Table of Contents
Introduction:
“Life for My Child Is Simple, and Is Good” is a poem written by Gwendolyn Brooks. It beautifully brings out a healthy mother-son relationship.
About the Poet:
Gwendolyn Brooks (1917-2000) was a notable American poet. She is the first African-American writer to have won the Pulitzer Prize. Famous works of hers include ‘We Real Cool’, ‘Annie Allen’, and ‘The Bean Eaters’.
Stanza:
Life for my child is simple, and is good. He knows his wish. Yes, but that is not all. Because I know mine too. And we both want joy of undeep and unabiding things, Like Kicking over a chair or throwing blocks out of a window Or tipping over an icebox pan Or snatching down curtains or fingering an electric outlet Or a journey or a friend or an illegal kiss. No. There is more to it than that. It is that he has never been afraid. Rather, he reaches out and lo the chair falls with a beautiful crash And the blocks fall, down on the people's heads, And the water comes slooshing sloopily out across the floor. And so forth. Not that success, for him, is sure, infallible. But never has he been afraid to reach. His lesions are legion. But reaching is his rule.
The poem begins with the persona– clearly, a mother– elaborating on the simple and good life of her and her child. She states how she and her child are clear about what they want in life.
While she states that what they want in life is “joy”, it is not merely restrained to the youthful antics she points out. Rather, it is about being unafraid. For making mischief is not the joy but to be unafraid enough to “reach” out enough to commit these acts.
Conclusion:
This is a beautiful, short poem. It brings out the unbridled pride a mother has for her son’s bravery right from childhood.
