Poem Analysis: We Real Cool By Gwendolyn Brooks

Analysis of Gwendolyn Brooks: “We real cool”
The line “We Sing sin. We Thin gin.” is in the middle of the poem “We Real Cool” by Gwendolyn Brooks. Brooks was born in Topeka, Kansas in 1917, but moved to Chicago when she was young (“Gwendolyn Brooks”). Brooks was a well known poet and also a teacher; She was the first black author to win the Pulitzer Prize. Throughout her career, she received many honors and awards. Many of Brooks’ work displays a political consciousness, especially from the 1960s and later, several of her poems reflect the civil rights movement. The poem “We Real Cool” is completely different and it’s quite short with only four stanzas. It describes the modern youth and what the “cool” kids typically do. In the second line

it says “We left school” and later points out other stereotypical actions showing what the cool youth does. For example, dropping out of school, drinking, staying out late at night, enjoying modern music, and living short lives.
The line 5-6 “We Sing sin. We Thin gin” represents the youth “singing” or “celebrating” sin. “We sing sin” points out the vulgarity of modern music. The line ‘We thin gin” is emphasizing the alcohol abuse in today’s society. An interesting fact is that when Brooks published this poem in 1960, and gin was the most popular spirit in America until the vodka craze started around mid-century (Stavros). In 1968 she was named poet laureate for the state of Illinois, and from 1985-86 she was a consultant in poetry to the Library of Congress. She lived in Chicago until her death on December 3, 2000