18 pages • 36 minutes read
Gwendolyn BrooksCynthia in the Snow
Fiction | Poem | Adult | Published in 1956A modern alternative to SparkNotes and CliffsNotes, SuperSummary offers high-quality Study Guides with detailed chapter summaries and analysis of major themes, characters, and more.
Further Reading & Resources
Related Poems
"Black Love" by Gwendolyn Brooks (1981)
An ideal accompaniment for the reader who seeks to better understand Brooks’s perspective, “Black Love” mirrors the joy of “Cynthia in the Snow.” The poet writes: “Nourish our children-proud, strong,” (Line 16), emphasizing the importance of togetherness, love, and solidarity, and noting the importance of caring for children.
"We Real Cool" by Gwendolyn Brooks (1960)
Arguably Brooks’s most famous poem, “We Real Cool” describes a group of boys skipping school to shoot pool. It explores the dangerous period after the childhood of “Cynthia in the Snow,” as boys eager to be adults stay out late and drink gin—and also become aware of the fact their risk-taking carries a mortal danger.
"The Bean Eaters" by Gwendolyn Brooks (1960)
This poem touches on the small, everyday doings and twinges of life, much as “Cynthia in the Snow” does, but in the world of an elderly couple. The poem straddles the joy and pain of ordinary life, much like Cynthia twinkles with joy and pain when she sees snow that is “so beautiful it hurts” (Line 11).
Further Literary Resources
"Life Doesn’t Frighten Me" by Maya Angelou (1993)
Pairing Angelou’s poem “Life Doesn’t Frighten Me” with Jean-Michel Basquiat’s illustrations, neither of which were originally intended for children, this book showcases the work of two Black creators and tells a story of Black Joy and agency in a way that is accessible to children and adults alike—much in the same way that Brooks did with her poetry.
A Raisin in the Sun by Lorraine Hansberry (1959)
Set in South Side, Chicago, like much of Brooks’s work, the play A Raisin in the Sun follows a Black family’s attempts to better their financial situation. The play deals with issues such as housing discrimination, racism, and poverty, and depicts everyday lives, like the poems in Brooks’s Bronzeville Boys and Girls.
Haiku: The Last Poems of an American Icon by Richard Wright (2012)
Initially published as Haiku: This Other World in 1998, this gathering of over 800 of haiku, written in 1959, touches on many of the same themes as Bronzeville Boys and Girls: identity, of the natural world, and of everyday moments.
Listen to Poem
This reading includes the illustration created for the poem by Faith Ringgold.
Related Titles
By Gwendolyn Brooks
