What inspired Gwendolyn Brooks to write We Real Cool?
Table of Contents
- What inspired Gwendolyn Brooks to write We Real Cool?
- What is the message of the poem We Real Cool?
- When was We Real Cool by Gwendolyn Brooks written?
- What is the effect of the repetition of the word we in We Real Cool?
- Why was We Real Cool banned?
- What is the mood in the poem We Real Cool?
- Who is the we in the poem We Real Cool?
- What is the effect of the word we throughout the poem?
- What kind of repetition Do you sometimes find at the ends of lines?
- What is the poem we Real Cool by Gwendolyn Brooks about?
- Who is the author of we Real Cool?
- Why did Gwendolyn Brooks write we left school?
- Why did Gwendolyn Brooks use the word Golden?

What inspired Gwendolyn Brooks to write We Real Cool?
In an interview, Brooks said she found her inspiration to write "We Real Cool" when she stumbled upon a pool hall of boys in her neighborhood and quietly wondered how they felt about themselves. She also went on to publish her long poem "In the Mecca" in 1968, which was nominated for a National Book Award in poetry.
What is the message of the poem We Real Cool?
The Message of Gwendolyn Brooks' "We Real Cool" "We Real Cool" is a short, yet powerful poem by Gwendolyn Brooks that sends a life learning message to its reader. The message Brooks is trying to send is that dropping out of school and roaming the streets is in fact not "cool" but in actuality a dead end street.
When was We Real Cool by Gwendolyn Brooks written?
1959 We Real Cool/Date written "We Real Cool" is a poem written in 1959 by poet Gwendolyn Brooks and published in her 1960 book The Bean Eaters, her third collection of poetry.
What is the effect of the repetition of the word we in We Real Cool?
How does the repetition of "We" in each stanza of "We Real Cool" affect the poem's meaning? It highlights that the speakers feel like individuals even though they are part of a larger group. It reminds the reader that, although the speakers are individuals, they act in unison.
Why was We Real Cool banned?
“We Real Cool,” Gwendolyn Brooks One of Gwendolyn Brooks's most famous poems, “We Real Cool,” was banned in schools in Mississippi and West Virginia in the 1970s for the penultimate sentence in the poem: “We / Jazz June.” The school districts banned the poem for the supposed sexual connotations of the word “jazz.”
What is the mood in the poem We Real Cool?
The tone of "We Real Cool" is straightforward and lighthearted. An example of straightforward in the poem would be "We Die soon" meaning that if they don't change the way they are acting their life isn't going to be the way they want it to be.
Who is the we in the poem We Real Cool?
We Real Cool is a poem about the identity of a group of teenagers, black males, playing pool in the Golden Shovel. They are said to be black, like the poet Gwendolyn Brooks, but the poem could be about any group of rebellious youngsters anywhere, be they white or female.
What is the effect of the word we throughout the poem?
The repetition of the word "We" is originally planted at the start of both the title and the first line. This repetition is intensified by the memorable enjambment in lines 1-7, with "We" causing a breathy kind of suspense at each line break.
What kind of repetition Do you sometimes find at the ends of lines?
Refrain: repeated word or series of words in response or counterpoint to the main verse, as in a ballad. Rhyme: The repetition of identical concluding syllables in different words, most often at the ends of lines. Example: June--moon.
What is the poem we Real Cool by Gwendolyn Brooks about?
‘We Real Cool’ by Gwendolyn Brooks describes the lives of seven pool players who lurk in the night, don’t go to school, and plan on dying soon. The poem begins with the speaker stating that he and his friends are “cool.”
Who is the author of we Real Cool?
For the book, see We Real Cool: Black Men and Masculinity. " We Real Cool " is a poem written in 1959 by poet Gwendolyn Brooks and published in her 1960 book The Bean Eaters, her third collection of poetry. The poem has been featured on broadsides, re-printed in literature textbooks and is widely studied in literature classes.
Why did Gwendolyn Brooks write we left school?
‘We / Left school’), Brooks gives her poem a forward momentum which it would otherwise lack (just think how differently it would read if of the ‘We …’ statements was on a standalone line by itself, ended by a full stop).
Why did Gwendolyn Brooks use the word Golden?
If a word such as “golden” was used, it was used with a specific image in mind. One should consider this in reference to the larger image of the pool hall. This particular place is labeled as “golden” as if it is giving off some kind of light or is alluring, like gold.