...Writing about Literature –Com 1102 September 28, 2011 “We Real Cool” “We Real Cool” is a very short poem that can have a different meaning and theme depending on the reader. I did some background information on Gwendolyn Brooks, the author of this poem, and I realized that knowing some of her background information really helps the reader. By knowing this information the reader can understand and appreciate her poem and its message. During a public reading Mrs. Brooks is known for saying, “I wrote [We Real Cool] because I was passing by a pool hall in my community one afternoon during school time, and I saw, therein, a little bunch of boys – I say there in this poem, seven – and they were shooting pool. Instead of asking myself, “Why aren’t they in school?” I asked myself, ‘I wonder how they feel about themselves?’ and just perhaps they might have considered themselves contemptuous of the establishment…” (Shmoop Editorial Team) This quote helps the reader understand the thought process of Brooks and helps define the general message of how the boys were wasting their time. “We Real Cool” has astoundingly only a subtitle and eight lines. The first sentence we read which is the subtitle says, “The Pool Players. /Seven at the Golden Shovel.” (860) Brooks starts the poem by introducing seven pool players at a local pool hall called the “Golden Shovel”. (860) I found the name of the pool hall intriguing because it means much more than a shovel that is gold. Gold can imply...
Words: 1328 - Pages: 6
...It is evident that the poem “We Real Cool” by Gwendolyn Brooks (1960) is a group of school age kids that are living on the “edge” so to speak. They leave school to go play pool, drink, and just be carefree with no concern of their education or their safety. Brooks (1960) used the words, “We Sing sin. We Die soon” which implies that they will die at an early age because of the life style they live it suggest they are living day by day on the street. The tone and irony are two literary devices used in this poem. The tone in the beginning is somewhat uplifting, but then quickly becomes saddened at the end when death is suggested. The other would be irony which is used many times throughout the poem. Brooks (1960) uses “SEVEN AT THE GOLDEN SHOVEL”, to set the scene of the poem. The word seven and golden usually implies lucky and money. The irony used: a pool hall would not normally be golden, it is usually very dark and a shovel usually brings hard work to mind and they are using a pool stick that doesn’t require any hard work. Just fun and games. The literary devices chosen implied that they have no real direction in their lives and no concern what so ever of their education or even themselves. Listening to the poem read aloud gives a whole different meaning in my thoughts and is so beneficial. Gwendolyn Brooks gives an introduction of the reading before she reads the poem aloud and explains why she wrote the poem. She saw these boys in passing of a pool...
Words: 455 - Pages: 2
...Latoya Griffin ENG 125 Instructor Anna Morrison May 28, 2014 The Pool Players The poem “The pool players” outlines the actual reality in which different youth from any diverse tends to face after leaving school. The poems’ content is systematically in a order simply because it opens up with portraying the ultimate scene of seven boys who surrounded a pool hall which was named the Golden Shovel. This line exposes the actual scene which the play had represented certain small gang who were in need of luck in order to achieve certain goal in their lives. Also the content of the play seemingly interested as result of implication whereby it implies the youngness of the players (Brooks, 1959). The poem`s content also exposes the certain illegal activities which were practiced by the boys discussed. What interested me are narrator words when exposing the facts by use of secret word “Lurk late” which shows that, a certain activities were taking place in the dark. The identification shows that, too much exposure to darkness makes somebody to be what he or she ought to be. The narrator uses the word “strike straight” showing that, the boys where seemingly trying to do something menacing. Perhaps, they committed crimes, rapes and murder as well since they were all undergoing through a rite of passage in their development (Brooks, 1959). The form of the poem “the pool players” was identified to have been determined by Colloquial rhythm (Haikus type of poem) the narrator tried...
Words: 647 - Pages: 3
...Players Mary Bitela ENG 125 Introduction to Literature Instructor: Michelle Pinkard 04/08/2013 I will be discussing The Pool Players a short poem written by African American Gwendolyn Brooks. The three elements that I found interesting in this poem will be reviewed. The elements are image, tone, and symbol. I will explain how these elements affected my response to the poem all together. In addition also explain my reaction to the contents of this short poem. Along with clarifying if these elements caused me to focus on just one aspect of this poem over other poems. When I first read this short poem. I was baffled as to what it meant. I reread it several times and still cold not comprehend what it meant. Then I listened to the We Real Cool speech given by the author of The Pool Players Gwendolyn Brooks. She goes on describing how she was inspired to write this poem. Brooks goes on to explain how one day she was walking in her community one afternoon during school time. As Brooks was passing by a pool hall she saw a seven little boys shooting pool in that pool hall. “ Seven boys in a pool during school time. The pool players, seven at the Golden Shovel”, (Flynn, Richard, 2000, "The Kindergarten of New Consciousness": Gwendolyn Brooks and the Social Construction of Childhood). Retrieved from http://www.jstor.org/stable/2901386. “ Brooks goes on to explain instead of asking herself, why are they not in school? She asked herself , I wonder how they feel about themselves? Did...
