“The Ballad of Rudolph Reed” by Gwendolyn Brooks
Detamore/ELA-8
Go to the following website and read the first paragraph of Gwendolyn Brooks’ biography.
http://www.poetryfoundation.org/bio/gwendolyn-brooks
Go to the following website, click on the title “The Ballad of Rudoloph Reed, and read Gwendolyn Brooks’
comment about “The Ballad of Rudolph Reed.”
http://www.english.illinois.edu/maps/poets/a_f/brooks/brooks.htm
After reading these two excerpts, answer the following questions:
1. What does Brooks mean when she says, “Today, the general black decision would be that bandages are not
enough.”?
2. After reading a little bit about Brooks, the era in which she wrote, and the themes in some of her
poetry, in what way is “The Ballad of Rudolph Reed” in keeping with the political statements she often
made in her poetry?
3. A ballad is a narrative poem, meaning that it tells a story. The story in a ballad will have all of the
same elements that any story (or narrative) has. It will have a setting, a plot, characters, etc. In one
paragraph, summarize this story. In your paragraph, include the main character(s) and minor
characters.
4. Go to the following site and read about oak wood: http://www.mcgeelumber.com/oak.htm
After reading a little bit about oak wood, why do you think Brooks gave the Reeds the description of “oaken?”
5. How many lines are in each stanza?
6. What is the rhyme scheme in the first stanza?
7. You will note that the rhyme scheme pattern is the same in every stanza, except in stanza ten. Why,
do you think, Brooks changed the rhyme scheme in this stanza?
8. There is one, clear example of personification in this poem. What is it?
9. List three similes in this poem.
10. List three examples of alliteration in this poem.
11. Write a brief response to this poem, i.e. how did it make you feel directly after finishing the poem?