Poem Analysis: 'We Think Of Lukewarm Water'

In society, the persons who hold authority through opportune and monetary wealth force the underprivileged “to the periphery of a dominant social group,” and “belittle, depreciate, discount, or dismiss” them; thus, creating marginalization (OED). In regards to race, the prominent, white community uses the weight of hundreds of years of mistreatment, violence, and oppression to classify non-whites as a marginalized group. Stripping these marginalized groups of opportunity, the authoritative whites pressure the marginalized into problematic situations imbued in struggle, in which there is no escaping. The marginalized group wishes to grow and experience life; however their desire for opportunity is impeded by both their mundane struggle and society’s
The poem reads: “We think of lukewarm water.” The “water” the narrator dreams about provides some necessities in life: nutrition and hygiene. These important necessities parallel the marginalized person’s need for physical and emotional care, ranging from access to proper housing to political equality. However, the “water” is “lukewarm.” This specific phrase suggests that the hot “water” is running out and the narrator receives the last of it before the “water” turns cold. Brooks affirms the marginalized person receives substandard fulfillments of life’s necessities: lower-wages, horrible living conditions, and unacceptable political treatment. Brooks uses the word “lukewarm” to assert another statement: the oppressor does not care about the struggles they force upon the marginalized. When referring to a person, “lukewarm” can be defined as: “having little warmth or depth of feeling, lacking zeal, enthusiasm or ardor, indifferent,” (OED). When speaking of the troubles dealt by the self-proclaimed superior, the impassionate treatment left over for the marginalized person show the true apathy of the oppressor. The oppressor simply does not care about the conditions, in which the marginalized