Words: 783 - Pages: 4
...poem. In the poem, "We Real Cool," The personality of the speaker is someone who sounds like a delinquent. Lastly, the personality of the speaker shows that he or she likes to be seen as impressive. The personality of the speaker in the poem "We Real Cool," sounds like someone wants to have fun, a person who sounds like a delinquent, and someone who wants to be seen as impressive. First, the personality of the speaker sounds like someone who likes to have fun. One of the reasons why the speaker sounds like someone who likes to have fun is because, at the beginning of the poem, the speaker says that they are playing pool. They are also at a place that is called...
Words: 426 - Pages: 2
...Embracing the Black Power and Black Arts movements, Brooks began to explore black pride and African cultural nationalism, emphasizing the marginality of black life through brilliant imagery and forceful language, and to recognize the rage and despair among black people as her own. For example, Maud Martha, chronicles the childhood and emotional maturation of an unhappy, self-conscious black woman who suffers prejudice not only from whites, but also from blacks who have lighter skin than hers, something that mirrored Brooks's experience. "We Real Cool," which mimics the self-defeating defiance of pool hall dropouts. In the Mecca is considered Brooks's transitional volume, the verses also turn away from the humor and irony of earlier volumes...
Words: 312 - Pages: 2
...Thompson ENWR 106 March 9th, 2015 Tarnished Gold Chicago poet Gwendolyn Brooks was the first African- American female poet to win the Pulitzer Prize and went on to serve as the U.S Poet Laureate from 1985-1986. Among Brooks’ many works is the short poem; “We Real Cool” which sums up the reality that youths will have to face if they lose school. “We Real Cool” was written during the Civil Rights Movement in 1959, a period of great segregation. In 1954 the Supreme Court ruled that it was unconstitutional to segregate schools in the case of Brown vs Board of Education, however segregation was still prominent in society and this frustrated many African- Americans. Aside from separation, the effects of Segregation caused a lot of black youths to lose sight of their role in society and what it meant to have a bright future. By being told that they do not belong numerous times, being victims of prejudice and being treated as inferior they began to impact their outlook on life. Consistently being told that they have no future led youths to believe that it was nothing more than a false pretense, as seen in the boys who seem to be struggling with identity. Anyone who has ever played hooky can relate to “We Real Cool”, instead of attending school seven young men decide to hang out at a bar and play pool. Brooks is attempting to send a message through her poem and she accomplishes this through the use of symbolism and word choice. According to Gwendolyn Brooks, one day as...
Words: 1368 - Pages: 6
...In Gwendolyn Brooks’ “We Real Cool,” the speaker’s attitude towards the seven players is very harsh and judgmental. The speaker is trying to get into their heads and trying to imagine what the boys think of themselves. She does not display any concern or care for the young men; rather the speaker is being strident and critical of their actions. At first, readers may confuse the speaker as being the pool players because of inclusion the pronoun “we”; however, the speaker could be someone that works at the Golden Shovel, who is observing the players’ every move. The speaker is forming a negative vibe and persona of the boys based on their rebellious attitude that only leads to them to “Die Soon” (8). After analyzing the subtitle of the poem, Brooks utilizes the literary device, juxtaposition, to foreshadow the pool players’ fate....
Words: 659 - Pages: 3
...Poem Analysis “We Real Cool” by Gwendolyn Brooks “We Real Cool” by Gwendolyn Brooks portrays a fasting living life and dying young. It talks about rebellious youngsters who are not fond of attending school so skip and find solace and pleasure at a pool. This poem holds the whole lives of a teenage gang, from their coolness to their demise. It could be a motto, it could be a song, a chant, a lyric rage against the powers that be. It has end rhyme and internal rhyme which is technically full – cool and school, sin and gin and the repetitive we; this is rhyme that binds together the brotherhood of the gang. The poem is not too long to induce boredom. The tone is one of defiance and stubborn allegiance to the gang. This is a group...
Words: 284 - Pages: 2
...Gwendolyn Brooks’ “We Real Cool” is a short yet intriguing poem that contains many elements to arouse a reader’s curiosity. From the title to the lines and stanzas, the word play entices readers as it generates a sense of arrogance, pride and bravado. This short poem details the events of seven young men whose life choices ends up leading to their untimely death. Brooks uses literary elements such as the player’s wordplay, the setting and the change of tone in the last line in order to illustrate the theme of targeting the dangers of the youth. The wordplay in the poem emphasizes the player’s misplaced courage and insecurities. By simply reading the title and the first few lines, one can see the pride that these players exuberate for having left school. The speaker states “Seven at the golden shovel”. This phrase is a symbolic one as it contains many different connotations. The word golden can indicate the youthful arrogance of the seven players but the phrase can also indicate one digging their own...
Words: 705 - Pages: 3
...The poem We Real Cool was written by Gwendolyn Brooks. The poem expresses the quality of life in the city for young African-American men in the early 1960`s. This poem is short but has a powerful message behind it. The poem is about troubled teens who enjoy being in the streets and that if they continue this lifestyle they will end up dead. The boys are not too fond about attending school so, they skip and go to a pool facility. The poem makes it seem as if the boys do not care about their education and want to live a bad lifestyle. The poem gives the reader an idea about how the author feels about young pool players. Throughout the poem the author uses symbolism, imagery, irony and tone. The title of the poem is ironic, “We Real Cool” contradicts the last...
