“We Real Cool” is a poem by Gwendolyn Brooks, first published in her 1960 collection The Bean Eaters. The poem describes a group of teenagers hanging out outside of a pool hall. It imagines these teenagers as rebels who proudly defy convention and authority—and who will likely pay for their behavior with their lives. The poem isn't overly pessimistic, however, and also suggests that such youthful rebellion may not be entirely in vain. It's possible to read the poem as a warning against self-destructive behavior, and also as a celebration of people who risk their lives to challenge authority.

• Read the full text of “We Real Cool”

• “We Real Cool” Summary

• “We Real Cool” Themes

  • 

    Rebellion, Youth, and Mortality

    Where this theme appears in the poem:

    • Before Line 1
    • Lines 1-8
  • 

    Rebellion and Social Change

    Where this theme appears in the poem:

    • Before Line 1
    • Lines 1-8

• Line-by-Line Explanation & Analysis of “We Real Cool”

  • Before Line 1, Lines 1-2

    The Pool Players. ...
    ...    Left school.

    

    

    

    

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  • Lines 2-6

    We ...
    ...    Thin gin.

    

    

    

    

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  • Lines 6-8

    We ...
    ...    Die soon.

    

    

    

    

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• “We Real Cool” Symbols

  • 

    School

    Where this symbol appears in the poem:

    • Line 2: “school”
  • 

    June

    Where this symbol appears in the poem:

    • Line 7: “June”

• “We Real Cool” Poetic Devices & Figurative Language

  • Enjambment

    

    

    

    

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    Where enjambment appears in the poem:

    • Lines 1-2: “We /          Left”
    • Lines 2-3: “We /          Lurk”
    • Lines 3-4: “We /          Strike”
    • Lines 4-5: “We /          Sing”
    • Lines 5-6: “We /          Thin”
    • Lines 6-7: “We /          Jazz”
    • Lines 7-8: “We /          Die”

  • End-Stopped Line

    

    

    

    

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    Where end-stopped line appears in the poem:

    • Line 8: “soon.”

  • Caesura

    

    

    

    

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    Where caesura appears in the poem:

    • Line 1: “cool. We”
    • Line 2: “school. We”
    • Line 3: “late. We”
    • Line 4: “straight. We”
    • Line 5: “sin. We”
    • Line 6: “gin. We”
    • Line 7: “June. We”

  • Alliteration

    

    

    

    

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    Where alliteration appears in the poem:

    • Line 2: “L”
    • Line 3: “L,” “l”
    • Line 4: “ St,” “st”
    • Line 5: “S,” “s”
    • Line 7: “J,” “J”

  • Assonance

    

    

    

    

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    Where assonance appears in the poem:

    • Line 1: “e,” “ea,” “oo,” “e”
    • Line 2: “oo”
    • Line 3: “a”
    • Line 4: “ai”
    • Line 5: “i,” “i”
    • Line 6: “i,” “i”
    • Line 7: “u”
    • Line 8: “oo”

  • Consonance

    

    

    

    

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    Where consonance appears in the poem:

    • Line 1: “l,” “c,” “l”
    • Line 2: “L,” “s,” “ch,” “l”
    • Line 3: “L,” “k,” “l,” “t”
    • Line 4: “St,” “r,” “k,” “str,” “t”
    • Line 5: “S,” “s,” “n”
    • Line 6: “n,” “n”
    • Line 7: “J,” “J,” “n”
    • Line 8: “n”

  • Metaphor

    

    

    

    

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    Where metaphor appears in the poem:

    • Line 5: “Sing sin”
    • Line 7: “Jazz June”

  • Parataxis

    

    

    

    

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    Where parataxis appears in the poem:

    • Lines 1-8

• “We Real Cool” Vocabulary

  Select any word below to get its definition in the context of the poem. The words are listed in the order in which they appear in the poem.

  • The Golden Shovel
  • Lurk
  • Strike Straight
  • Sin
  • Thin Gin
  • Jazz
  • June
  • (Location in poem: Before Line 1: “the Golden Shovel”)

• Form, Meter, & Rhyme Scheme of “We Real Cool”

  • Form

  • Meter

  • Rhyme Scheme

• “We Real Cool” Speaker

• “We Real Cool” Setting

• Literary and Historical Context of “We Real Cool”

• More “We Real Cool” Resources

  • External Resources

    • What Is Jazz? — The Smithsonian Museum offers a brief history and definition of jazz.

    • Gwendolyn Brooks Reads "We Real Cool." — The poet reads "We Real Cool" aloud and discusses its meaning.

    • Gwendolyn Brooks's Biography — A detailed biography of Brooks from the Poetry Foundation.

    • "We Real Cool" Animated Video — An animated video from the Poetry Foundation and Manual Cinema imagines how Brooks wrote "We Real Cool."

    • An Interview with Brooks — Gwendolyn Brooks discusses two of her most famous poems with Chicago Public Radio.

  • LitCharts on Other Poems by Gwendolyn Brooks

    • Kitchenette Building

    • Sadie and Maud

    • The Bean Eaters

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