Renowned for her "small... terse portraits of the Black urban poor" (Richard K. Barksdale), the Pulitzer Prize-winning Gwendolyn Brooks here presents a less than flattering portrait of a few representatives from the Ladies Betterment League who leave the comfort of their homes to "allot largesse to the lost." Brooks' razor-sharp perceptions of the human mind invite us to look past ourselves and into the eyes, hearts, and circumstances of others, evoking questions about the way(s) we view, think about, and aim to help those in need. Published in 1963, the poem also gives us the opportunity to explore the nature of charity vs. service, the “horror” of poverty, and how or why we, in Brooks' words, might “avoid inhaling the laden air
The Lovers of the Poor and the Ladies from the Ladies Betterment League are two different groups of people who arrive at the house of the poor family. The poem has a double start because it is showing the contrast between these two groups of people.
Explanation:
The Lovers of the Poor are a group of people who help the poor and needy. They are shown in a positive light in the poem. On the other hand, the Ladies from the Ladies Betterment League are a group of people who try to improve the lives of the poor. However, they are shown in a negative light in the poem.
