Poem- "We Real Cool" by Gwendolyn Brooks

[Ms. Knarr]

We Real Cool by Gwendolyn Brooks



THE POOL PLAYERS.

SEVEN AT THE GOLDEN SHOVEL.



We real cool. We

Left school. We



Lurk late. We

Strike straight. We



Sing sin. We

Thin gin. We



Jazz June. We

Die soon.



www.poets.org/viewmedia.php/prmMID/15433 - Listen to Brooks read her poem

[thomashaldeman]

1. I believe the overall meaning of "We Real Cool" by Gwendolyn Brooks is a group of people looking back on their behavior as young adults. It is in the Black Arts Movement, so I think that the group of people were young black males who were excluded because of their race. They probably took a stand against racism and had illegal behavior. The author also places "We" at the end to emphasize that it was a group effort.

2. I liked the piece, because it had a sense of rebellion to it. I like the fact that the young African American people weren't going to allow themselves to be stepped on by racism any more. It gives all of us knowledge that we can stand up for not only ourselves, but our race. I think although it is very short, the author made the poem very strong and powerful to make up for the lack of length.

3. Why did the author feel it necessary to include "We" after every line?
What does the author mean by We die soon?
Does the author believe we should all take stands against racism?
What was the overall meaning the author wanted us to walk away with?

[abbyjameson]

1. I disagree with Tom. I personally thought that this was an interpretation of what white people thought of blacks. They thought that they were worthless, not worthy of going to school, and hung out in bars all night. The author of this poem, judging by the placement of all his periods, was proving a point that thats not what all African Americans were actually like, so his period placement was almost like a form of mockery towards what white people assumed.
2. I liked the piece because of its tone of mockery. I liked that Gwendolyn Brooks was mocking the whites because he had a point, not all African Americans sat around, wasting their life away. They weren't all worthless, like many thought, and they were just like the whites. I also liked that it gave off a sense of bravery and confidence, Gwendolyn was confident in what he was saying and it took bravery to mock the whites.
3. (answering question 1) I think the author uses "We" after every line because whites thought that all (or "We") African Americans were exactly alike, and Gwendolyn was using the word "We" as a form of mockery to prove his point hat their not all alike. He wants the word "We" to stand out in the reader's mind to let them know that "We" stands for African Americans who were all different.
(My question) What does the author mean by "we sing sin"?

[thomashaldeman]

1. Although Abby and I don't agree, I understand what she is thinking. The title could be interpreted as a white person mocking or making fun of black people. I agree with Abby that the tone of the piece had a bit of mockery in it, whether it be mocking the behavior like I thought, or mocking black people like Abby thought. I also completely agree with Abby's statements on the "We" concept of the piece.

2. When the author says "We sing sin," I believe that she is saying that they (the black people looking back on their past actions) knew what they were doing would be considered as "Sin" back in those times, but they didn't care because they knew it had to be done to achieve equal rights.
(my question) What made you think that it was mocking African Americans?

[stephhsieh]

1. I agree with both Tom and Abby. I agree with Tom because I also believe that it was about young black males who were excluded from society because of their race. I also agree with Abby because of her concept of saying [they], in my case would be the young black males instead of the whites, thought and believed they were worthless and all they could do is leave school and chill and the bar. I agree with both, that there is indeed a tone of mockery within the poem.

2. I also enjoyed this piece because it was short and it really got the reader, me, thinking. I really made me wonder who Brooks wanted to make the reader believe who "We" was. I also really liked this poem because of the one sentence, "We die soon". I like this sentence because it simply means what it says. We, as humans, are born to die, and I think the whole concept of this whole poem we all die so live life to the fullest. And that's why I really like this poem.
3. (answering Tom's Q2) Although, I already answered this question in my previous statement. I still believe Brook said "We Die soon" because humans all eventually die and we all live to die anyway. So, why not live life to the fullest. I also believe he included "soon" because life is like a blink of an eye. Everything happens so fast, and life moves faster that you know.

(my question) Why do you think Brooks added, "THE POOL PLAYERS. SEVEN AT THE GOLDEN SHOVEL", in the poem? What does it mean?

[clareaker]

1. In my opinion, "We Real Cool" is about black people making the best of their situations. I think it is saying that they deal with their stereotypes and live them to the fullest. I believe the author is saying, these people know that they will die eventually, from slavery or other mistreatments so they have decided to live their lives how they choose while they can.
2. I like this piece a lot. I think it was clever and humorous. In my opinion, the author really got the point across of these young people wanting to live life to the fullest, like steph said.
3. To answer Tom's last question, I think that the author wanted us to walk away with the idea of living every day like it is our last. Just as he said, we die soon, he wants us to realize we should have fun and make the best out of things while we can.
Q: Why do you think Brooks placed the word we at the end of every line, rather then at the beginning of the following line?

[alexacevedo]

1. Contrary to all the previous statements made earlier, I feel this piece has no real relation to race. Rather, I interpret the piece as a warning, describing how the mistakes of youth can have harmful effects on the future. She describes in the poem the collective thoughts of a group of young kids at a pool bar, stating simply their habits and lifestyle. The poem itself can be viewed as the thoughts occurring in the present or a timeline of what the choices the group made, depending on interpretation. Oddly, she uses slang throughout the piece, as well as a simple repetitive pattern with each verse consisting solely of three syllables.

