The content in this poem is directed African-American youth in the 1960's. Jazz was the popular music of the time in the African-American community, and slang words were used in the content of the songs and likewise in the common language of young African-American youth. Also the way the poem is written is a way to get the young black youth to read in the late 1960's. The poem is very easy to read and has a catchy almost musical flow.The ‘We’ — you’re supposed to stop after the ‘We’ and think about validity; of course, there’s no way for you to tell whether it should be said softly or not, I suppose, but I say it rather softly because I want to represent their basic uncertainty, which they don’t bother to question every day, of course.” In 1976, Barbara B. Sims wrote that the lines of “We Real Cool” are short to suggest the shortness of the lives of the pool players, and that the words “lurk,” “strike,” and “sin” suggest pool players who, outside the pool hall, thieve, rape, and kill.
Even though the poem was written in 1960, it mirrors the situation of today, for many young men and even young women skip school everyday - not to mention those who dropout.
I like the picture you added with the post, I feel it really represents the poem really well. Your choice of analysis to the content of the poem is really well researched too. I feel you might have been able to put one or two more links having to do with the political nature of the poem, but overall very good post.
ReplyDeleteI like the explanations you found for the poem, but I think it needs more historical facts behind the poem and the period of time when it was written. The picture goes very well with the image created by the author in the poem.
ReplyDeleteThe picture resembles a lot of descriptions and images from the poem about how the people are. I like the explanation you found about how even though the poem was written in 1960, in society today, many people are still trying to act "real cool."
ReplyDeleteI really like your picture that you have for this blog, it emphasizes Brooks' poem. You put in a lot of information interpreting Brooks' poem, but you barely put any emphasis on the political aspect of this. I also like your last paragraph to tie up all the things that Brooks implies in her poem. Overall good information gathered, but maybe a little more organization of which paragraph should come first, then second.
ReplyDeleteYou really pieced your facts together well. You relate to the poem, the situation, and the present day. Think you found some good sources that make a strong argument. I particularly liked the paragraph describing the “We” in “We Real Cool” because it questioned how to say the word when reading the poem. This is a key point because the word “We” is so important to the poem. Also, your picture ties the entire thing together very well.
ReplyDeleteYeah! Well done Robert! I've thought the same about this poem. It' wonderful that you interpreted the poem well. Your blog says it all. The information you've linked flows well and it's all connected.
ReplyDeleteYouth' mentality is really an issue in this society. Those little kids think that they are invisible and could do whatever they please. They live for the joy of today and don't have much thoughts for the long-term consequences of their choices. Your blog describes all these.
It's amazed me how you did it. You did it well. Also, your image is really powerful! It serves as a concrete sense for readers to hold on to as they scan through your blog word by word, sentence by sentence, trying to grasp the hidden idea behind the poem.