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Gwendolyn Brooks’ did not let her hurdles in life slow her down. In fact, Brooks’ used her obstacles to her advantage, and sprinted towards the finish line. Gwendolyn faced financial struggles, and limited opportunities due to her racial background. However, Brooks’ achieved many accomplishments and used her African American heritage to become one of America’s best poetic authors. Gwendolyn Brooks has said that her poetry was written for blacks and about blacks, yet any person of any race can relate to the universal themes portrayed in her pieces. Gwendolyn Brooks’ lived a life full of warm relationships and happy memories. On June 7th, 1917, David and Keziah Brooks welcomed their first child, Gwendolyn Brooks, into the world. Despite being born in Topeka, Kansa, Gwendolyn considered herself a “Chicagoan;” Brooks’ family moved to Chicago shortly after Gwendolyn was born. The Brooks family was financially restricted, but according to Kenny Jackson Williams, they filled the financial gap with “warm interpersonal relationships”. Gwendolyn attended the leading white school in her hometown, Hyde Park High School. Later on, Gwendolyn transferred to Wendell Phillips High School, which was an all black school. With the drop in racial segregation, the two high schools integrated into Englewood High School. Gwendolyn graduated Wilson Jr. College in 1936. The constant transferring of schools gave Gwendolyn insight on racial dynamics in urban life. In 1938, Gwendolyn Brooks married Henry Blakely. Together, they had two children; Henry Jr. was born in 1940 and Nora was born in 1951. Regarding Gwendolyn Brooks’ literature lifetime, she was very successful. In 1930, Gwendolyn published her first poem, Eventide, in the American Childh... ... middle of paper ... ... On File, Inc., 2007. Bloom's Literature. Facts On File, Inc. Web. 7 May 2014 . Melhem, D. H. "A Street in Bronzeville." Gwendolyn Brooks: Poetry and the Heroic Voice, (Lexington, Kentucky: The University Press of Kentucky, 1987): pp. 37-39. Quoted as "The Queen's Themes" in Harold Bloom, ed. Gwendolyn Brooks, Bloom's Major Poets. Philadelphia: Chelsea House Publishing, 2002. (Updated 2007.) Bloom's Literature. Facts On File, Inc. Web. 7 May 2014 . Williams, Kenny Jackson. "Gwendolyn Brooks' Life and Career." Modern American Poetry. The Oxford Companion to African-American Literature, 1997. Web. 06 May 2014. .
Throughout Brooks’ life she received numerous of honors and awards. She was one great poet and her poems were well-known. Brooks carried a great influence and her legacy still lives in the life of many modern poets.
The life and art of the black American poet, Gwendolyn Brooks, began on June 7, 1917 when she was born in Topeka, Kansas. She was the first child of Keziah Corine Wims and David Anderson Brooks. When she was four, her family moved to their permanent residence on Champlin Avenue in Chicago. Her deep interest in poetry consumed much of her early life. For instance, Brooks began rhyming at the age of seven. When she was thirteen, she had her first poem, 'Eventide', published in American Childhood Magazine. Her first experience of high school came from the primary white high school in the city, Hyde Park High School. Thereafter, she transferred to an all-black high school and then to the integrated Englewood High School. By 1934, Brooks had become a member of the staff of the Chicago Defender and had published almost one hundred of her poems in a weekly poetry column. In 1936, she graduated from Wilson Junior College.
Phillis Wheatley was born in Senegal, West Africa in 1753. She was kidnapped in 1761 at age eight and bought by John Wheatley so she could serve his wife Susan. Due to the fact that Phillis was extremely intelligent and a fast learner Susan did not train her to be her servant. Phillis was taught English, Latin, and Greek, and other subjects including the Bible. She slowly became a part of the Wheatley family. Thanks to the lessons that Phillips received she started writing poems, one of the poems she is known for is “Being Brought from Africa to America.” In this poem Phillis Wheatley uses some poetic devices such as similes, metaphors, hyperboles to illustrate color and darkness, multiple meanings of words, and the relationship between skin tone and salvation.
This piece of autobiographical works is one of the greatest pieces of literature and will continue to inspire young and old black Americans to this day be cause of her hard and racially tense background is what produced an eloquent piece of work that feels at times more fiction than non fiction
Gates, Henry Louis, and Nellie Y. McKay. The Norton Anthology of African American Literature. New York: W.W. Norton &, 2004. Print.
Walker, Alice. "In Search of Our Mothers? Gardens." The Norton Anthology of African American Literature. Ed. Henry Louis Gates Jr. New York: Norton, 1997. 2383.
In “We Real Cool,” by Gwendolyn Brooks, one can almost visualize a cool cat snapping his fingers to the beat, while she is reading this hip poem. Her powerful poem uses only a few descriptive words to conjure up a gang of rebellious teens. Brooks employs a modern approach to the English language and her choice of slang creates a powerful jazz mood. All of the lines are very short and the sound on each stop really pops. Brooks uses a few rhymes to craft an effective sound and image of the life she perceives. With these devices she manages to take full control of her rhyme and cultivates a morally inspiring poem.
James, Johson Weldon. Comp. Henry Louis. Gates and Nellie Y. McKay. The Norton Anthology of African American Literature. New York: W.W. Norton &, 2004. 832. Print.
Gates, Henry Louis Jr. and Nellie Y. McKay. The Norton Anthology of African American Literature. New York: W.W. Norton & Company
Poetry Foundation. Ed. Poetry Foundation. Harriet Monroe Poetry Institute, n.d. Web. 26 Jan. 2014.
Ferguson, Margaret W., Salter, Mary J., and Stallworthy, Jon. The Norton Anthology of Poetry. fifth ed. N.p.: W.W. Norton, 2005. 2120-2121. 2 Print.
The contradiction of being both black and American was a great one for Hughes. Although this disparity was troublesome, his situation as such granted him an almost begged status; due to his place as a “black American” poet, his work was all the more accessible. Hughes’ black experience was sensationalized. Using his “black experience” as a façade, however, Hughes was able to obscure his own torments and insecurities regarding his ambiguous sexuality, his parents and their relationship, and his status as a public figure.
...t social injustices (Weidt 53). Because of her quest for freedom, she gave way to writers such as Gwendolyn Brooks and Countee Cullen. Countee Cullen wrote "Heritage," which mixes themes of freedom, Africa, and religion. It can be said, then, that he gave way to writers such as Gwendolyn Brooks wrote "Negro Hero," which is about the status of the African American during the 1940s. Clearly, these poets followed the first steps taken by Phillis Wheatley towards speaking out against social issues, and today's poetry is a result of the continuation to speak out against them
Margaret Walker was born on July 7, 1915 in Birmingham, Alabama to Reverend Sigismund C. Walker and Marion Dozier Walker (Gates and McKay 1619). Her father, a scholarly Methodist minister, passed onto her his passion for literature. Her mother, a music teacher, gifted her with an innate sense of rhythm through music and storytelling. Her parents not only provided a supportive environment throughout her childhood but also emphasized the values of education, religion, and black culture. Much of Walker’s ability to realistically write about African American life can be traced back to her early exposure to her black heritage. Born in Alabama, she was deeply influenced by the Harlem Renaissance and received personal encouragement from Langston Hughes. During the Depression, she worked for the WPA Federal Writers Project and assists Richard Wright, becoming his close friend and later, biographer. In 1942, she was the first African American to win the Yale Younger Poets award for her poem For My People (Gates and McKay 1619). Her publishing career halted for...
Gabbin, Joanne V. “Furious Flower: African American Poetry, An Overview.” The Oxford Companion to African American Literature. Oxford University Press. Web: 4 Dec. 2013.