fifth poem

"Two who are Mostly Good"

I do agree with Raphael that such phrase is totally open to interpretations, and I completely see the logic in his statement - "Mostly Good" defining the satisfaction of the couple about their lives - however, there could be an alternative interpretation, in which "Mostly Good" would relate to the honesty and integrity of the couple. First of all, the capitalization of "good" could imply that Gwendolyn Brooks refers to some high moral principle of goodness. Furthermore, their goodness would add to the interpretation that their lives are monotonous, that they have never created much trouble of any sort, that they are literally "good" people, with that sense of passivity it may contain in the context of their daily routine.

I thought Oscar's interpretatoin of "Mostly Good" was very interesting, and I would like to add another possible connotation to its meaning. The fact that, as most have agreed, the couple has lived through a monotonous life, by labeling them as "Mostly Good", capitalized, can relate to the fact that they do nothing in their lives and while they have never done anything good, they have also not done anything bad [sorry for the ack words =P] which is why the speaker indentifies them with a shallow label of "mostly good" - mostly meaning they are not entirely good, being vague, and therefore, superficial - since they do not show throughout the poem to have neither positive or negative qualities; they are as common and boring as beans.

Two who have lived their day,
But keep on putting on their clothes
And putting things away."

Having read Maiane's response to the quote above, I do agree with her interpretation, but would like to add some more analysis to it.

As most people have already stated, the poem refers to an old, unwealthy couple whose lives seem monotonous, repetitious and paradoxically lifeless. In addition to that, the emphasis on the couple's routine only corroborates the above interpretation, shared by all of my classmates to a certain extent. Their reliance on "beans" as their everyday meal and their constant act of "remembering" are only some examples that suggest a dull and colorless existence. However, the above quote displays the couple's attitude towards such insignificance.

In this quote, the concept of routine is addressed through a metaphor. As Maiane stated, the passage "highlights that they are just living a day after the other, without having any adventures or challenges." However, Gwendolyn Brooks suggests, in the second line of the selected quote, that depite their tedious life, they wish to continue living, existing. The verb "keep" once again emphasizes the repetition of their lives, their continous routine. The "clothes", on the other hand, symbolize their willingness to go on. To put clothes on reveals their desire to get ready for that day, to proceed with their existence despite its meagerness. It is as if the couple is trying to hold on to their meaningless life, as if what seems worthless to the reader, is actually worth something afterall.

As stated in the last line of the chosen excerpt, the couple is aware that life is ending and that their vitality is fading. As a consequence, "things" must be put away, meaning that they are no longer capable of everything they once did, moments they remember up until today will remain in their memory and such activeness will not be reborn. However, that does not mean that the simplicity of life, its boredom and repetitiveness should make existence unbearable. Quite to the contrary, life is ending, time is slipping, the good ol' days are gone, but one must keep on living. The couple's house is rented, but they do have a home. The couple only eats beans, but they do have something to eat. Their life is monotonous, but they still have a life.

"They eat beans mostly, this old yellow pair."
Many of the passages chosen demonstrates a simplicity on the way the couple lives their lifes. The way they live of remembrance, only existing instead of living. The way Brooks uses language in this poem leads to the same kind of interpretation. This fragment clearly demonstrates this. The language is simple, expressing, this way, the feeling of the "old yellow pair" presented in the poem, of simplicity and monotony. However, this simplicity is not so explicit because of the way the author places the words. Commonly, this passage would be said "This old yellow pair (or couple) mostly eats beans". However, the order in which Brooks puts the words does not allow the reader to identify at first this commoness on the language being used, giving the poem a lyric feeling, in addition to the commoness being expressed throughout it.

"Two who are Mostly Good"

I see some logic in Oscar's interpretation, but I do not agree with it. Many has been said about their simplicity, and their monotonous way of life. I believe that by characterizing this couple as "Mostly Good" only demonstrates Gwendolyn's will to illustrate them as a non-idealized couple. This expression, "Mostly Good", allows the reader to maintain a feeling of sympathy towards these characters, without making them look unreal. Basically, and effort to make us like them, without making them loose their humanity. Therefore, its only an addition or an emphasis to how these people being described are humane, characterizing, once more in the poem, the simplicity there lives and theirselves represent.