The Lovers of the Poor

“The Bean Eaters” by Gwendolyn Brooks (1963)

Like “The Lovers of the Poor,” “The Bean Eaters” relies on the motif of food. Beans are mentioned in both poems. In “The Lovers of the Poor,” the rich ladies are disgusted by the smell of “cabbage and dead beans” (Line 33), as well as other food items, dirt, and human waste in the home of the poor. However, “The Bean Eaters” focuses solely on beans. This humble meal illuminates how the old couple lives or what the everyday experience of being poor truly is. Unlike the ladies in “The Lovers of the Poor,” the speaker of “The Bean Eaters” is sympathetic to the poor.

“We Real Cool” by Gwendolyn Brooks (1959)

This is Brooks’s most famous poem. It has a jazz influence in its rhythm, and mentions “Jazz” in Line 9. Its short lines, and short number of total lines, make “We Real Cool” look and very different from “The Lovers of the Poor.” Rather than a satirical look at class relations, “We Real Cool” is a glimpse into the experiences of rebellious teenagers at a pool hall. Both poems utilize rhyme, but “We Real Cool” follows a consistent rhyming pattern, while “The Lovers of the Poor” does not maintain a consistent rhyme scheme.