PEOPLE IN AMERICA - Gwendolyn Brooks

PEOPLE IN AMERICA -July 7, 2002: Gwendolyn Brooks¹

By Cynthia Kirk
VOICE ONE:
I’m Shirley Griffith.
VOICE TWO:
And I’m Sarah Long with the VOA Special English program, PEOPLE IN AMERICA.

Today we tell about the life of award-winning poet Gwendolyn Brooks. She was the
first African American to win a Pulitzer Prize for Literature.

((THEME))

VOICE ONE:

Gwendolyn Brooks wrote hundreds of poems during her lifetime. She had more than
twenty books published. She was known around the world for using poetry to
increase understanding about black culture in America.

Gwendolyn Brooks wrote many poems about being black during the Nineteen-Forties and Nineteen-Fifties. Her
poems described conditions among the poor, racial inequality and drug use in the black community. She also
wrote poems about the struggles of black women.

But her skill was more than her ability to write about struggling black people. She was an expert at the language
of poetry. She combined traditional European poetry styles with the African American experience.

VOICE TWO:

Gwendolyn Brooks once said that she wrote about what she saw and heard in the street. She said she found most
of her material looking out of the window of her second-floor apartment house in Chicago, Illinois.

VOICE TWO(cont):

In her early poetry, Gwendolyn Brooks wrote about the South Side of Chicago. The South Side of Chicago is
where many black people live. In her poems, the South Side is called Bronzeville. It was “A Street in
Bronzeville”.. that gained the attention of literary³ experts in Nineteen-Forty-Five. Critics praised her poetic⁴ skill
and her powerful descriptions about the black experience during the time. The Bronzeville poems were her first
published collection.

Here she is reading from her Nineteen -Forty-Five collection, “A Street in Bronzeville.”..

CUT ONE -GWENDOLYN BROOKS ACT (13 Secs)

“My father, it is surely a blue place and straight. Right, regular, where I shall find no need for scholarly
nonchalance⁵ or looks a little to the left or guards upon the heart.”..

VOICE ONE:

In Nineteen-Fifty, Gwendolyn Brooks became the first African-American to win the Pulitzer Prize for Literature.
She won the prize for her second book of poems called “Annie Allen.” “Annie Allen”.. is a collection of
poetry about the life of a Bronzeville girl as a daughter, a wife and mother. She experiences loneliness, loss,
death and being poor.


Mizz Brooks said that winning the prize changed her life.
Her next work was a novel written in Nineteen -Fifty-Three called “Maud Martha. ” “Maud Martha”

received little notice when it first was published. But now it is considered an important work by some critics. Its
main ideas about the difficult life of many women are popular among female⁶ writers today.
VOICE TWO:
Gwendolyn Brooks wrote poems about the black experience in America. She described the anger many blacks

had about racial injustice⁷ and the feeling of being different. She used poetry to criticize⁸ those who did not show
respect for the poor. Yet for all the anger in her writing, Gwendolyn Brooks was considered by many to be a
gentle spirit and a very giving person.

VOICE TWO(cont)
:
By the early Nineteen -Sixties, Mizz Brooks had reached a high point in her writing career. She was considered

one of America’s leading black writers. She was a popular teacher. She was praised for her use of language and
the way people identified with her writing.
((MUSIC BRIDGE)
)
VOICE ONE:
Gwendolyn Brooks was born in Topeka, Kansas in Nineteen-Seventeen. But she grew up in Chicago. She began

writing when she was eleven years old. She mailed several poems to a community newspaper in Chicago to
surprise her family.
In a radio broadcast in Nineteen-Sixty-One, Mizz Brooks said her mother urged her to develop her poetic skills:

CUT TWO –.. GWENDOLYN BROOKS ACT (23 Secs)
“My mother took me to the library when I was about four or five. I enjoyed reading poetry and I tried to write it
when I was about seven, at the time that I first tried to put rhymes together. And I have loved it ever since.
”

VOICE TWO:
Gwendolyn Brooks married Henry L. Blakely in Nineteen-Thirty-Nine. Henry Blakely was a young writer who

later published his own poetry. They lived in Chicago for the next thirty years, divorced⁹ in Nineteen-Sixty-Nine,
but re-united in Nineteen-Seventy-Three. They had two children, Nora Brooks Blakely and Henry Blakely.
Throughout her life, Mizz Brooks supported herself through speaking appearances, poetry readings and part time

teaching¹⁰ in colleges. She also received money from organizations that offered grants¹¹ designed to support the arts.
VOICE ONE:
One of Gwendolyn Brooks most famous poems is called “We Real Cool ”. It is a short poem that talks about

young people feeling hopeless:

“We real cool. We left school. We lurk¹² late. We strike straight. We sing sin². We thin gin. We jazz June. We die
soon.
”
VOICE TWO:
By the end of the Nineteen-Sixties, Gwendolyn Brooks’s poetry expanded from the everyday experiences of

people in Bronzeville. She wrote about a wider world and dealt with important political issues. She won praise

for her sharper, real-life poetic style.
Gwendolyn Brooks was affected¹³ by the civil rights struggles and social changes taking place in America. She
began to question her relations with whites. She said she felt that black poets should write for black people.