2. I find this piece interesting, as it in a sense condemns the sort of lifestyle the pool players are leading. The final line, which is probably her own sarcastic thought and not of the group, describes the groups future as ending in a premature death. The group, however, is clearly oblivious to this, enjoying thoroughly their rebellious life, reveling in their decision to leave school and take up a life of sinful pleasure. While it is impossible to examine the per-existing conditions that lead to these habits due to the limited nature of the poem's scope, I find myself agreeing with Gwendolyn Brooks as to the consequences of such thoughtless behavior.

3. Answering Steph's question, that line at the beginning of the poem is used to set the scene of the piece, describing whose thoughts will be explored and the context in which it shall be done. The 'pool players' refers to the group, what they are doing as they think, and how many of them are in the bar. Finally, the "Golden Shovel" is the name of the establishment. Ironically, the name of the pool bar itself may be a reference to the nature of the life the group leads, consisting of 'golden' pleasure but itself being used to dig a grave.

My question is as follows: Why does Gwendolyn feel that the 'pool players' will die soon? What effect could their choices have on the future?

[morganclyne]

1. In my opinion, I feel that this poem is showing the daily life of African American young men at the time. I feel that Gwendolyn wasn't trying to prove a point about anything to anyone but rather show something that she had simply seen. Since African Americans at the time were still not fully accepted by the white community, I feel she wrote this to show that even though they were outcasted they were still about to have a good time. Also to show that it didnt get to them, and they could still go out and have a good time.
2.In reaction to the piece,I have to disagree with everyone else. I feel that there was no meaning behind the poem or that it is so symbolic and simple I am over thinking it I do not like this poem, and only was able to enjoy the fact that it was a shorter piece.
3. In response to Alex's question, I believe Gwendolyn feels the 'pool players' will die soon because she is showing how the African American community was so disadvantaged at the time that they were never really able to accomplish much. Many would just live each day trying to enjoy it and then would just one day die. Their choices of just hanging out and not trying to do anything will leave them to just die with nothing left to be remembered by. Finally, my question would be, who do you think "We" is the group of seven boys or the African American community as a whole?

[jimmymahoney]

1. This poem is written in such a way that it's so confusing that in can be interpreted in many ways. I think that the real emphasis is on the fact that the word "we" ends every line, showing that in all their activities, good or bad, the people Brooks talks about do it together. Their group doesn't break apart, even through death.

2. The style of writing is almost nonsensical, making this entertaining to read, but not confusing. I enjoyed the fast presentation of different ideas.

3. To answer Clare's question, as I said in my meaning, the word "we" emphasizes that Brooks is talking about a group who's loyalty doesn't falter, a group that sticks together. My question is are the people who are included in "we" proud of their actions?

[dylanzaliwski]

1. This poem can have many different interpretations, mainly because it is very vague. I believe the poem is about the behavior of people when they are young adults. It isn't necessarily about African-Americans but all people.

2. I liked the structure of the poem and how it emphasizes "we" referring to all people. The structure shows how there is always something to do next. Even though there is not much description or story-telling, the poem is still interesting.

3. (Answering Morgan's Question) In the poem, "we" means the seven boys who represent all people in the world. The poem itself never indicates any certain race or community, so it is not just African-Americans.

(My Question) How does this poem relate to people today?

[martinwawszkowicz]

1. I believe that this piece is sort of like the life of school boy or girl at that time. They would skip school and feel that they would be all cool, staying out late doing bad things. I am assuming that all of these things at this time were acceptable for young children at this time because they would die soon anyway so why not do whatever they wanted. The way that Brooks was telling the poem was sort of like listening to a narration of life story in 10 lines. At first, the kids that skipped school started out all cool, but then as the poem went on, the narrators voice became more and more dreary until the children finally die. I believe that since they start out skipping school and doing bad things, they eventually die because of it.

2. I thoroughly enjoyed reading this 10 line poem. It had a lot to say in such little words. I could really see how, in my interpretation, the children that drop out of school end up dying soon. This is something that I can even see today. Like previous members stated above, I like that the "we" refers to everybody together as a whole group of people. I also likes that this poem was short and easy to read.

3. In response to Dylan's question, I think that this poem can relate to people today because those kids even today that drop out of school, start doing bad things, maybe join a gang, end up dead on the streets before they become 20.

My Question: Do you think that Gwendolyn Brooks knew the pool players as a friend?

[seanpalen]

1. This is a very interesting poem. It is tough to see a deeper meaning in it because of the style and length of the piece but there certainly is one. After clicking on the link and listening to Brooks talking about the poem it is clear what she is trying to say. The poem talks about a group of teens she saw playing pool and what she thinks of them. Although the teens she saw probably think this way I believe she was wrong to make a judgement on them as she did in the poem. The kids may not of had school that day for some reason and were just passing time playing pool or maybe they were not teens but just young men out of college with nothing to do. You can never be sure and you can never pass a quick judgement on someone. The poem shows how quickly young black men are judged in the world. Yet, I think Brooks was trying to show was how some young teens think and point out how stupid these thoughts may be and how it may lead to death. The poem also uses alliteration.

2. I like the poem itself. I like the alliteration Brooks used to create a smooth sounding poem. Brooks does a great job of rhyming different words to create a unique rhythm. She does a great job of presenting a powerful deep meaning while using simple understandable language and a rhyme scheme.

3. Martin's Question- Well, after listening to the link provided it is obvious she did not know the boys, and only passed judgement on them as she saw them briefly.
My Question- What do you think Brooks is inferring in the last line?