Explication of Gwendolyn Brooks A Sunset Of The City

Gwendolyn Brooks: Explication of “A Sunset Of The City” “A Sunset Of The City” is full of visual imagery and rhyming. The poem produces a depressed and sad tone. Throughout the six stanzas, Gwendolyn Brooks switches back and forth between the different characteristics. In my opinion, this poem is about a mother who has raised her children in the same house for years and years. She describes the city, atmosphere and how her children out-grew …

…into consideration that the bond between her and her children isn’t as strong as it used to be. The mother is filled with grief and confusion. “Consult a dual dilemma. Whether to dry in humming pallor or to leap and die.” It seems like she is left with a choice in life whether to live the rest of it or “die” in the heart of her kids just like their most prized possessions did.