Compare And Contrast Sadie And Maude By Gwendolyn Brooks

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Recommended: Racism in literature

Gwendolyn Brooks was an American poet who was born in Topeka, Kansas but raised in Chicago, Illinois. She was recognized as the first black author to win the Pulitzer Prize in 1950. She grew up in an African-American neighborhood on the Southside of Chicago where there were limited opportunities for African-American women. For example, around six out of ten African-American women were employed in jobs that provided small wages, while less than one percent held professional positions such as teachers in segregated schools. In “Sadie and Maud”, Brooks compares and contrasts two sisters who have made different lifestyle choices and how their decisions have impacted them their lives. Although there were many limitations and expectations for African-American …show more content…

Sadie decides to break the societal rules by staying home and bearing illegitimate children. However in the end, “She didn’t leave a tangle in Her comb found every strand. Sadie was one of the livingest chits In all the land.” Although Sadie decides to break the ideals put forth for her to follow, she ends up being truly happy and also leaving “Her fine-tooth comb” for her two children. Brooks shows that Sadie lived her life to the fullest without worrying about what she was expected to do. On the other hand, Maud decides to follow the societal rules by going to college and getting education in hope for happiness in the future. However in the end, “Maud, who went to college, Is a thin brown mouse. She is living all alone In this old house.” The description of her life suggests that she is not happy even though she did what was conventional during this …show more content…

Education is what Maud went after but in the end she was lonely and sad. “Maud, who went to college, Is a thin brown mouse.” Brooks uses Maud as an example to criticize the misconception that education equates to happiness. Brooks uses both Sadie and Maud to explain that following the rules and guidelines of society does not ensure happiness. Sadie, who did not let social expectations dictate her life, ended up truly happy. “Sadie was one of the livingest chits In all the land.” Women during this time period in general were less fortunate than men. Furthermore, African-American women in particular were even less fortunate simply because of their race. Women were expected to go to college and get an education but being a woman, especially an African-American woman, made it difficult to do

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