In the poem, A Sunset of the City, author Gwendolyn Brooks constructs her dramatic monologue in a may that suggest a hopeless tone and defeated lifestyle through strong diction and vivid imagery. Through her length in sentences Kathleen Eileen suggest the nearness of death that the she feels.
A Sunset of the City begins with longer sentences and ends in shorter sentences. The hopeless tone that the character expresses can be traced through her words and descriptions. The author writes, “I am cold in this cold house… there is no warm house.” This melancholy outlook signifies the author’s depressed tone. Brooks goes on to say her character is loved by no one, not even her own children who have forgotten her. Eileen has been “put away with marbles and dolls.” “Chill”, “lechery”, “chill”, “crisp”, “echoes” and “lost halls” are all words that denote Eileen’s depression and misery.
Also, through the use of vivid imagery the author expresses the misery of her character. Eileen compares herself to a “sweet dying flower.” This devastating picture is so depressing and hopes. Just as a dead flower has no purpose neither does this poor women who has no one to appreciate her.
