' We Real Cool, By Gwendolyn Brooks

We Real Cool, written by Gwendolyn Brooks shows the path youths faced when they chose to not attend school. Brooks was born before the Harlem Renaissance, which gives the poem its setting. The Harlem Renaissance was the rebirth of African American Arts (History). We Real Cool is a ballad. A ballad is a poem telling a short story based on a theme or narrative (Strand and Boland 73). We Real Cool shows what is was like living as an African American young man during this time. The poem opens with a group of seven friends at a pool hall, the Golden Shovel. Golden Shovel could mean a lot of different things, but in this content, it portrays the short life expectancy of those who decided to commit crimes over being in school. Golden showing that these players are young and could have a bright future and shovel meaning death. By taking part in these crimes, they are essentially digging their on graves. In seven of the eight lines, they each end with “We”. Leaving each we as the last word in each line could show that these seven teenagers are dying, one by one by their decisions.
“We real cool. We left school” (Strand and Boland 94), the young men in the poem are being portrayed as …show more content…
We Thin gin”. There are three young men left. Even after losing four of their members, they continue on this “cool” path. You would imagine that seeing your friends die from these things that seem “cool” you would want change your life, but they continue to play this game. The game of death. “We Sing sin”, they are proud of all the crimes they have committed. Possibly because, they have yet to get caught. Probably because they are maintaining their families by committed these crimes. In this poem, critics think that Brooks is stating all the black stereotypes (Green) African American men are seen to support their families with dirty money. Dirty money is money obtained by doing illegal activities; selling drugs, stealing, and or being a