The Bean Eaters
Gwendolyn Brooks (1917-2000)
They eat beans mostly, this old yellow pair.Dinner is a casual affair.Plain chipware on a plain and creaking wood,Tin flatware.Two who are Mostly Good.Two who have lived their day,But keep on putting on their clothesAnd putting things away.And remembering …Remembering, with twinklings and twinges,As they lean over the beans in their rented back room that is full of beads and receipts and dolls and cloths, tobacco crumbs, vases and fringes.
Gwendolyn Brooks is an expert an a leader in picturing and illustrating the human experience. Brooks paints the image of the old couple, hinting at themes of isolation and poverty. She illustrates a hopeless future if we do not act and do better. The couple is eating beans every day, stuck in a racial caste system, and is alone. She does not tell us about the consequences of a white supremacist, capitalist, and patriarchal system; she shows us. It is important to note that this piece differentiates from the previous poems. Gwendolyn Brooks’s poem is a visual image of a scene, while previous poems have been personal narratives. However, I chose this piece for no other reason but to invoke the feeling of the reader, feelings of urgency and surreality.
Why did I choose this piece?
It is necessary for us to be aware of the consequences of history and present, in order to secure a better future. Gwendolyn Brooks does just that, by reminding us.
