We Real Cool
"We Real Cool" is a poem written in 1959 by poet Gwendolyn Brooks and published in her 1960 book The Bean Eaters, her third collection of poetry. It consists of four verses of two rhyming lines each. The final word in most lines is "we". The next line describes something that "we" do, such as play pool or drop out of school. Brooks has said that the "we"s are meant to be said softly, as though the protagonists in t…
Gwendolyn Brooks
Gwendolyn Elizabeth Brooks was an American poet, author, and teacher. Her work often dealt with the personal celebrations and struggles of ordinary people in her community. She won the Pulitzer Prize for Poetry on May 1, 1950, for Annie Allen, making her the first African American to re…
What is the meaning of the poem we Real Cool?
“We Real Cool” is a poem by Gwendolyn Brooks, first published in her 1960 collection The Bean Eaters. The poem describes a group of teenagers hanging out outside of a pool hall. It imagines these teenagers as rebels who proudly defy convention and authority—and who will likely pay for their behavior with their lives.
What is the meaning of we Real Cool by Louise Brooks?
‘We Real Cool’ gives them a voice – and in doing so, reflects the new phenomenon of the 1950s: the teenager. The form of ‘We Real Cool’ is worth stopping to analyse, because it is integral to the poem’s rhythm and the way Brooks expertly captures the authentic ‘feel’ of the teenagers’ speech.
What is the meaning of the last line of we Real Cool?
The final line of ‘ We Real Cool’ is the most shocking. The speaker says that they are going to “Die soon.” Their lives are following a path that does not lead anywhere good. The phrase follows in the same pattern as those which proceeded it. The speaker sees death as being part of the deal made by the players.
What type of poem is we Real Cool by Gwendolyn Brooks?
“We Real Cool," by Gwendolyn Brooks is a fervent short poem that tells a story of teenage rebellion. This poem is a formal verse ballad which uses simple sentences that create a steady meter giving the poem a catchy jazz like quality. Although the poem is short, it packs a powerful message about youth.
Why was the poem We Real Cool written?
As Brooks herself later explained: 'I wrote it because I was passing by a pool hall in my community one afternoon in school time. And I saw therein a whole bunch of boys – I say here in this poem seven – and they were shooting pool.
What is the historical message Gwendolyn Brooks wants the reader to perceive from the poem?
"We Real Cool" is a short, yet powerful poem by Gwendolyn Brooks that sends a life learning message to its reader. The message Brooks is trying to send is that dropping out of school and roaming the streets is in fact not "cool" but in actuality a dead end street.
What does jazz June mean in We Real Cool?
Instead, "Jazz June" suggests freedom, improvisation, dancing, seduction, and, of course, time off school. For these guys, it's always like June, because they are always off school. Interestingly, this line makes the pool players seem less passive and lazy, because they are capable of turning "jazz", into an action.
What is the tone of the poem We Real Cool?
Tone. The tone of "We Real Cool" is straightforward and lighthearted. An example of straightforward in the poem would be "We Die soon" meaning that if they don't change the way they are acting their life isn't going to be the way they want it to be.
Which of the following identifies the central theme of the poem We Real Cool?
We Real Cool: Which of the following identifies the central theme of the poem? A carefree lifestyle can have dire consequences.
What does Thin gin mean in We Real Cool?
We / thin gin. We / jazz June" (04-07). The fact that the players "thin gin" means that they must share one bottle of gin and water it down, so as to make the alcohol last a bit longer. No one player can afford to buy his own bottle; one assumes that they pool together their financial resources to purchase that bottle.
What does strike straight mean in We Real Cool?
We. Strike straight. We. The guys stay out late and they're also a mean bunch of pool players who can shoot a ball "straight" into the pocket almost every time. The two words that begin these lines, "lurk" and "strike," make the boys sound like jungle cats or some other predator from a National Geographic nature series ...
What is the Golden Shovel in We Real Cool?
'The Golden Shovel' is the name of a pool hall where Brooks' poem 'We Real Cool' is set. She says of the poem, 'I wrote it because I was passing by a pool hall in my community one afternoon in school time. And I saw therein a whole bunch of boys – I say here in this poem seven – and they were shooting pool.
Why does the poet end each line with we?
And what about that ever present We? In the words of the poet herself she put the We at the ends of lines for emphasis 'so the reader could give them that little split-second's attention. '
What message does Brooks seem to be warning society about in We Real Cool?
Yet the poem also suggests that such rebelliousness has serious costs: it makes these young people less safe. The price of living fast, the poem implies, is to die young. The speakers of “We Real Cool” stress the ways in which their lives defy social convention. They cut class and "lurk" late into the night.
What is the effect of the repetition of the word we in We Real Cool?
The repetition of the word "We" is originally planted at the start of both the title and the first line. This repetition is intensified by the memorable enjambment in lines 1-7, with "We" causing a breathy kind of suspense at each line break.
What is the message of "We Real Cool"?
The message Brooks is trying to send is that dropping out of school and roaming the streets is in fact not "cool" but in actuality a dead end street.
Who wrote the poem "We Real Cool"?
The poem “We Real Cool”, written by Gwendolyn Brooks, is about a group of seven young boys who abandoned school to live the street life. They can’t wait to live a fun carefree life, drinking, partying and ditching all responsibility.
What are the seven dropouts in "We Real Cool"?
youngsters , the seven dropouts “being cool” at the golden shovel in the story “We Real Cool” by Gwendolyn Brooks do not realize the amount of damage their doing to their futures by living the lifestyles they do. The work is a condensed yet concise statement on the recklessness of youth who are like cars without brakes in the frenzy of youth. They do not anticipate an accident awaiting them in their uncontrolled life. They do whatever they perceive to be “real cool,” (1) and this nonchalant uncaring
What is the meaning of the golden shovel in the poem?
The name of the pool hall, "Golden Shovel" contributes to the theme of the poem. The golden shovel has a deeper meaning and serves as a symbol. The so called "Golden" lifestyle of the players will eventually cost them their lives. In return they will eventually be ["shoveled"] in their grave.
How many lines are there in "We Real Cool"?
Eight lines, eight lines is the length of the poem “We Real Cool,” but it is loaded with literary devices to help convey an underlining meaning. This poem written by Gwendolyn Brooks was published in 1960.
Why does Brooks try to attract a young crowd?
The reason we know that Brooks is trying to attract a young crowd is because she is talking about youth who are suppose to be attending school.
Why is the title of the poem ironic?
The title is ironic because it presumes to be about a group of people and their flamboyant, cool lifestyle, but the poem explains that this lifestyle ultimately leads to a dead end. It is also interesting to note that the vowel sounds of the title and the first line go from high to middle to low. Read More.
Who wrote "We are real cool"?
Summary. ‘We Real Cool’ by Gwendolyn Brooks describes the lives of seven pool players who lurk in the night, don’t go to school, and plan on dying soon. The poem begins with the speaker stating that he and his friends are “cool.”.
How many lines are there in "We Real Cool"?
‘ We Real Cool’ by Gwendolyn Brooks is a four stanza, eight -line poem that has been separated into repeating couplets. The poem is quite short and makes use of the minimal number of words to get the speaker ’s point across. Each line, except for the first and last is made up of three words, the last of which is “We.” This creates the most basic of rhymes. It is a constant in the poem until one gets to the final line. It drops off after the phrase “Die soon.” The ending mimicking death itself.
What does the next line tell the reader about the men?
The grammatical structure of the sentence tells the readers something about the men. The next line informs the reader that they chose to leave school. It is unclear whether they have left school for good or just for the day. Either way, it was something they chose to do.
