19 pages • 38 minutes read
Gwendolyn BrooksA Bronzeville Mother Loiters in Mississippi. Meanwhile, a Mississippi Mother Burns Bacon
Fiction | Poem | Adult | Published in 1960A modern alternative to SparkNotes and CliffsNotes, SuperSummary offers high-quality Study Guides with detailed chapter summaries and analysis of major themes, characters, and more.
Further Reading & Resources
Related Poems
“The Last Quatrain of the Ballad of Emmett Till” by Gwendolyn Brooks (1960)
This poem functions as a kind of companion piece to “A Bronzeville Mother Loiters,” and is important for its contrasting form and purpose. “The Last Quatrain of the Ballad of Emmett Till” employs similar, related allusions and metaphors (ballads, quatrains, and the color red) in order to make a very different statement about Emmett Till’s murder.
“We Real Cool” by Gwendolyn Brooks (1960)
Perhaps the most famous of Brooks’s poems, this short piece reflects the experiences and struggles of urban Black youth in the United States. “We Real Cool” employs simple diction and sound devices to powerfully indict the violence and loss of young Black men in the United States.
“kitchenette building” by Gwendolyn Brooks (1963)
From her very first published collection of poems, “kitchenette building” is representative of Brooks’s early style and focus. This portrait of life for African Americans living in the urban US exemplifies Brooks’s experiences and preoccupations early in her career.
“The Golden Shovel” by Terrance Hayes (1981)
Hayes, an award-winning contemporary poet, wrote “The Golden Shovel” poem in homage to Brooks and her work. Hayes’s poem is the first of many new golden shovel poems written in the Brooks-inspired form that he created. (See “Introduction: The Golden Shovel” in the Further Literary Resources section of this guide for an explanation of Hayes’s new poetic form.
Further Literary Resources
“Saying His Name” by Terrance Hayes (2022)
“Saying His Name” is a collection of poems about Emmett Till, his murder, and the impact of Till’s murder on the Civil Rights Movement. Curated by poet Terrance Hayes for the Poetry Society of America, “Saying His Name” is a great resource for poems about Emmett Till. “A Bronzeville Mother Loiters” is included in the collection.
“Introduction: The Golden Shovel” by Don Share (2017)
Share introduces the golden shovel poetic form created by Terrance Hayes in homage to Brooks and her writing. Share’s explanation is brief and succinct, but it serves as a good roadmap for someone who is unfamiliar with the golden shovel form.
“Chapter 1 | The Murder of Emmett Till” uploaded by American Experience | PBS (2020)
This video clip, uploaded by PBS in 2020, is the opening of a historical documentary that focuses on Emmett Till and his 1955 murder. PBS conducts interviews and explains the basic details of the murder, including political precursors, the trial for the murder, and its aftermath. This is a good resource for someone who is unfamiliar with Emmett Till and his story.
“Maids Mild and Dark Villains, Sweet Magnolias and Seeping Blood: Gwendolyn Brooks’ Poetic Response to the Lynching of Emmett Till” by Vivian M. May (2008)
In this chapter, written in 2008 for Emmett Till in Literary Memory and Imagination, May discusses Brooks’s Emmett Till poems and the details which connect the two poems as companion pieces. May also provides analysis of Brooks’s use of imagery and symbol in the two poems.
“Jim Crow Laws: Definition, Facts & Timeline” by History.com (2022)
This History.com article provides a brief description, timeline, and definition of Jim Crow laws in the South. Although Brooks does not explicitly reference Jim Crow laws in her poem, a basic knowledge of Jim Crow is relevant to the murder of Emmett Till, the acquittal of his murderers, and “A Bronzeville Woman Loiters in Mississippi.”
“Could Wake County arrest the woman in the Emmett Till case” by Kristen Johnson (2022)
This recent news article reports on new findings in Wake County, Mississippi, relating to the 1955 murder of Emmett Till. This source is particularly interesting for its relevance to recent events. After 67 years, the woman involved in the Emmett Till murder case—who is fictionalized as the speaker in Brooks’s poem—is possibly being considered for further investigation.
Listen to Poem
In this audio recording, presented by The Poetry Center and UC, Berkeley at Wheeler Hall, the University of California, Berkeley, Brooks reads a selection of poems from her many collections. Her reading of “A Bronzeville Mother Loiters” begins around mark 0:37:16 of the video, and she gives a brief introduction to the poem around the 0:35 minute mark.
Related Titles
By Gwendolyn Brooks
