The Teenagers In We Real Cool By Gwendolyn Brooks

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In Gwendolyn Brooks’ “We Real Cool”, Brooks conveys an arrogant, mocking tone embodied by the speaker(s), a group of teenagers in the 1950’s. Although it is not often though of a popular place for teenagers, a pool hall was often the popular place for young people in the 1950’s. The teenagers in “We Real Cool” “[leave] school” (line 2) to play pool and cause trouble around town. They show contempt for authority and test their boundaries, often “sing[ing] sin” (line 5), or bragging about their antics. Thinking themselves invincible, the teenagers “strike straight” (line 4) fighting and playing pool without considering the possible consequences. They brag about their antics and have as much fun as they can before they are caught, as seen in