Taylor Hunt Mrs.

Carter AP Literature 11 March 2014 We Real Cool Analysis We Real Cool By Gwendolyn Brooks We real cool. We Left school. We 5 Lurk late. We Strike straight. We

Sing sin. We 10 Thin gin. We

Jazz June. We Die soon. In Gwendolyn Brookss poignant poem We Real Cool she explores ideas related to youthful rebellion and corruption. The author keeps the lines this poem very short and simple in order to emphasize the short and simple life of her subject matter. This also helps pull attention to her use of imagery, irony, rhythm, and musical devices to develop her rebellious tone and communicate her theme of self-destruction
Taylor Hunt! 4/29/14 1:21 AM Comment [1]: Rewrite, too simple, explication. Taylor Hunt! 4/29/14 1:21 AM Comment [2]: DELETE Taylor Hunt! 4/29/14 1:22 AM Comment [3]: Better word/words Taylor Hunt! 4/29/14 1:22 AM Comment [4]: This whole sentence feels out of place. Whats this doing here???? Taylor Hunt! 4/29/14 1:23 AM Comment [5]: More explanation

The first invocation of imagery the author uses is the word we. By making the speaker plural the author both unifies and separates the speaker. Brooks unifies the speaker with the other rebellious teenagers who participate in the destructive activity as well, and she separates the speaker from everyone else, isolating them. The imagery involved with their destructive activities is very dark and violent, specifically lurk late and strike straight. The connotations behind these words are mischievous and therefore the images presented are more rambunctious and venomous. Imagery in this poem is used by the author to characterize the speaker as outside of mainstream society and as part of a group of delinquent children. The irony in this poem is centered on the first and last lines. The premise of the poem is that the speaker is real cool and as the poem goes on to list the reason the why speaker believes themselves to be real cool and at the end it concludes that these activities will consequently make the speaker die soon. Its also ironic how the speaker believes himself or herself to be separate from and better than mainstream society but also suffers an earlier death. The entirety of the poem is laden with irony, for ending a poem structured and focused on the pleasures of life is the consequence of death. The irony contributes to Brookss theme of rebellion and selfdestruction by showing that things that made the speaker enjoyed doing also brought him or her an early death. The rhythm of this poem is very purposeful. The placement of the word we at the end of the line places the emphasize on the more descriptive words at beginning of the line. The reading of the poem with a short fast we and drawn out actions pulls the poem to sound almost like a chant or a mantra. The rhythm created by the rhyme scheme develops an easy going and rebellious tone though out the poem and as well as a sense of unity. This makes the ending of the poem even more abrupt and ironic because it breaks the rhythm but continues the rhyme scheme
Taylor Hunt! 4/29/14 1:26 AM Comment [6]: I dont like who this word makes the sentence sound. Replace/delete Taylor Hunt! 4/29/14 1:24 AM Comment [7]: This point is unclear, better diction/word choice. Too many repeating words, sentence structured strangely. Taylor Hunt! 4/29/14 1:26 AM Comment [8]: DELETE Taylor Hunt! 4/29/14 1:25 AM Comment [9]: Delete Taylor Hunt! 4/29/14 1:25 AM Comment [10]: Passive voice Taylor Hunt! 4/29/14 1:25 AM Comment [11]: Better description? Taylor Hunt! 4/29/14 1:27 AM Comment [12]: Passive voice

Taylor Hunt! 4/29/14 1:28 AM Comment [13]: The syntax and diction in the sentence is gross. This sentence needs to be thought through and then re-written to clarify what is trying to be communicated. What are you trying to say and why? Taylor Hunt! 4/29/14 1:29 AM Comment [14]: This sentence sounds rudimentary. Better word choice? Also mention something about irony of syncopation.

Taylor Hunt! 4/29/14 1:30 AM Comment [15]: DELETE Taylor Hunt! 4/29/14 1:30 AM Comment [16]: ICK WHAT. More explination/rewrite

and consequently the unity, which helps link the easy going and rebellious tone with the last poignant line about an early death. This poem relies heavily on its musical devices. The first couplet establishes the rhyme scheme and rhythm. The second couplet is heavy with musical devices. The lines lurk late and strike straight both contain influential alliteration and rhyme scheme. This stanza helps to build rhythm and tone by making the words flow so easily. The short masculine rhymes also help to make the rhymes flow faster which carries the fast and easy going tone all the way to the last couplet, which halts the rhythm by breaking the alliteration. Jazz June is alliteration but Die soon is not and consequently the rhythm is broken to reveal the true nature of their reckless and self-destructive actions. Gwendolyn Brooks carries much of her tone and theme in imagery, irony, rhythm, and musical devices. The imagery in the poem helps to characterize the speaker and their actions. The irony helps to establish theme by connecting the attitude of the speaker with the consequences of his actions. Rhythm builds tone because it helps the reader read at the right speed with the right inflection. Musical devices pull the poem together with alliteration and rhyme scheme. Brooks has managed to elaborately hide am intensely empathetic and observational story behind a facade of simplicity that in itself embodies the overall emotion and intent that otherwise would be overworked.
Taylor Hunt! 4/29/14 1:38 AM Comment [25]: Passive voice. Taylor Hunt! 4/29/14 1:37 AM Comment [26]: I dont like the hide analogy. Change. Shes not hiding complexity in simplicity shes communicating complexity in simplicity. Taylor Hunt! 4/29/14 1:32 AM Comment [17]: Delete. Oh my god Taylor stop saying early. Taylor Hunt! 4/29/14 1:31 AM Comment [18]: WRITE ABOUT IRONY OF SYNCOPATION. Taylor Hunt! 4/29/14 1:32 AM Comment [19]: Ideas in these last sentences are hard to follow. Clear up syntax and ideas. Taylor Hunt! 4/29/14 1:33 AM Comment [20]: DELETE Taylor Hunt! 4/29/14 1:33 AM Comment [21]: DELETE Taylor Hunt! 4/29/14 1:35 AM Comment [22]: Oh my god Taylor stop saying consequently. Taylor Hunt! 4/29/14 1:35 AM Comment [23]: Passive voice. Taylor Hunt! 4/29/14 1:34 AM Comment [24]: Syntax/ideas are unclear. Needs clarification and support.