Analysis - "The Mother" and “Daughters”
Poetry about family can often reveal fascinating dynamics in these omnipresent and complex relationships. In Gwendolyn Brooks' "The Mother," the regret and guilt that a woman experiences upon reflecting on the various abortions she has had throughout her life is presented in an intriguing and haunting way. The suffering that the mother expresses in this poem is done through Brooks' expert use of figurative language and repetition, as the potential these children had before her abortions, as she sees them, is made clear. Meanwhile, Lucille Clifton’s “Daughters” allows a young woman to imagine the grandmother she never met, and the inspiration she had on her family, using short, energetic lines to demonstrate her innocence and youth as compared to the gargantuan legacy her grandmother provides for her. In both poems, motherhood is shown to be a tremendously powerful and influential pursuit, no matter whether or not the children live to appreciate it.
The first line of “The Mother,” "Abortions will not let you forget," attributes actions and personality to the concept of an abortion, humanizing it to an extent. This very first line suggests that the mother would ideally like to forget what happened, but she is being prevented. By not having been "let" to forget, the mother has a situation forced upon her that immediately indicates her suffering. Brooks then goes on to describe their lives (or lack thereof) with a series of repetitive moments, calling her fetuses "damp small pulps" then comparing them to "singers and workers" (lines 3-4). By creating this juxtaposition, she notes how she saw them when she agreed to the abortion with what she now realizes they could have been. Brooks talks about how you will never "return for a snack of them, with gobbling mother-eye," using the word 'snack' to elegantly describe the little moments in which you recognize that you cannot get enough of your child. It is these moments that the narrator misses, and Brooks demonstrates that sense of loss through the things the mother gains through having a child.
Conversely, Clifton’s use of playful alliteration and shorter lines provides a more positive, curious spin on the legacy of motherhood. Unlike Brooks’ mother who speaks to missing children, Clifton’s daughter speaks to a missing grandmother – both plays telling the tale of one generation reaching out to another in futility. Clifton’s ‘daughter’ is proud of her grandmother’s influence, calling her “dazzling,” and “brilliant” – words peppered throughout the poem to remind the audience of her ultimate goal: to uplift this mysterious-yet-influential figure in her life (Clifton). The alliteration is cheeky and bright, calling women “my wild witch gran,” “magic mama” and “gaudy girls” (Clifton). While Brooks laments the children who have never been named, Clifton laments that she does not know the name “we were cautioned to forget” (the implication being that it unjustly suppresses her grandmother’s accomplishments).
In conclusion, both “The Mother” and “Daughters” tell the tale of one generation’s perception of another, particularly in terms of their responsibilities. Whereas Brooks’ poem apologizes and pays homage to the children she simply could not have, Clifton takes pride in hindsight at the wonderful woman she feels her grandmother is. Brooks’ style is eloquent, solemn and quiet, while Clifton’s is energetic, bold and efficient.
Works Cited
Brooks, Gwendolyn. “daughters.”
<http://matterpattern.blogspot.com/2008/02/daughters-by-lucille-clifton.html>.
Clifton, Lucille. “The Mother.” The Poetry Foundation.
<http://www.poetryfoundation.org/poem/172081>.
