Gwendolyn Brooks Rebellion

Rebellion is simply the resistance to or defiance of any authority, control or tradition. (Sandi Amorim, para 1, n.d.). Rebellion can be expressed in many different forms, and in this case, it is poetry. The poems, “We Real Cool” by Gwendolyn Brooks, “Theme for English B” and “Let America Be America Again” by Langston Hughes, all have a distinct display of rebellion.

First, the poem “We Real Cool” is about teens who are rebellious, and think they are so “cool”. It is meant to be read at a certain beat or pace, like a rap, to add an effect to the “rebellion” theme. Brooks starts off by saying, “We left school”(Brooks, line 1-2, 1960) which hints that the characters dropped out of school, or might be skipping. Next, the author says ,”We Lurk late. We strike straight. We sing sin” (Brooks, lines 2-5,

1960) Dropping out of school, staying out late,and rapping were all frowned upon in this time period. By doing these things,the teens would appear “cool” to their friends, but they would be considered rebels by adults. In the end, the author says, “We Die soon.” which implies that because the teens were being rebels, they probably got themselves into more trouble than they could handle, and then died. In this poem, being rebellious is “cool” but it leads to dying young.
Next, the poem “Theme for English B” has an almost positive form of rebellion.

The poem is about a black student ,presumably Langston Hughes himself, having to prove that he is just the same as his white professor. Langston starts off the poem by saying, “I wonder if it’s that simple? I am twenty-two, colored… I am the only colored student in my class.”(Langston Hughes, line 1-5, 1951) Hughes is implying that since he is the only black person in his class, the professor will not believe what he writes on. This poem was written in 1951, when most schools were separate and black people were treated differently, and Hughes writes about that. He is very rebellious in his poem, yet he still follows the directions. He says, “ That’s American. Sometimes perhaps you don’t want to be a part of me, nor do I often want to be a part of you.” (Langston Hughes, line 32-34, 1951) He writes about how black people and white people actually are the same, and during this time period most people did not believe that. He goes against what society’s normal view of colored people is, while still completing his assignment. He showed a bold way of rebellion, while still following the

rules.
Finally, “Let America Be America Again” by Langston Hughes goes against the typical portrayal of America. He takes the usual quote of, “Land of the free” and talks about how America is not free. “There’s never been equality for me, Nor freedom in this ‘homeland of the free’... I am the poor white, fooled and pushed apart, I am the Negro bearing slavery’s scars, I am the red man driven from the land… finding the same old stupid plan Of dog eat dog, of mighty crush the weak.” (Hughes, stanza 4, 1935) Langston Hughes was a very brave man to destroy the typical idea that everyone in America is free. In stanza 8, he says, “Who said the free? Not me? Surely not me” (Hughes, 1935) He takes the idea of freedom in America, and says all the reasons why America is not really free. He includes everyone, from poor white people to Native Americans being forced to move. During this time period, and even now, expressing negative opinions towards America is very risky and rebellious.
Gwendolyn Brooks and Langston Hughes could be considered “rebels” because their poems go against the social norms, and they both write on risky and controversial topics. “We Real Cool” shows the bad side of rebellion and how it can lead to an early death, while “Theme for English B” and “Let America Be America Again” show how being rebellious is good and that it can be necessary for change. Both of these authors show the good outcome after rebellion, and the bad, but inevitable, outcome.