Poem Basics
Who is the author?
Gwendolyn Brooks
What is the tone of this story?
mournful, anguished, melancholy
What is the rhyme scheme consist of for this poem?
4 Quatrains and 1 couplet
What year was Gwendolyn Brooks Born?
1917
What is described as "Coquettish" and "Possessive"?
Death
What type of poem is this?
Shakespearean Sonnet
How does Brooks portray death?
As a seductive woman with possessive arms
What line is repeated at the start and end of the poem?
Oh mother, mother, where is happiness?
What major award did she win, becoming the first African American to do so?
The Pulitzer Prize for Poetry
What literary device is used when describing death?
Personification
What is the main conflict of the poem?
The speaker’s lover leaves her to go to war, causing heartbreak and loss.
What makes the repetition “Oh mother, mother” powerful?
It expresses desperation and a cry for comfort.
Why might Gwendolyn Brooks have chosen a sonnet form to tell a story of loss and war?
The strict structure mirrors the tension between emotional chaos and social restraint, showing controlled pain.
Where was Gwendolyn Brooks born and raised?
She was born in Kansas and raised in Chicago
How old would Gwendolyn Brooks be if she were alive right now?
108