“We Real Cool” by Gwendolyn Brooks has a lot more to it than one might realize. There are themes within this poem of uncertainty, fear, and realization. The unique poem structure is where we find the uncertainty. The hanging we’s at the end of each line suggest a slight hesitation before each statement. It seems to suggest that the pool players are being falsely confident because they know deep down that they’re making poor choices. That is where we see the fear. They are afraid of their futures and the people they have fallen in with. On some level they understand that because they are currently making the easy choices to conform and to never challenge themselves, they are ultimately hurting their futures and shortening their lives. That is the realization of the poem.
I think everyone knows people who are lazily throwing their lives away. They seem to be unmotivated and stagnate. This is driven by their need to conform to their friends. Conformity can be very destructive to people. It seems that the “bad kids” in modern times are just misunderstood individuals who have found acceptance among people who do not encourage them to be successful, but rather to cut class, drink alcohol, and generally not think about the consequences of their actions. This can affect our lives as sometimes these people are our siblings or old friends who we care about. These perspectives make this poem cut much deeper.
I think the most important line in this poem is “We die soon” (Brooks, 1312). This shows the real meaning and purpose of this poem. It is the underbelly of the attitude of the pool players. They know they’re living dangerous lives, but they can’t be afraid of that, or at least they can’t say they’re afraid of it. They just have to act like they’re above society and above being told what to do. Because of this, they will likely die soon. Another significant quote is, “We left school” (Brooks, 1312). A lack of education can certainly lead to delinquency. Education is one of the most important pillars of society. Without an educated public, society will take extremely long to progress. Whether these pool players skipped class for a day or dropped out of school altogether, they are hurting their ability to understand the world they live in and taking opportunities away from themselves.
This poem does not have extremely positive implications about these pool players. It seems to imply that they are throwing their lives away and they’re proud of themselves for it. That can be hard to read the first time through. However, when you think about it, it may not be entirely bleak. If they are the ones saying that they know they will die soon then there is some hope that they will change. It is hard to move away from an identity such as the one these pool players have created for themselves, but it is possible that they will be able to realize what they are doing to themselves and choose a better life, especially because they hesitate after the we’s, which shows that they are not confident in their current circumstances.
I really enjoyed this poem! i think its interesting how she structured it and when we got to hear her reading the poem it helped set the mood of the poem. I think they didn't care at the time about the decisions they were making and tried to justify it by thinking about how "cool" they thought the bad decisions were making them. I agree that deep down they probably knew they shouldn't be making those decisions that they were
ReplyDeleteI also enjoyed this poem and also that it was cool how she structured the way the poem was in the book. I also like her attitude while she was reading her poem in the recording. I do believe that many people just do things there friends do because they want their friends to think they are cool, they want to conform to one another. I think a lot of the points you made are very valid.
ReplyDeleteI liked this poem too! I really liked how it sounded as well. Hearing it from the author gives it a different tone. I would've read it as if it were bland and boring, but how it really sounds is really fascinating.
ReplyDeleteI never looked into this poem that much, but you make a lot of good points. I never thought of the pool players in fear, just sort of hanging out yet it makes sense when they aren't going to school and just living their lives playing pool and not making anything for themselves with an education or anything. What a way to live.
ReplyDeleteI also like this poem, and I thought you brought up a lot of good points, connections and themes that I hadn't noticed when reading it. I especially like the point you make about the hanging we's at the end of each line; I think that's a good observation, it really helps the point you make about their uncertainty and fear, and it connects well with your point about how they may still be able to change their circumstances. This was a good and interesting post!
ReplyDeleteWhat role does race play in these young men's feelings that they will die soon? And their decision to quit school?
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