The Bean Eaters, - Jenna Pelosi

Gwendolyn Brooks
The Bean Eaters

I chose this poem for two main reasons. The first reason is because of its presence or new language, which I will go in detail about, and also because the ending of the poem is still unclear in its exact meaning or interpretation. In the first stanza, the majority of the words used express the somber emotion of the poem. Notice the words that I italicize throughout the lines in the first stanza: “They eat the beans mostly, this old yellow pair; Dinner is s casual affair; Plain chipware on a plain and creaking wood, Tin flatware.” (Brooks, pg. 402). Through the use of new language, the speaker is emphasizing the direct emotion correlating with this old pair. To look deeper into what I mean exactly, the speaker used the word “old, yellow” to describe the couple. The color yellow doesn’t always give away attractive, youthful characteristics, especially when adding in the adjective “old” in front of it. The speaker also repeats the word “plain” two times in the first sentence, why not chose a synonym for “plain” instead, for example, “simple” or “basic”? The second stanza reads to me that this couple is not ready to let go of their lives, their rituals. “Two who have lived their day, But keep putting on their clothes, and putting things away” (Brooks, pg 402). Those lines are very poignant, and direct in the meaning behind them. This couple is not ready to let go. However the last sentence still, leaves me confused; maybe someone in the class can help me on this poem.