Poem Analysis: 'We Think Of Lukewarm Water'

In society, the persons who hold authority through opportune and monetary wealth force the underprivileged “to the periphery of a dominant social group,” and “belittle, depreciate, discount, or dismiss” them; thus, creating marginalization (OED). In regards to race, the prominent, white community uses the weight of hundreds of years of mistreatment, violence, and oppression to classify non-whites as a marginalized group. Stripping these marginalized groups of opportunity, the authoritative whites pressure the marginalized into problematic situations imbued in struggle, in which there is no escaping. The marginalized group wishes to grow and experience life; however their desire for opportunity is impeded by both their mundane struggle and society’s
indifference towards their struggle. Ultimately, the marginalized group understands their desire for normalcy is in vain. By investigating the denotations and connotations of particular words and phrases in the poem “kitchenette building,” Gwendolyn Brooks portrays the marginalized group’s collective lack of agency, lack of opportunity, and struggles at the hands of the oppressor. The marginalized group, of which Brooks speaks, is never clearly defined; however, their feelings and struggles are collective. Brooks uses the phrases “we wonder” and “we think” in order to stress the mutual problems shared between the marginalized. Although one can assume she speaks of people of color, Brooks uses the collective “we” to assert that she speaks for all the marginalized: the marginalized groups of race, gender, and social class. Brooks also declares this collective voice when using the phrase, “Number Five.” Instead of giving the person a name, pronoun, or general indicator of who the person is, Brooks gives the person a number. The impersonal label exemplifies the unity throughout all the oppressed. The person could be anybody, but they are placed in the same marginalized position, in which she stays. The collective “we” and impersonal names allow Brooks to prove all oppressed people deal with similar struggles due to the oppressor.
These diverse, marginalized groups wish to grow as people and experience life. Brooks uses the phrase, “We wonder,” to express this desire. “Wonder” connotes dream-like thoughts about situations, which are seemingly out of reach. Coupled with “wonder” being defined as, “to be desirous to know or learn,” Brooks states the minority has the desire to absorb what the world has to offer (OED). The desire to become educated, to work a better paying job, to live in something more than just a kitchenette may seem simple, but the marginalized persons yearn for something more than what they have been dealt. They wish for the opportunity to truly imbue themselves in something more than their oppression. The marginalized person “wonders” about the possibilities of a free and equal life. Although the marginalized persons ponder the possibilities of true freedom, their life of struggle hinders these desires. When speaking of questioning life beyond oppression, the poem reads: “But not well! Not for a minute!” Brooks deliberately crafts these phrases to exemplify the struggle of the marginalized. By defining “well” as “satisfactory as regards conduct or action,” the adverse phrase questions the marginalized person’s ability to consider life without struggle (OED). When the phrase, “Not for a minute,” connotes the fleeting nature of time, the oppressed person does not have the ability to advance in life because there is simply no time. When the poem reads “Since Number Five is out of the bathroom now,” the narrator automatically knows it is their turn to shower. This structured plan suggests a hectic schedule, with which should not be tampered. With the struggles of raising a family, working tirelessly to pay bills, and the constant reappraisal by the oppressor, the marginalized persons do not have the time, confidence, or ability to even dream of a better life. In order to survive, the oppressed groups cannot get ahead because they constantly work to stay afloat. The oppressor feels indifferent towards the marginalized person’s struggle and lack of agency.
The poem reads: “We think of lukewarm water.” The “water” the narrator dreams about provides some necessities in life: nutrition and hygiene. These important necessities parallel the marginalized person’s need for physical and emotional care, ranging from access to proper housing to political equality. However, the “water” is “lukewarm.” This specific phrase suggests that the hot “water” is running out and the narrator receives the last of it before the “water” turns cold. Brooks affirms the marginalized person receives substandard fulfillments of life’s necessities: lower-wages, horrible living conditions, and unacceptable political treatment. Brooks uses the word “lukewarm” to assert another statement: the oppressor does not care about the struggles they force upon the marginalized. When referring to a person, “lukewarm” can be defined as: “having little warmth or depth of feeling, lacking zeal, enthusiasm or ardor, indifferent,” (OED). When speaking of the troubles dealt by the self-proclaimed superior, the impassionate treatment left over for the marginalized person show the true apathy of the oppressor. The oppressor simply does not care about the conditions, in which the marginalized
live. Although the marginalized groups wish for a better life, their desires are in vain.
The poem then reads: “hope to get in it.” Although the oppressor gives the marginalized person a life deprived of basic equality, they still desire and expect to be a part of it. However, besides the connotation of “hope,” it can also be ironically defined as: “An expectation which has little or no chance of being fulfilled,” (OED), Although the oppressed desire to be a part of an equal society, they sadly understand the minimal possibility of reaching that goal. By paying close attention to the specific words and phrases in the last stanza of “kitchenette building,” Gwendolyn Brooks constructs a radical statement about the inequality of marginalization. The oppressed wish to live happy, healthy lives filled with adventure and enlightenment. However, their struggle to provide for their families and themselves hinder them pursuing more. Coupled with society’s indifference towards the treatment they deal the marginalized persons, the oppressed must continue their mundane efforts just to survive. Although they seemingly only have hope to resuscitate their unfair lives, the marginalized quickly realize any hopeful thoughts are in vain when the possibility of equality seem impossible to reach.