We Real Cool Analysis

Gwendolyn Brooks captures the reality of America’s youth with her poem, “We Real Cool.” Growing up in Chicago, Brooks was inspired to write “We Real Cool” while catching a glimpse of a group of teenagers playing pool during school hours (On “We Real Cool”). The poem portrays a group of young people dodging the responsibilities of life in order to do whatever is considered “cool” to them and their peers. The poem allows the audience to make their own judgements about the pool players, because Brooks gives no opinion. However, the last line of the poem gives the audience the impression that the pool players’ actions are wrong because it shows that their destiny is an early death date. Brooks made the speaker of the poem to be defiant, since he is rebelling against what is expected of the youth by “lurking late” and “striking straight” (3-4) in order to give the audience a realistic view of teenaged dropouts.
To begin with, the poem is structured in eight short and concise lines. Each word of the poem is only one syllable, and may indicate that the speaker is not educated. It is

also using informal language and wording. This shows defiance because young people are expected to be educated in order to begin establishing their future. Since teenagers are close to being adults and starting careers of their own, they are expected to be knowledgeable for the sake of their future. On the other hand, Brooks depicts a group of rebellious teenagers who do not seem to care about their lives. “We/ Die soon” (7-8) shows that they know the outcome of their lives, and may answer the question as to why they are being defiant.
In addition, the author uses epistrophe, a repetition of words at the end of a line (Epistrophe), in order to emphasize the fact that the speaker’s confidence in being defiant against society’s standards. The use of “we” shows that it is not unusual to find a young person disregarding their responsibilities, because of the fact that there are many teens involved in this. Also, the use of “we” is, in a sense, assertive because the speaker is saying that he and his group are entitled to “singing sin” and “thinning gin” (5-6) because they are “real cool.”
Brooks’ poem was written in 1959, making it about thirty years after the Harlem Renaissance.

However, there are clear signs of inspiration from Langston Hughes’ jazzy rhythm in poems such as, “The Weary Blues” (Gross). “We Real Cool” also has a jazzy rhythm when being read out loud, possibly because of the three beats in every line excluding the first and last line. In contrast of this upbeat rhythm, the message of the poem says a lot about the youth and society. Brooks shows how some young people will go through great lengths to defy society and “live for the moment.” She however, does not determine if this is good or bad, but the audience is left with the impression that defying society’s expectations can put people at risks. Even today, it can be difficult for some people to show off their individuality and be independent without running into risks that may affect their lives

greatly.