Poem Analysis: The Mother By Gwendolyn Brooks

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“The Mother,” by Gwendolyn Brooks
The poem talks about a mother’s regret for the aborted children, she failed to bring into this earth and by extension give life. The poem is a lamentation of the dreams that failed to materialize because of a single decision. In the first line, the reader finds evidence of this in the warning about abortion not letting the guilty individual forget. The poet gives a vivid description of what an aborted child looks like, describing it as a small mass composed of lumps with attached hair. By using the expression “Singers and Workers," the poet again expresses frustration that the mother failed to accord the baby a chance to make a contribution in this world. Even the words “neglect”
/“beat” show that the act of abortion ranks above all others in terms of severity (Turner 2). Above everything else, a woman who aborts will never have a chance to perform the little things that comprise motherhood.
These include reprimanding a child with non-verbal and verbal cues to guide them through life. In the second paragraph, the poet talks of hearing voices of the murdered children. One can interpret this along with ghosts and the long time implications of long-term decision. The woman can forget the actions, but in some way, they will come back to haunt the individual. In this same paragraph, one finds references to the rites of passage that a child undergoes. They include love, relationships, marriage, and heartache. Again the author uses expressions of regret to show that a woman who aborts a child can expect to miss the rites of passage that a child goes through when transiting from childhood to adulthood. It is every mother’s dream to see a son or daughter walk down the church aisle with a loved one to signify the first step in starting a family and bringing forth another generation into the world. The tumults, aches and cries that the poet describes show that life is worth it. Women should not look at child rearing as a burden, but a duty to prepare a young one for the rigors of
life. Life holds many possibilities and dangers that can snare the unwary. A child may grow up, perform well in school and then end up in a tumultuous relationship that provides nothing but heartbreak, pain, and stress. On the other hand, a child may grow up, perform poorly in the professional life (career) but ultimately find happiness in a relationship with another individual. Looking at the poem, one can say that although the poet acknowledges the uncertainty of life (like the throw of the dice), one must always make the decision to bring a child safely into the world.
The poem also talks about the mother’s attempts to absolve blame from herself.
One line states “whining that the crime was other than mine." In this line, the mother who aborted a child equates it to an unmade being. It appears that the poet uses this line to show that women who abort will use any means to get closure (Holloway 3). Abortion causes extreme psychological guilt in a woman. Many rationalize the act by saying that since the baby did not come into the world in the form of a complete being, then the act did not constitute anything but a biological act. The reader can summarize the poem and equate it to both an expression of apology and defense against a reprehensible act. At one point, the poet talks about stealing lives and names. This shows that even if an aborted child comes out as a lump of unrecognizable hair, it is still a human being by virtue of the human process of conception. Had the child lived, at the very least it would have had a name and identity. Society would consider the child’s uniqueness and regard it to the product of a man and a woman (Cohen 2). The expression of breast that remains unsucked is the ultimate definer of motherhood and intimacy. A mother brings a child into the world and gives life. The same mother then uses the breasts to nourish the child and nurse it until the child reaches certain benchmarks. Therefore, a woman who aborts fails in more ways than one. However, as mentioned earlier, even if the poet apologizes, (“Poisoned the
beginnings of your breaths”) one can detect defiance and take refer it to defense. The poet tries to explain the difference between “making the child” and death. According to the poem, the aborted child is not made and is not in any way a whole person. That distinguishes the act of abortion from murder because murder takes a life while abortion just ensures that the life does not physically manifest itself.

Works Cited.
Cohen, Angela. Gwendolyn Brooks. Retreived from www.poetryfoundation.org Holloway, Diana. The Mother: Gwendolyn Brooks - Summary and Critical Analysi.s. Retrieved on30/07/2014 from: www.bachelorandmaster.com/britishandamericanpoetry/the-...
Turner, Jeremy. Brooks, Gwendolyn : the mother. Retrieved on30/07/2014 from: www.litmed.med.nyu.edu/Annotation?action=view&annid=1173