Second Poetic Entry (The Bean Eaters)

Yo!

Another great contemporary poet Gwendolyn Brooks (June 7, 1917 – December 3, 2000) made this amazing poem I'd like to share with you.

And again I have to say: Do not copy this for any school assignments. This will NOT be accepted by your school as it's registered and online, and it will end up as 'fraud' and 'plagiarism'. Just so you're warned ;)

Gwendolyn Brooks: The Bean Eaters 

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 clothes
And 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.

Essay on The Bean Eaters Poem by Angie  

The Bean Eaters

            The poem The Bean Eaters has been written in 1960 by outstanding black poet Gwendolyn Brooks.

Analysis of The Bean Eaters

The poem consists of three stanzas with each four lines. The poem is written in plain language. There are no dialogues and it is written in the third person, the narrator tells a descriptive story about two present characters at dinner time.
     The ‘theme’, ‘symbolism’ and ‘setting’ are the most important elements of literature used in this poem. The theme says something about the message of the poem. The symbols represent the idea, the writer wants to show. The setting tells us the location, the daily live of the characters.
     These elements can be found in the words used to describe the characters eating their dinner. “This old yellow pair” means that the characters are an elderly couple. The couple is eating beans for dinner: “They eat beans mostly”. This dinner is nothing special because “dinner is a casual affair” and they use “plain chipware” and “tin flatware”. These words indicate that the couple is not rich or wealthy, but plain and simple. Apparently, this couple, who “have lived their day”, is having a daily routine of “putting on their clothes” “and putting things away”. But instead of giving in, they keep on living and “remembering” a rich life “full of beads and receipts and dolls and cloths”.
     The poem tells us something about the survival of these older people, relying on a daily routine. The hidden message, of the ‘simple’ description, can also be about the social conditions a lot of elderly people have to live in. Gwendolyn Brooks is known for her political statements, made in her poems, and this poem is no exception. The Bean Eaters captures a mix of daily routine and struggle.