How Does Gwendolyn Brooks Use Metaphors In Kitchenette Building

Everyone has a dream or aspiration that they wish to attain in the future. However, some people are faced with hardships that interrupt their desires. In Gwendolyn Brooks’ optimistic poem, “Kitchenette Building,” she utilizes metaphors, rich imagery, and contradictions to explore the relationship between challenging reality and dreams and to argue the notion that impecunious people can still have hopes. Tension can arise throughout the poem because readers often interpret this poem as a story that describes the rejection of dreams because of the harsh pressures of reality.
“Kitchenette Building,” is mainly targeting impoverished people. The title of the poem is referring to a small room that ultimately makes up the whole house. The bedroom, living room, and kitchen all share the same space. The people in Brooks’ poem can clearly be

portrayed as underprivileged people with demanding duties as their lifestyle. In line three, Brooks states daily tasks that a person is expected to do, “Like rent, feeding a wife, satisfying a man.” Conversely, just because a person is living in poverty and maintains a busy lifestyle, does not mean that they cannot possess dreams of their own. This concept can be viewed as the paradox that unifies the whole poem. It is contradicting that poor people are too engaged in their responsibilities to have dreams, yet the narrator of the poem is a penurious person daydreaming about their own dreams. Tension builds up through the poem as readers can often translate it in different ways.
Brooks also uses vivid imagery and metaphors in her poem to connect it to characteristics of dreams.

In the second stanza Brooks states, “And yesterday’s garbage ripening in the hall, flutter or sing an aria down these rooms.” Here, Brooks is using metaphors to express that the garbage ripening in the hall can be toxic just like bad dreams. However, dreams can also be pleasant and enchanting like an aria that is sung. In this stanza, the reader can imagine what the revolting trash looks like and is able to associate it to a dream that did not get prioritized, was forgotten, and left to putrefy. Nevertheless, if it is like an aria, the dream will be able to flourish. Additionally, in line one and two, Brooks describes strong, intense smells using imagery. She states, “But could a dream send up through onion fumes, its white and violet, fight with fried potatoes.” The narrator is describing some of their daily tasks, like them having to cook. Yet, would a dream be able to conquer over social duties like having to prepare a meal? Could it send up through onion fumes? We are able to tell more closely towards the end of the

poem.