Analysis Of The Ladies 'Betterment League' By Ann Brooks

In all sections of her poem, Brooks uses the repetition of words to stress her main thematic idea that when wealthy people are exposed to the hardships of poverty, rather than make a difference, they will avoid completely solving problem.  In the beginning of the poem, Brooks introduces a group of wealthy women who make up the Ladies’ Betterment League, a group of women who donate money to groups in need.  The specific chapter of the Ladies’ Betterment League in the poem however, plans to donate their money to "[t]he very very worthy/ And beautiful poor."  (23-24)  By repeating the word “very” two times, Brooks emphasizes the high standards the women believe the poor should uphold.  The use of repetition in this line demonstrates the wealthy women’s inaccurate perception of those living in poverty, as the repetition of the word “very” with no other words in between draws the reader’s attention to the

shallow idea that those in poverty are “worthy” and “beautiful”.

The women only want to donate to the poor that fit their high standards, consequently limiting the Ladies’ Betterment League’s ability to help large amounts of people.  Furthermore, the close minded view of the poor that the women possess hinders their ability to legitimately improve the quality of living of those living in poverty.  Later in the poem, the women visit the poor house to see first-hand the daily living conditions of those in poverty.  However, the Ladies’ Betterment League women are completely shocked by the dirty, loud, and disorderly state of the poor house.  They go on to observe specific aspects of the poor house including the "Old/ Wood. Old marble. [and] Old tile.” (39-40) and conclude their observations with the repetition of three words: “Old old old." (40)  The appalling conditions of the poor house stuns these wealthy women, normally accustomed to expensive material goods and luxury items.  The repetition of the word “old” in the description of the materials in the poor house demonstrates the shock the women feel over the conditions of the

poor house.  By repeating the word “old” six times in only two lines, Brooks accentuates the fact that the oldness of the poor house terrifies the women and conveys the horror and fear the women feel toward those in poverty.  In the end of the poem, after viewing the poor house, the disgusted women begin to have second thoughts about donating to those in poverty.  The women proceed to think of different ways they can avoid directly helping the poor, due to their horror with the poor conditions of the slum.  The women brainstorm possible ways they can make a difference, saying that "[p]erhaps the money can be posted./  Perhaps they two may choose another slum!" (90-91)  However, the rich women want to distance themselves from the poor by having the money “posted” or by choosing a different slum that fits their standards better than the one they toured.  By starting two lines in close proximity with the same word, or repeating the same word twice at the beginning of two lines, Brooks reveals how the women find ways to avoid spending more time with the poor and possibly not even help the poor at all.  Specifically, the use of “perhaps” twice, a word that implies vague promises and unclear possibilities, to begin both of these lines demonstrates how after being completely shocked by the horrid conditions of the poor house, the women hesitate when deciding how to donate their money to the poor house.  Ultimately, through the use of repetition, Brooks successfully helps the reader understand how the affluent women, after faced with the the harsh reality of the poor’s daily struggle, attempt to avoid directly improving the life of the impoverished in the slum.