Reader-Response Critique
Student Name
Ms. Westrick
English Composition 1102
Day Month Year
Ms. Westrick
English Composition 1102
Day Month Year
We Real Cool Reader-Response Essay: Education
“We Real Cool” is a poem describing the author’s reactions after observing several kids playing pool. She imagines what these pool players are thinking and comes to the conclusion that they must believe they are cool just for choosing to skip school. The poem focuses on the idea that these kids are up to no good to prove to society that they are cool. In the poem, Brooks writes “We sing sin. We thin gin.” (Brooks lines 4-6). These kids praise their own sinning by drinking and doing wrong which makes themselves feel cool. We can learn many lessons from going down the wrong path in life.
After reading “We Real Cool”, I also found that poetry does not have to be longwinded to reach its point. Brooks was able to tell her story in four short stanzas of just two lines each. The formatting is also different for this poem compared to other poetry. Before the poem begins, Brooks sets the scene for readers. She writes “The pool players. Several at the golden shovel” (Brooks lines 1-2). This formatting is similar to a play before a scene starts. So, poetry can be anything. Poetry has no rules. This poem showed me that inspiration can truly come from anywhere, and can be displayed with even a few words. There is no limit to poetry, because poetry is anything the writer wants it to be.
Brooks’ poem brought forth an important message to me. As a high school student, I know the power of peer pressure. I interpreted the story as a group of kids performing illegal activities to make themselves feel cool. Being cool does not have to mean doing the wrong thing. Being cool is whatever you choose to define it as. I learned that rather than giving into peer pressure to skip school, one should do the right thing and receive an education as that is much cooler than performing wrong acts.
Furthermore, reading this poem allowed me to gain knowledge that I will be able to use as I progress through life. One way that I can apply what I have learned is in song writing. I realized that I don’t have to create lengthy lyrics to get my point across. The audience will have an easier time connecting to my lyrics if I am short and concise rather than long and wordy. I have also learned that I too can write about anything and if the audience does not enjoy it, then they may just not understand me, but I shouldn’t care about that because to is my view or opinion. Others may just not understand my point.
So, “We Real Cool” taught me several different things. Poetry has no boundaries. It is limitless. It expresses peoples views and morals in any form. Poetry uncovers the norm. This particular poem helped me see past the definition of “cool”. “Cool” is whatever we want to define it as. I am excited to take this knowledge from poetry and incorporate it into my own writing.
Citation:
Brooks, Gwendolyn. “We Real Cool.” Poets.org, Academy of American Poets, 5 July 2016, www.poets.org/poetsorg/poem/we-real-cool.
After reading “We Real Cool”, I also found that poetry does not have to be longwinded to reach its point. Brooks was able to tell her story in four short stanzas of just two lines each. The formatting is also different for this poem compared to other poetry. Before the poem begins, Brooks sets the scene for readers. She writes “The pool players. Several at the golden shovel” (Brooks lines 1-2). This formatting is similar to a play before a scene starts. So, poetry can be anything. Poetry has no rules. This poem showed me that inspiration can truly come from anywhere, and can be displayed with even a few words. There is no limit to poetry, because poetry is anything the writer wants it to be.
Brooks’ poem brought forth an important message to me. As a high school student, I know the power of peer pressure. I interpreted the story as a group of kids performing illegal activities to make themselves feel cool. Being cool does not have to mean doing the wrong thing. Being cool is whatever you choose to define it as. I learned that rather than giving into peer pressure to skip school, one should do the right thing and receive an education as that is much cooler than performing wrong acts.
Furthermore, reading this poem allowed me to gain knowledge that I will be able to use as I progress through life. One way that I can apply what I have learned is in song writing. I realized that I don’t have to create lengthy lyrics to get my point across. The audience will have an easier time connecting to my lyrics if I am short and concise rather than long and wordy. I have also learned that I too can write about anything and if the audience does not enjoy it, then they may just not understand me, but I shouldn’t care about that because to is my view or opinion. Others may just not understand my point.
So, “We Real Cool” taught me several different things. Poetry has no boundaries. It is limitless. It expresses peoples views and morals in any form. Poetry uncovers the norm. This particular poem helped me see past the definition of “cool”. “Cool” is whatever we want to define it as. I am excited to take this knowledge from poetry and incorporate it into my own writing.
Citation:
Brooks, Gwendolyn. “We Real Cool.” Poets.org, Academy of American Poets, 5 July 2016, www.poets.org/poetsorg/poem/we-real-cool.