The Crazy Woman

The Crazy Woman

I shall not sing a May Song.

A May song should be gay.

I'll wait until November

And sing a song of gray.

I'll wait until November

That is the time for me.

I'll go out in the frosty dark

And sing most terribly.

And all the little people

Will stare at me and say,

"That is the Crazy Woman

Who would not sing in May."

Gwendolyn Brooks

Themes and Culture:

There are quite a few themes evident in this poem. The first one I noticed is the theme of weather and change. Brooks says that society equates May with happiness, "A May song should be gay." and November is described with words like "frosty dark" and "gray." When in reality it is the "dark" and "gray" of May that brings the beauty and "gayness" of May. I believe this theme reflects her culture (1917-2000) in that people support what everyone else supports and they appreciate the nice and beautiful things but fail to pay attention to the ugly and undesirable that it takes to get there.

Another theme that this poem conveys is the cultural stereotype of, "The Crazy Woman." In the title itself Brooks mocks the concept her culture’s idea of a woman who doesn’t follow society’s idea of women. The culture Brooks was raised in would really emphasize women going along with the stereotype of women loving May for the flowers and the sun and things that all people are “supposed to love.” The fact that she has no taste for such things makes her just another crazy woman, a rough stereotype from her culture for women who fail to conform.

Brooks is affecting culture through these themes by embracing her label and thus mocking and making it ineffective. She is rejecting the stereotype of “acting like a woman” by saying she is, “going out into the dark to sing most terribly” she is contradicting society and their ideals that say women should not be out after dark, should sing nicely, and they should want to sing a song in May because it is a nice month. By rejecting those expectations and embracing stereotypes that society says she should not want placed on her she is revoking any power the culture of her society has on her and her choices on what she likes and when and how she wants to sing. By sending this message to her culture she is letting her freedom be known and is giving women the opportunity to do the same. She is showing her culture that their expectations and idea of social roles and culture do not apply to her and if she wants to sing an unhappy song in a gray month in the middle of the night that is what she will do, with or without the approval of her culture.