Words: 523 - Pages: 3
...Elements of sound can be described as devices that are used by poets to reinforce meaning and themes into poetry. Poets can use sound devices such as alliteration, the repetition of two or more consonant sounds in successive words in a line of a verse or prose (Kennedy and Gioia, 2052) or rime, which is when two or more words that contain identical or similar vowel sound (Kennedy and Gioia, 2074). In the two pieces “We Real Cool” by Gwendolyn Brooks and “My Papa’s Waltz” by Theodore Roethke the poets use a combination of rime, rhythm and meter to get the poem’s meaning across. The poem “We Real Cool” uses rhythm, the pattern of stresses and pauses in a poem, to get across the poet Gwendolyn Brooks’ theme. “We Real Cool” is about a group of boys that should be in school but decide to skip to go do something that is considered “cool”. Brooks uses an imitative tone while simultaneously, questioning of a group of the boys in a pool hall’s lives. Questions come up like “What are they doing here?” and “Shouldn’t they be in school?” but the bigger question is how do they feel about their lives. The poem implies the message that the boys in this pool hall are unhappy with their everyday lives, so they feel the need to pretend to be something else, something “cooler”. By using certain elements of sound Brooks shows the readers that she believes that these boys in the pool hall are trying to be something they are not. The poem also gives the reader a feeling of nostalgia. It brings the...
Words: 1003 - Pages: 5
...Assessment Project Presents a Business Plan For “Cool && Clean” * Done By: Shantae Paisley * Subject: Principles of Business (P.O.B) * Teacher: Ms. Byfield * Form: 11c Acknowledgement I would like to express my special thanks of gratitude to my teacher Ms. Byfield who gave me the golden opportunity to do this wonderful project, which also helped me in doing a lot of research for I came to know about so many new things I am really thankful to her. Secondly I would also like to thank my parents and friends who helped me a lot in finalizing this project within the limited time frame. TABLE OF CONTENT Title page…………………………………......ii Acknowledgement…………….…………….iii Table of Content……………………………iv-v * Description * Mission Statement * Role of Entrepreneur * Uses of Technology * Potential of Growth * Justification of Location * Selection of Appropriate Labour * Sources of Fixed and Working Capital * Type of Production * Levels of Production * Quality Control Measures * Linkages * Potential for Growth * Government Regulations * Ethical Issues Description The name of my business to be established is “Cool && Clean”. This product is a provider in the natural skincare market for those who have terrible facial break outs, spots and excessive oil giving the face an unpleasant appearance. “Cool && Clean” introduces a refining facial mask that is a beautifying...
Words: 1722 - Pages: 7
...Cool In my 39 years I have heard a lot of people talk or express what they think is cool (electronics, technology, music, movies, cars, and ECT.). However I have never once heard anyone talk about the coolest thing in the world which I will share with you further in this essay. Yes I find all these things to be cool but they are material things and meaningless in my opinion when it comes to what’s really cool which is motherhood. I feel that motherhood is cool because it’s so amazing how a woman could love you unconditionally no matter what you’ve done right or wrong. Motherhood is the most special and coolest thing that this world could ever have due to the fact that she will hold you in her bosom and kick your ass all at the same time while giving you all her love and strength. I’ve found that we have lost site on what is really cool because of the material things that we indulge in on a daily bases. Cool is motherhood for her love, support, tears, and fear the ass kicking’s and the understanding of our rights and wrongs in life. Motherhood is cool for the things that she teaches us past, present and the future to come. Cool is when your mother looks at you and you see the tears in her eyes because of the struggles she went through to provide a life for you that was better than her own. Material things are cool. However we need to stop and think hard about the things in our lives that are really cool, motherhood because without her we are nothing. Let’s embrace her for...
Words: 291 - Pages: 2
...The Responsibility Project ETH/316 The Responsibility Project The short film that was reviewed on The Responsibility Project website is titled Selling to the “Cool Kids.” The ethical principles of a large organization, Abercrombie and Fitch will be reviewed. More specifically we will be reviewing comments the Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of Abercrombie and Fitch made and the ethical implications they caused for the large retailer. The short film Cool Kids gave insight into one of the more taboo social traits of some Americans, overweight is an automatic descriptor of unattractive. As previously stated, the issue that was uncovered was initiated by the CEO Mike Jeffries of Abercrombie and Fitch. He stated, “There are the cool and popular kids, and the not-so-cool kids. Candidly, we go after the cool kids […] A lot of people don’t belong [in our clothes], and they can’t below.” (Bennett, 2013) The Cool Kids provided an earlier statement citing “He doesn’t want larger people shopping in his store; he wants thin and beautiful people.” (Bennett, 2013) The comments made by Jeffries led to an outrage of controversy for the retailer. Business Insider wrote a follow up article regarding retailers not marketing or even making clothing extra large clothing. Feeling the pressure from Jeffries comments the Abercrombie and Fitch spokesperson has “no comment” for the article (Lutz, 2013). This reiterates not only the controversy but the rationalizing of a business leader...
Words: 850 - Pages: 4
