"We real cool" by Brooks. For some reason I can’t really explain, this poem really appeals to me. Maybe because of the pattern of the words, the way Brooks uses the word "we" to tie the stanzas together in a unique and vaguely disquieting way. But I think that the way Brooks uses her words to create a vivid mental scene, one that i can see almost as if I’m there is what attracts me so much to this dark little ditty.
The whole scene, to me, is a fake-glitz, dark, angry place, sort of a not-all-that-glitters-is-gold scene. This poem describes a life, if you can call it that, that is a sad one, without much purpose or direction. I think this poem sort of is a metaphor for the way African-Americans were feeling about their oppressed lives in 1959.
Brooks uses her literary abilities to fashion a world where there is no meaning or ambition because no one has ever cleaned off the windows to let the light come shining in.
This poem really speaks to me too! I think that it's probably her easy going writing style. The poem feels so laid back and simple to read. It almost seems like it rolls off the tongue but at the same time has a strict rhythmic meter to it. It makes it very appealing.
ReplyDeleteI also picked up on the dark feel that you are talking about. She uses the world 'we' to imply that everyone is doing something that they think is 'cool'. However, their actions are not cool. They are self destructive and, as the end of her poem implies, get the group nowhere.
While her poem might also have roots in the oppression of African Americans at the time, I think it also might be purely about peer pressure. One of the clearest messages of this poem, for me anyway, is that you should think about something before you do it; just because everyone else does it doesn't make it a smart thing to do.