Gwendolyn Brooks published "Sadie and Maud" in 1945 in her first book of poetry, A Street in Bronzeville. Written in simple, straightforward language, the poem tells the story of two women (the Sadie and Maude of the title) whose paths in life are quite different. Maud goes off to college, whereas Sadie stays home and has children out of wedlock. Though her family feels great "shame" at this, Sadie herself seems to enjoy living life her on her own terms. Maud, on the other hand, leads a lonely life, eventually returning to live in Sadie's house "all alone" after Sadie's death. In many ways the poem seems to praise going against the grain and living life by one's own rules. Yet by showcasing the hardships of both Sadie and Maud—who face either intense social scrutiny or intense loneliness—the poem also implies that there weren't many clear paths to happiness or fulfillment for women living in the mid-20th century.

• Read the full text of “Sadie and Maud”

• “Sadie and Maud” Summary

• “Sadie and Maud” Themes

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    Sexism and Societal Expectations

    Where this theme appears in the poem:

    • Lines 1-22

• Line-by-Line Explanation & Analysis of “Sadie and Maud”

  • Lines 1-4

    Maud went to ...
    ... a fine-tooth comb.

    

    

    

    

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  • Lines 5-8

    She didn’t leave ...
    ... all the land.

    

    

    

    

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  • Lines 9-14

    Sadie bore two ...
    ... died of shame.

    

    

    

    

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  • Lines 15-18

    When Sadie said ...
    ... Her fine-tooth comb.)

    

    

    

    

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  • Lines 19-22

    Maud, who went ...
    ... this old house.

    

    

    

    

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• “Sadie and Maud” Symbols

  • 

    The Fine-Tooth Comb

    Where this symbol appears in the poem:

    • Lines 3-4: “Sadie scraped life / With a fine-tooth comb.”
    • Lines 5-6: “She didn’t leave a tangle in. / Her comb found every strand.”
    • Lines 17-18: “(Sadie had left as heritage / Her fine-tooth comb.)”

• “Sadie and Maud” Poetic Devices & Figurative Language

  • Metaphor

    

    

    

    

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    Where metaphor appears in the poem:

    • Lines 3-4: “Sadie scraped life / With a fine-tooth comb.”
    • Lines 5-6: “She didn’t leave a tangle in. / Her comb found every strand.”
    • Lines 17-18: “(Sadie had left as heritage / Her fine-tooth comb.)”
    • Lines 19-20: “Maud, who went to college, / Is a thin brown mouse.”

  • Repetition

    

    

    

    

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    Where repetition appears in the poem:

    • Line 1: “Maud,” “went to college”
    • Line 2: “Sadie”
    • Line 3: “Sadie”
    • Line 7: “Sadie”
    • Line 9: “Sadie”
    • Line 11: “Maud”
    • Line 13: “Sadie”
    • Line 15: “Sadie”
    • Line 17: “Sadie”
    • Line 19: “Maud,” “went to college”

  • Juxtaposition

    

    

    

    

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    Where juxtaposition appears in the poem:

    • Lines 1-2: “Maud went to college. / Sadie stayed at home.”
    • Lines 7-8: “Sadie was one of the livingest chits / In all the land.”
    • Lines 19-22: “Maud, who went to college, / Is a thin brown mouse. / She is living all alone / In this old house.”

  • Consonance

    

    

    

    

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    Where consonance appears in the poem:

    • Line 2: “Sadie stayed”
    • Line 3: “Sadie scraped,” “life”
    • Line 4: “fine,” “comb”
    • Line 5: “leave,” “tangle”
    • Line 6: “found,” “strand”
    • Line 7: “Sadie,” “livingest chits”
    • Line 8: “all,” “land”
    • Line 9: “bore,” “babies”
    • Line 10: “Under her,” “maiden name”
    • Line 11: “Maud,” “Ma”
    • Line 15: “Sadie said,” “last so-long”
    • Line 16: “Her,” “girls,” “struck,” “from home”
    • Line 20: “thin brown”
    • Line 21: “living all alone”
    • Line 22: “this,” “house”

  • Assonance

    

    

    

    

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    Where assonance appears in the poem:

    • Line 1: “Maud,” “college”
    • Line 2: “Sadie stayed”
    • Line 3: “Sadie scraped”
    • Line 9: “Sadie,” “babies”
    • Line 10: “maiden name”
    • Line 11: “Maud,” “Ma,” “Papa”
    • Line 13: “Every”
    • Lines 13-14: “Sadie / Nearly”
    • Line 19: “Maud,” “college”
    • Line 20: “brown mouse”
    • Line 21: “is living,” “all alone”

  • Alliteration

    

    

    

    

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    Where alliteration appears in the poem:

    • Line 2: “Sadie stayed”
    • Line 3: “Sadie scraped”
    • Lines 6-7: “strand. / Sadie”
    • Line 9: “bore,” “babies”
    • Line 10: “maiden”
    • Line 11: “Maud,” “Ma”
    • Line 15: “Sadie said,” “last,” “so,” “long”

  • End-Stopped Line

    

    

    

    

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    Where end-stopped line appears in the poem:

    • Line 1: “college.”
    • Line 2: “home.”
    • Line 4: “comb.”
    • Line 5: “in.”
    • Line 6: “strand.”
    • Line 8: “land.”
    • Line 10: “name.”
    • Line 12: “shame.”
    • Line 14: “shame.”
    • Line 15: “long”
    • Line 16: “home.”
    • Line 18: “comb.)”
    • Line 19: “college,”
    • Line 20: “mouse.”
    • Line 22: “house.”

• “Sadie and Maud” Vocabulary

  Select any word below to get its definition in the context of the poem. The words are listed in the order in which they appear in the poem.

  • Fine-Tooth Comb
  • Livingest Chits
  • Bore
  • Heritage
  • (Location in poem: Line 4: “fine-tooth comb”; Line 18: “fine-tooth comb”)

• Form, Meter, & Rhyme Scheme of “Sadie and Maud”

  • Form

  • Meter

  • Rhyme Scheme

• “Sadie and Maud” Speaker

• “Sadie and Maud” Setting

• Literary and Historical Context of “Sadie and Maud”

• More “Sadie and Maud” Resources

  • External Resources

    • Hear the Poem Out Loud — Listen to a reading of "Sadie and Maud."

    • Gwendolyn Brooks's Life — To learn more about Gwendolyn Brooks, check out this brief overview of her life and work.

    • An Interview with Brooks — Read an interview with Gwendolyn Brooks conducted in the 1960s.

    • "We Real Cool" — Hear Gwendolyn Brooks read and talk about her most famous poem, "We Real Cool." 

    • Remembering Gwendolyn Brooks — A look at Gwendolyn Brooks's legacy 100 years after she was born.

  • LitCharts on Other Poems by Gwendolyn Brooks

    • Kitchenette Building

    • The Bean Eaters

    • We Real Cool

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