Question

1. Why does the poem have a double start - first, The Lovers of the Poor arrive" and then "The Ladies from the Ladies Betterment League arrive. Why this double start?

Answer 1

Answer:

Renowned for her "small... terse portraits of the Black urban poor" (Richard K. Barksdale), the Pulitzer Prize-winning Gwendolyn Brooks here presents a less than flattering portrait of a few representatives from the Ladies Betterment League who leave the comfort of their homes to "allot largesse to the lost." Brooks' razor-sharp perceptions of the human mind invite us to look past ourselves and into the eyes, hearts, and circumstances of others, evoking questions about the way(s) we view, think about, and aim to help those in need. Published in 1963, the poem also gives us the opportunity to explore the nature of charity vs. service, the “horror” of poverty, and how or why we, in Brooks' words, might “avoid inhaling the laden air.”