Comparison Of A Song In The Front Yard And Truth

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In the poems “A Song in the Front Yard” and “Truth” by Gwendolyn Brooks, the speakers both seek enlightenment, propelled by a shared urge to uncover unknown truths. Though these journeys have many similarities, they are separated by their contrasting views on the implications of this newfound knowledge. One expects joy and fulfillment, but the other fears disruption of their familiar life. Overall, in these poems by Brooks, the speakers both desire to find out about something unknown to them, but they have opposing beliefs about what this truth will bring to their lives. In “A Song in the Front Yard”, the speaker seems happy, curious, and longing to experience something in her life unknown to her. In this poem, the speaker expresses a desire to experience a life opposite to hers: …show more content…

It is also important to note that the speaker does not care about how others judge her for her decision. After recalling her mother’s viewpoint on those who live a contrasting lifestyle, the speaker states, “But I say it’s fine. Honest, I do./And I’d like to be a bad woman, too,” (Brooks 17-18). It’s evident here that the speaker acknowledges how the unknown is dangerous and seemingly worse, yet still would rather take risks to have a more enjoyable, exhilarating life. To her, an unfettered, unsupervised, and dangerous life is superior to her current sheltered, safe one, explaining why the speaker desires to experience the unknown. The phrase “bad woman” also shows her mother's influence on her beliefs. She seems to be working to unlearn these beliefs and hold onto them, which also illustrates how important this lifestyle change is to her and her enthusiasm around it. Overall, the speaker in this poem welcomes uncertainty into her life because she sees it as an opportunity to better her enjoyment of

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