That became evident¹⁴ in her next collection of poetry in Nineteen-Sixty-Eight called “In the Mecca.
”
Critics
suggested Mizz Brooks had become too political and seemed to be writing only for black people. Her new poems
received little notice in the press.

VOICE ONE:

In some of her poems, Gwendolyn Brooks’
described how what people see in life is affected by who they are.
One example is this poem, “Corners on the Curving¹⁵ Sky”
:
Our earth is round, and, among other things
That means that you and I can hold completely different
Points of view and both be right.
The difference of our positions will show
Stars in your window. I cannot even imagine.
Your sky may burn with light,
While mine, at the same moment,
Spreads beautiful to darkness.
Still, we must choose how we separately corner
The circling universe of our experience
Once chosen, our cornering will determine
The message of any star and darkness we
encounter¹⁶.
VOICE TWO:
Although her poetry did not receive much notice in the press, Gwendolyn Brooks continued to receive honors¹⁸.

She was chosen poet laureate of the state of Illinois in Nineteen-Sixty-Eight. In Nineteen-Seventy-Six, she
became the first black woman to be elected to the National Institute of Arts and Letters. She received a lifetime
achievement award from the National Endowment for the Arts in Nineteen-Eighty-Nine. And she was named the
Nineteen-Ninety-Four Jefferson Lecturer by the National Endowment for the Humanities¹⁹. That is the highest
honor¹⁷ given by the federal²⁰ government for work in the humanities.

Mizz Brooks once said that of all the awards she received, there was only one that meant a lot to her. It was given
to her at a workshop in an old theater in Chicago. She said “I was given an award for just being me, and that
’
s
what poetry is to me
–
just being me.
”

VOICE ONE:
Although she was well-known, Gwendolyn Brooks lived a quiet life. She said her greatest interest was being

involved with young people. She spent time giving readings at schools, prisons and hospitals. She also attended
yearly²² poetry competitions for Chicago children. She often paid for the awards given to the winners.
Haki Madhubuti directs the Gwendolyn Brooks Center for Creative Writing and Black Literature at Chicago

State University. He said Mizz Brooks felt children would help lead the way toward²³ healing²⁴ the wounds of the
United States civil rights movement of the Nineteen-Sixties. One young student talked about how Mizz Brooks’
poetry affected her. She said that Gwendolyn Brooks’
writings influenced her to write down how she truly feel


deep inside.
VOICE TWO:
Gwendolyn Brooks influenced many African-American writers. Friends say her prize-winning works²¹ also helped

other black Americans to develop their own sense of identity²⁵ and culture.

Doctors discovered Mizz Brooks had cancer in November, Two-Thousand. She died December Third at her
home in Chicago. She was eighty -three.
The funeral service was held on the South Side, the same area of the city that had been a window for much of

Mizz Brooks’s poetry. The service was at times filled with laughter. There were warm remembrances of
a
woman whose life and words had touched people forever. African drums sounded and dancers leaped.
((THEME)
)
VOICE ONE:
This Special English program was written and produced by Cynthia Kirk. I’m Shirley Griffith.

VOICE TWO:
And I’m Sarah Long. Join us again next week for another PEOPLE IN AMERICA program on the Voice of
America.

 

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1 brooks   

n.小溪( brook的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• Brooks gave the business when Haas caught him with his watch. 哈斯抓到偷他的手表的布鲁克斯时，狠狠地揍了他一顿。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• Ade and Brooks exchanged blows yesterday and they were severely punished today. 艾德和布鲁克斯昨天打起来了，今天他们受到严厉的惩罚。 来自《简明英汉词典》

2 sin   

n.罪，罪孽，过失；vi.犯罪，违反

参考例句：

• It's a sin to waste food.浪费食品是一种罪过。
• It's a sin to be indoors on holiday.假期中待在家里实在是罪过。

3 literary   

adj.文学（上）的

参考例句：

• Literary works of this kind are well received by the masses.这样的文学作品很受群众欢迎。
• The book was favourably noticed in literary magazines.这本书在文学杂志上得到好评。

4 poetic   

adj.富有诗意的，有诗人气质的，善于抒情的

参考例句：

• His poetic idiom is stamped with expressions describing group feeling and thought.他的诗中的措辞往往带有描写群体感情和思想的印记。
• His poetic novels have gone through three different historical stages.他的诗情小说创作经历了三个不同的历史阶段。

5 nonchalance   

n.冷淡，漠不关心

参考例句：

• She took her situation with much nonchalance.她对这个处境毫不介意。
• He conceals his worries behind a mask of nonchalance.他装作若无其事，借以掩饰内心的不安。

6 female   

adj.雌的，女(性)的；n.雌性的动物，女子

参考例句：

• We only employ female workers.我们只雇用女工。
• The animal in the picture was a female elephant.照片上的动物是头母象。

7 injustice   

n.非正义，不公正，不公平，侵犯（别人的）权利

参考例句：

• They complained of injustice in the way they had been treated.他们抱怨受到不公平的对待。
• All his life he has been struggling against injustice.他一生都在与不公正现象作斗争。

