“A SUNSET OF THE CITY”

Poem by: Gwendolyn BooksAnalysis by: Nick Arnold

About the Author: Gwendolyn Brooks Born in Topeka, Kansas on June 7, 1917

Died in Chicago on December 4, 2000

Family moved to downtown Chicago

Began writing as a preteen and published her first poem at age 13 in a children’s magazine

By age 16 she had published over 75 poems

About the Author (Cont.) Graduated from Wilson Junior College

Wrote sonnets, ballads, and free verse poems Sent these poems to The Chicago

Defender, an African American newspaper 2nd book, “Annie Allen” published in 1949

won the 1950 Pulitzer Prize1st African American to win the Pulitzer Prize

“A Sunset of the City” 1st published in 1963 in Brook’s self

published: Selected Poems

Characterizes a woman reflecting on her life as she realizes it is coming to an end

Free Verse

Explication of “A Sunset of the City” Lines 1-5 “Already I am no

longer looked at with lechery or love.

My daughters and sons have put me away with marbles and dolls, / Are gone from the house.

My Husband and lovers are pleasant and somewhat polite / And night is night”

- Once a young and attractive woman - Now she is old and unappealing

Symbol: “marbles and dolls”-Her children have grown up and left her alone

- Her husband is also gone

- “Night is night” symbolizes that it does not matter her relationship with others, the sun is setting on her life

Explication of “A Sunset of the City” (Cont.) Lines 6-9

“It is real chill out, The genuine thing

I am not deceived, I do not think it is still summer

Because the sun stays and the birds continue to sing”

- The weather is getting colder

- metaphor for her coming death

-She is not fooled into thinking that she is still young

- The world goes on regardless of her ages

Explication of “A Sunset of the City” (Cont.) Lines 10-12 “It is summer-gone

that I see, it is summer-gone.

The sweet flowers indrying and dying down,

The grasses forgetting their blaze and consenting to brown”

-She knows she is getting old

- The flowers are dying and the grass is changing color

- Symbol for hair changing color to grey

Explication of “A Sunset of the City” (Cont.) Lines 13-16 “It is real chill out.

The fall crisp comes.

I am aware there is winter to heed.

There is no warm house

That is filled with my need.”

-“It is real chill out” is repeated here. It emphasizes the coming winter and the woman realizing her coming death

- Winter is symbolic for death

- The woman does not have a warm house to survive the impending winter

Explication of “A Sunset of the City” (Cont.) Lines 17-20 “I am cold in this cold

house Whose washed

echoes are tremulous down lost halls.

I am a woman, and dusty, standing among new affairs.

I am a woman who hurries through her prayers.”

-Echoes symbolize her memories, only being echoes of what they once were

-The halls are empty

-Dusty symbolizes her remaining idle and being unused - She is outdated

- prays in hopes of getting into heaven

Explication of “A Sunset of the City” (Cont.) Lines 21-27 “Tin intimations of a quiet

core to be my Desert and my dear relief Come: there shall be such

islanding from grief, And small communion with

the master shore. Twang they. And I incline

this ear tin, Consult a dual dilemma.

Whether to dry In humming pallor or to

leap and die.”

-Accepts her fate

- Realizes the relief in her death and welcomes it as “dear relief-“communion with master shore” her communing with God after death

- Dual dilemma or withering away and slowly dying or a quick suicidal death

-Maybe she was praying to be forgiven of her sins or forgive the suicide

Explication of “A Sunset of the City” (Cont.) Line 28 “Somebody

muffed it? Somebody wanted to joke. -“Muffed” implies a

mistake

-Somebody might have thought life is a joke

- Someone might have ignored the signs of a suicidal person

Bibliography Brooks, Gwendolyn. "A Sunset of the City." By

Gwendolyn Brooks : The Poetry Foundation. N.p., n.d. Web. 23 Apr. 2013.

"Gwendolyn Brooks." : The Poetry Foundation. N.p., n.d. Web. 25 Apr. 2013.

"Gwendolyn Brooks Biography." Bio.com. A&E Networks Television, n.d. Web. 24 Apr. 2013.

Suttor, Marijane. "Poetry Analysis: A Sunset of the City, by Gwendolyn Brooks." Helium. Helium, 25 Mar. 2012. Web. 25 Apr. 2013.

Watkins, Mel. "In Memoriam: Gwendolyn Brooks (1917-2000)." The Black Scholar 1st ser. 31 (2001): 51-54. ProQuest. Web. 24 Apr. 2013