Unlike many poems, The Pool Players was arranged in a very distinctive structure. Sentences were divided in places that were not traditionally broken at. However, Gwendolyn Brooks continued to effectively use simple sentences and precise word choice to portray the value of unity and street life. As poems were not meant to consist of an immense amount of words, it is crucial to include only those that contribute to the main focus of the work. Brooks eloquently did so by repeatedly using the same sentence structure throughout the entire poem. The simple sentence structure of just a subject and a verb, without the inclusion of any adjectives or adverbs, sets a rich emphasizes on each word. This method allowed for attention to be drawn towards specific details. The breakage of “we” enabled readers to pause before continuing with the action that followed the subject, putting additional emphasis on the value of unity. It highlighted the importance of togetherness even living on a street lifestyle. Together they abandoned their education, engaged in a poor lifestyle, and ultimately died together as well. The division of sentences into stanzas also held a significant value towards understanding the poem. Parallel actions were composed together and divided into their own couplets. By doing so, it emulated …show more content…
Since the poem was very minimalistic with its details, it counter-elaborated with strong word choice. For example, lurk late represented the street lifestyle of sneaking around. The word lurk itself means to be or remain hidden, ready for ambush. Combined with late, it fully depicted the living condition of these seven individuals. They lived in a lifestyle of rebellious and reckless behaviors due to their negligence to be in a part of society. Brooks use of precise word choice also helped to replicate the language that was often used in the
The poem, “We Real Cool”, was written by Gwendolyn Brooks. In the poem, she describes the pool player’s characteristics and their attitudes. By the tone of the poet, and the words used, you can tell that Brooks is not similar to these characters. She is telling a story of other people’s lives that she may have had knowledge of. It seems as though, she may have known the characters and watched them as they went about their daily activities. The poem is short, but tells a vivid story about the pool players.
First of alll, the poem is divided into nine stanzas, where each one has four lines. In addition to that, one can spot a few enjambements for instance (l.9-10). This stylistic device has the function to support the flow of the poem. Furthermore, it is crucial to take a look at the choice of words, when analysing the language.
The situations are not similar in the scenario, but equal in the tone of the poem. The authors show the break-up of a relationship through the pain of a separation and the loss of a partner. Sometimes one faces challenging situations and learns to survive the bad outcomes with bravery. The ideal and desired love turned into regret and depression. The romanticize concept of eternal love is broken with separation: “[t]he myth of marriage goes like this: somewhere out there is the perfect soul mate, the yin that meshes easily and effortlessly with your yang. And then there is the reality of marriage, which, as any spouse knows, is not unlike what Thomas Edison once said about genius: 1 percent inspiration and 99 percent perspiration” (Kantrowitz and Wingert). The sharing of love and joy, when one starts a relationship, does not come with the answers to all questions if in the end the love is gone, and one is looking for closure. The memory of what they had one day cannot replace the bitterness of what was left, after all. In the end, it turns out to not be what one expected. The butterflies fly away, leaving
The first three stanzas of the poem focus on the content of the relationship and we see the content of it. However, there is a change. The sixth and seventh stanzas describe an event and its consequences.
Brooks’ selection of single syllable words helps set the rhythm of a jazz mood. The monosyllable words provide a rhythmical tool for generating a snappy beat to her tale. Her repetition of rhyming words close together adds unity to the poem. By placing the one syllable words close together: “cool / school” (1-2) and “sin / gin” (5-6), it emphases each word. The feelings and imagery are clear in this poem. The rhyming lines in her verse contain only three words, and it keeps the poem’s rhythm moving. The short verse makes it easy to remember. The short lines speed it up, but the sound on each stop really stands out. Only the subtitle is longer, which Brooks utilizes to encompass the setting. Her careful use of short words keeps the beat and describes what the boys are doing, like leaving school, or staying out late. These simple
One of the great things about Composition and Literature is that the readings can relate to many other topics outside of the class. The poems and the stories read in this class give a more in depth look at a specific subject and give a clearer picture of what life was like and how people lived at that time. In most classes about U.S. History, the sections taught on segregation don’t give specific examples of how people were treated or the perspectives of the people who were mistreated. However, reading Gwendolyn Brooks’ poetry in the Composition and Literature course gives students an opportunity to learn greater details about segregation through the perspectives of the people most affected by it and the
The poet begins by describing the scene to paint a picture in the reader’s mind and elaborates on how the sky and the ground work in harmony. This is almost a story like layout with a beginning a complication and an ending. Thus the poem has a story like feel to it. At first it may not be clear why the poem is broken up into three- five line stanzas. The poet deliberately used this line stanzas as the most appropriate way to separate scenes and emotions to create a story like format.
The poem being separated into two indicates change of direction. In the sestet, there is a sudden change in emotion. The first line, ‘the final hour’, immediately shows this. The father is now dying. Weak. ‘Your hands between the sheets’ indicates that the father is in a bed, suggesting restricted physical movement, unlike before. There is then a role reversal, as the son is lifting the fat...
Unfortunately, they are lineated the way they are because these uneducated drop out pool players have a limited vocabulary. Brooks makes great use of rhyme throughout the poem, by using words such as: "cool", "school", "sin", and "gin" (3-8). These are rhymes that appear at the end of lines, while this rhyme scheme compliments the theme, it is directly towards a young audience. Hence, why Brooks is talking about these pool players that are supposed to attend school. The poem has an up tempo beat, very similar to a rap song, making it even more appealing to young readers, as this relates back to the way the poem is lineated and thus, making the poem “cool.” Alternatively, this also refers the poem to a dialect, more specifically an African-American
Before the reader even begins to read the body of the poem, the author includes the subjects the ‘pool players’ directly under the title. Brook chooses to make the subjects prominent. She does so as a method to direct the reader's attention to the subjects, signifying the importance they carry. In respect to grasping the larger topic of identity, the reader must gear their attention to the pool players, making the connection between the actions being taken and the subjects taking them. The gist of the poem can be summed up as a bunch of high school kids rebelling against societal norms by skipping school, staying up late, and engaging in dangerous activities.
Another way that Trethewey brings this poem together is through the use of
which each stanza is written in a quatrain gives the poem unity and makes it
“Its deserted streets are a potent symbol of man and nature 's indifference to the individual. The insistence of the narrator on his own self-identity is in part an act of defiance against a constructed, industrial world that has no place for him in its order” (Bolton). As the poem continues on, the narrator becomes aware of his own consciousness as he comes faces nature and society during his walk. He embraces nature with the rain, dark and moon but he also reinforces his alienation from society as he ignores the watchman and receives no hope of cries for him. The societal ignorance enforces our belief that he is lonely on this gloomy night. “When he passes a night watchman, another walker in the city with whom the speaker might presumably have some bond, he confesses, ‘I… dropped my eyes, unwilling to explain.’ Likewise, when he hears a voice in the distance, he stops in his tracks--only to realize that the voice is not meant "to call me back or say goodbye" (Bolton). The two times he had a chance to interact with the community, either he showed no interest in speaking or the cry wasn’t meant for him. These two interactions emphasize his loneliness with the
For starters, the content is the first element to build a connection between my message and the reader. When I was writing the poem I intended to get the reader thinking about the stress we face in life. I started the poem with a minor rant to attract the reader’s attention by making them question a few thoughts that come to mind when we think of humanity, our future and the meaning of the things we do in life. We often let people
The construction of the poem is in regular four-line stanzas, of which the first two stanzas provide the exposition, setting the scene; the next three stanzas encompass the major action; and the final two stanzas present the poet's reflection on the meaning of her experience.