Gwendolyn Brooks We real cool

June 21, 2006

This is an email from someone else, who asked:

Gwendolyn Brooks “We real cool” why is this good poetry?<HR><DIV class=post><DIV class=posttop><DIV class=username>nexxa</DIV><DIV class=date>09-03-2004, 05:39 AM</DIV></DIV><DIV class=posttext>We real cool. We Left school. We

Lurk late. We Strike straight. We

Sing sin. We Thin gin. We

Jazz June. We Die soon.

I am starting this topic because I am at such a loss with all my newfound knowledge that it is making me crazy! I have been looking for the light bulb to go off over my head and even after reading and reading and trying and trying it is sadly dark. My point on the poem above is after first reading it, I enjoyed it, then after hearing the author read it aloud (via recording) I loved it! But in all honesty I can’t see why I like it so much or what makes this one in particular so special. So here are my questions

  1. What do you think of this poem?
  2. If you like it why is that?
  3. If you were critiquing this poem what would you say about it?
  4. What form is this?

I am thinking that if I can figure out what makes this or other published poems “good poetry” then alas maybe that light will go on for me and I can put all this information I am learning to good use.

After reading this entry, I decided to post the whole thing, as is, on my LJ. Answer these questions, thou who art reading this!

(I loved the poem…and it IS poetry, not verse. But…how did I decide that?)

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