Racism Exposed In Gwendolyn Brooks We Real Cool

In todays’ society, a big part of arguments and conflicts have revolved around racism. Unless a person has gone to a high school or a University where the issue of racial privileges have been an issue, generally people tend to have their first encounter with the issue online. Misinterpretations of this discussion can often interfere with a persons view on this topic. Gwendolyn Brooks is a great American poet that portrays the lives of many Southern Chicago African Americans. I chose one of her poems We Real Cool, because it shows how some may jump to conclusions without much evidence to support their decisions.
In Gwendolyn Brooks’ poem We Real Cool, Brooks talks about the thoughts of some young pool players at a pool house called “The Golden …show more content…
Breaking apart this poem, a verb has started every line leading up to this couplet (line 7). As readers, it is difficult to comprehend what Brooks or the seven pool players meant by “Jazz June.” Some thought that it was a sexual term. Considering that “Jazz” is a verb, people found ways to look at the word sexually and to replace the phrase “have sex with.” At first glance, the reader reads the word “June” as a month, but considering that “Jazz” should be a verb, readers could possibly presume that “June” be a person’s name. Looking at this line a different way, readers would see “June” as a time of celebration, freedom, considering its around the time school tends to end. “Jazz” would then be considered a form of celebration or dancing of some sort. The next line drastically changes the tone of the whole poem. The rebellious young boys go from having a good time and bragging about there behavior, and now admit that drinking, lurking, and playing pool will lead to an early death. Ending the poem with “We Die soon,” surprises the reader. It states that the young boys accept their fate and that they can be proud to “Die soon.” Possibly they want to die young doing something that they love.
Even though analyzing this poem, stanza-by-stanza, line-by-line, the reader must realize how they picture these young boys. The reader must remember that in reality, African-American males are not the only race of children who drop out of school and behave like the children do in this poem. I chose this poem because it impacted me in recreating emotions and images that I had once had in the past. I too have been in a state of mind of being “Real cool,” along with many other people who lived through the teen