"We Real Cool" is a poem written by Gwendolyn Brooks in 1959. It consists of seven lines and employs a unique syntax and structure, using a series of short, choppy phrases to convey a sense of defiance and rebelliousness.
The poem is written in the first person and speaks directly to the reader, using "we" to refer to a group of young people who are presumably engaging in risky and rebellious behavior. The first line, "We real cool," sets the tone for the rest of the poem and establishes the speaker's attitude of nonchalance and detachment.
Throughout the poem, the speaker lists various activities that the group engages in, including "Sin," "Die," and "Jazz June." These phrases are all written in lowercase letters, giving the impression that these activities are not seen as important or significant by the speaker. The use of lowercase letters also adds to the sense of defiance and rebelliousness, as it goes against the traditional rules of grammar and punctuation.
The poem's final line, "We / Left school," serves as a poignant and powerful conclusion. It suggests that the speaker and the group have abandoned their education, choosing instead to pursue their own paths and engage in risky behavior. This line reinforces the theme of defiance and rebelliousness that runs throughout the poem.
Overall, "We Real Cool" is a powerful and thought-provoking poem that explores the theme of youth rebellion and nonconformity. Through its unique syntax and structure, Brooks conveys the attitudes and actions of a group of young people who are determined to live their lives on their own terms.
Poem Analysis: We Real Cool By Gwendolyn Brooks
We are not presented with any specific character ethnicities or backgrounds, nor year or time, but we are provided a fictional setting of a place called The Golden Shovel. However, Flick never acquired any other skills to prepare him for a future. The defiance in the tone of the poem suggests that the speaker dares for the reader to judge them and deem them as anything but cool, as they are self-described in the poem. The halls are now well past their popular height. The poem set in a popular pool hall called the Golden Shovel, in this time era pool halls and the Civil Rights Movement were very popular.
We Real Cool Poem by Gwendolyn Brooks
After a rocky start, Knowles fell in love with Exeter. I took the most inspiration for my formal poem, which I found most difficult to write. The next line gives us a more comprehensive view of what those behaviors are: drinking alcohol. . Here, the speaker brags about staying out late, presumably after a day of skipping school, or having dropped out altogether. As the poem goes on, the money and its use increasingly grow questionable but are later rejected as it ". The men are presenting themselves strongly, perhaps too much so.
We Real Cool Poem Summary and Analysis
Although the poem is quite short, it is equally powerful and advice against the lifestyle of dropping out of school, living first and dying young. The second line within the same stanza is, Seven at The Golden Shovel. Readers would perhaps enjoy listening to Poem Analysis: We Real Cool By Gwendolyn Brooks The poem We Real Cool by Gwendolyn Brooks focuses on what activities the troubled group of seven teenagers partake in to make them appeal cool. A line like this, as did the previous lines, can have multiple meanings, or possible connotation to slang of the days the poem was written. The reader feels these boys so full of life and youth and then the reader is left with a shock of their untimely deaths. This poem inspires people and moves them to the point to where they can find a personal connection to the poem itself and to the writer.
We Real Cool Analysis Essay Essay
There are several mysteries shrouded within the confines of this poem. Grammatically correct, but more along the lines of slang, the last word of this sentence begins the rhyme scheme that will follow. In 1935, Brooks graduated from Wilson Junior College. The fourth stanza begins with, We sing sin, a line that can also have multiple meanings. This could be seen as her wanting the reader to read the poem quickly, just as these youths are living their lives.