Kitchenette Building Themes
Dreams, Hopes, and Plans
"Kitchenette Building" hinges on the possibility of a dream. Brooks poses the question: Amidst poverty and hardship, can a dream stand a chance of survival? It seems like the biggest obstacles to d...
Poverty
Poverty lives in plain sight in this poem. The title, "Kitchenette Building," practically announces it. Kitchenettes were tiny, typically one-room apartments that shared kitchens and bathrooms with...
Prejudice
Prejudice and discrimination (though not once mentioned) has its big, fat, ugly thumbprint all over "Kitchenette Building." That type of dwelling was the result of discriminatory housing practices...
Dissatisfaction
"Kitchenette Building" is as much about dissatisfaction as it is about dreams. Life is hard for the residents of the kitchenettes. Working your rear end off to the point of exhaustion every day and...