We Real Cool

I hate to admit it but until this class I did not know about Gwendolyn Brooks. I really liked her poem “We Real Cool” (746-747) written when she was about 50 years old. Although the lit book suggests that economy (755) of words is a feature of all poetry, Brooks has taken “We Real Cool” to an extreme. Consisting of 24 words (not counting the title and subtitle), Brooks communicates an entire story about the lives and future of young African-Americans (or Hmong, Hispanic or any poor ethnic group). Also impressive about Brooks’ poem is its age—more than 40 years old—and it is still a realistic picture of gangs found in urban areas all over America.

The “we” in the poem suggests that the individuals in the group do not have a separate identity. They judge themselves as a group (“real cool”) and act as a group (lurk, strike, sing, jazz). This type of peer pressure keeps the members in the group from doing more or improving themselves. Such an acceptance of “We Die soon” means that the group members are focused on enjoyment of their lives while they can. Also they do not plan for the future. The ending suggests this image was disturbing to Gwendolyn Brooks, who had a teenager in Chicago in 1967. What is even more disturbing is the image of teenagers without a future is still a reality in America in 2008.