to reach a standard of sorts, to satisfy someone else’s caliber. Once again this is seen with the word “grandly” (7). Brooks uses “grandly” which is most in formal speech, rather than when breaking down. It is almost a charade that Brooks continues throughout the poem. Only a formal tone was used, since it was not deemed appropriate to break the social norm as a woman. There is a time and place to be proper and traditional, but here Brooks doesn’t break this format. It is almost as if the narrator is stuck, and any progressive type language is not in her realm. Women were held to a higher standard, while also being restricted from independency.
Brooks uses an extended metaphor to magnify the woe the narrator feels.

“An empty heart-cup” (4) is not something difficult to picture. Hearts are generally associated with love. This is image is supposed to evoke gloom, now that her lover is gone. This cup represents the heart of the narrator. The narrator is drained of love just like her cup. The narrator had invested her emotions into a man, and with her lover gone, her emotions went with him. Nothing but melancholy is now felt. She has no direction of where she wants to take her life, since she has been through so much. What had been in her heart, has been taken from her, and nothing would satisfy her ache. “He won’t be coming back here any more” (5). Any hope of finding the same feelings the narrator had for her lover have

disappeared.
Brooks uses repetition to show the progression the narrator makes to reach denial. In lines 8 and 9, the phrase “Would have to be untrue.” is repeated. “Untrue” meaning not-true or false, is the word that progresses to make steps towards moving on from being hung-up. “That my sweet love would have to be untrue./ Would have to be untrue” (8-9). These lines almost sound as if the narrator has stumbled on to the realization that the “love” she thought she had wasn’t true love. The narrator analyzes the relationship quickly. She uses the word “sweet” meaning pleasureable to describe her love. It wasn’t passionate, exciting, or vehement love, but a pleasant love. Neither the narrator nor her lover had their hearts fully invested into the relationship. Therefore, their love wasn’t able to withstand war and death which seemed like a door slammed in one’s face, when discovering this harsh reality. The narrator had invested a ton of time into the relationship, all for it to fail. Brooks is trying to show that after conforming to traditional customs only anguish has resulted.
Brooks personifies death through double entendres to show the development of grief. The third quatrain is where the narrator discovers that her lover willingly left her, causing her magnificent grief, rather than believing that her lover had been taken from her.
“Would have to court
Coquettish death, whose impudent and strange
Possessive arms and (beauty of a sort)
Can make a hard man hesitate - and change” (9-12).
“Court”(9), as a noun is a place where trials and justice is served. As a verb, it means “to gain affection of; make love to (with a view of marriage” (“Court”) The narrator feels unjustified as it was the lover who turned to death to seek endearment. The relationship, although traditional, was unstable as the narrator’s lover turned to war for love which dramatically ironic. The word “coquettish” (10) meaning “like or of the nature of a coquette“(“Coquette”) which is “behaving in such a way as to suggest playful sexual attraction; flirtation” gives readers a better understanding of the lively characteristics of death’s aesthetics. Death’s siren like qualities are the reasons of her grief. The idea that the “arms” (11) of death, which can be either actual human arms or firearms, create two different images of death. Human arms provide affection and comfort through hugging, while firearms stir fear and unease. The “possessive arms”(11) of death implies that regardless of the type of death, it will be controlling. Death is “impudent” or shameless, and all of its relationships are symbiotic which adds to death’s complexion. It is then implied that death preys on “hard” men who are either stubborn and tough to break, or have erect anatomy for the thrill death and war owns. Death’s sensuality is so strong that any emotions vested with the narrator have no hold on the lover. It seems that death feeds off of the vulnerable. With the lover, no longer attracted to the narrator, there is a feeling of disparity. Emotions are lost, just as the narrator feels.
Brooks’ challenges traditional customs through form and word choice.

By taking a step back, a progressive style can be observed in “The Sonnet Ballad”. Ultimately, Brooks is trying to break away from traditional ideas, by using them to show grief. Throughout the poem, the narrator has taken the role of a traditional woman- which ends up tormenting her. Brooks transforms the traditional ideas and forms she uses intensify this torment that most others of this time are also feeling which simply is hurt. By manipulating the form, Brooks is taking a step towards a modern traditions such as an independent, working woman. Brooks wants to relay to all women that all happiness shouldn’t be placed in a person. Being reliant on others to bring happiness is a mistake since immortality doesn’t exist and with time, people change. Happiness needs to come from within oneself. That is the larger implication Brooks makes. It is the reason she won the Pulitzer

Prize.