8 criticize   

vt.批评；批判，指责；评论，评价

参考例句：

• Whenever you criticize him,he always has an excuse.你批评他，他总有说头儿。
• You are free to criticize my work.你可以随意批评我的工作。

9 divorced   

adj.离婚的；分开的；不相干的；脱离的v.与…离婚(divorce的过去式和过去分词)；分离；与某人离婚，判某人离婚

参考例句：

• Apparently they are getting divorced soon. 看样子，他们很快就要离婚。
• Many divorced men remarry and have second families. 许多离婚的男子再婚组成了新的家庭。

10 teaching   

n.教学，执教，任教，讲授；(复数)教诲

参考例句：

• We all agree in adopting the new teaching method. 我们一致同意采取新的教学方法。
• He created a new system of teaching foreign languages.他创造了一种新的外语教学体系。

11 grants   

n.（来自私人或公共授予机构的）基金( grant的名词复数 )；补助金；授给物（如财产、授地、专有权、补助、拨款等）v.（退一步）承认( grant的第三人称单数 )；（尤指正式地或法律上）同意；准许；让渡

参考例句：

• Higher education grants are a carrot with which to entice students. 高等教育的助学金是吸引学生的诱惑物。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• Grants for the arts are not too thick on the ground these years. 这几年提供给艺术的补助金并不很多。 来自《简明英汉词典》

12 lurk   

n.潜伏，潜行；v.潜藏，潜伏，埋伏

参考例句：

• Dangers lurk in the path of wilderness.在这条荒野的小路上隐伏着危险。
• He thought he saw someone lurking above the chamber during the address.他觉得自己看见有人在演讲时潜藏在会议厅顶上。

13 affected   

adj.不自然的，假装的

参考例句：

• She showed an affected interest in our subject.她假装对我们的课题感到兴趣。
• His manners are affected.他的态度不自然。

14 evident   

adj.明显的，显然的，明白的

参考例句：

• It's evident to me that they have no experience in this work.在我看来，他们干这项工作没有经验是显而易见的。
• The prospect became more evident.前景变得更加明朗了。

15 curving   

adj. 弯曲的 动词curve的现在分词形式

参考例句：

• "Mountain-ranges, toward the east, Appear to be curving and flowing like rivers;" 连山若波涛，奔凑如朝东。 来自英汉 - 翻译样例 - 文学
• Curving ramps connect across pool to sculptural eye and box. 旋转的坡道连接水池和眼睛形状的大楼。

16 encounter   

v.遇到，偶然碰到；遭遇；n.遭遇；意外的相见

参考例句：

• It was a bloody encounter between the two armies. 这是那两军之间的一次激烈的遭遇战。
• A fortunate encounter brought the two friends together after a long separation.两位老朋友长期分离这次才有幸相遇。

17 honor   

n.光荣；敬意；荣幸；vt.给…以荣誉；尊敬

参考例句：

• I take your visit as a great honor.您的来访是我莫大的光荣。
• It is a great honor to receive that prize.能拿到那个奖是无上的光荣。

18 honors   

n.礼仪；荣典；礼节； 大学荣誉学位；大学优等成绩；尊敬( honor的名词复数 )；敬意；荣誉；光荣

参考例句：

• He aims at honors. 他力求名誉。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• We did the last honors to his remains. 我们向他的遗体告别。 来自《简明英汉词典》

19 humanities   

n.人文学

参考例句：

• Dalian University offers courses in science and in the humanities. 大连大学开设自然科学和人文科学课程。
• She has a background in humanities and modern languages. 她学过人文学科和现代语言。

20 federal   

adj.联盟的；联邦的；(美国)联邦政府的

参考例句：

• Switzerland is a federal republic.瑞士是一个联邦共和国。
• The schools are screaming for federal aid.那些学校强烈要求联邦政府的援助。

21 works   

n.作品，著作；工厂，活动部件，机件

参考例句：

• We expect writers to produce more and better works.我们期望作家们写出更多更好的作品。
• The novel is regarded as one of the classic works.这篇小说被公认为是最优秀的作品之一。

22 yearly   

adj.每年的，一年一度的；adv.一年一次地

参考例句：

• The flower show is a yearly event in our town.我们镇上的花展一年举行一次。
• The yearly rental of her house is 2400 yuan.她这房子年租金是2400元。

23 toward   

prep.对于，关于，接近，将近，向，朝

参考例句：

• Suddenly I saw a tall figure approaching toward the policeman.突然间我看到一个高大的身影朝警察靠近。
• Upon seeing her,I smiled and ran toward her. 看到她我笑了，并跑了过去。

24 healing   

n.康复，复原adj.有治疗功用的v.（使）愈合( heal的现在分词 )；治愈；（使）结束；较容易忍受

参考例句：

• miraculous powers of healing 神奇的治病能力
• She seems to have a vocation for healing. 看来她具备治病救人的才能。 来自《简明英汉词典》

25 identity   

n.身份，本体，特征；同一(性)，一致

参考例句：

• He never revealed his identity.他从未暴露过自己的身份。
• He showed his identity card and went in.他把工作证亮了一下就进去了。