There is no real hero in the postmodern era. There were a slew of events that occurred in America between 1946 and the present, including the Civil Rights Movement, the Cold War, and the rise of the feminism (Norton 5). With all of the cultural and social changes, it is impossible for there to be one hero that can lead others. It is no longer about the individual leading the group. It is about the individual leading the individual.
New voices were appearing in literature, providing a variety of different perspectives (Norton 5).
Gwendolyn Brooks is just one of the many writers who lent her perspective of America. As an African American woman who grew up in a predominantly black neighborhood, Brooks’ poetry gives insight into the lives of those who were often overlooked (Belasco 2065). In her poem “kitchenette building” Brooks writes from the perspective of someone who is contemplating the elusiveness of dream while waiting for their turn to bathe. The dream “makes a giddy sound, not / strong / Like ‘rent,’ ‘feeding a wife,’ ‘satisfying a man’ (Brooks 2068). Even though this person likely does not have much, there is still a glimmer of hope that the dream may some day be caught.
[Brooks] has accorded heroic stature to the lives of women in the African American community, while never ceasing to speak for and to that community as a whole. Her poetry holds up a mirror to the American experience entire, its dreams, self-delusions and nightmares.
-Adrienne Rich