Young Adults In Gwendolyn Brooks We Real Cool

“We Real Cool” by Gwendolyn Brooks portrays the average young adults in our everyday society, based on the use of the statement “We real cool.” This symbolizes the urge for the characters in the poem to be recognized by peers considering the apathetic tone used throughout the poem. The need for the characters to feel noticed causes them to make negligent decisions such as when the poem states, “We sing sin. We thin gin.” The music that is sung has a harmful influence on the characters which in turn allows them to feel as if it is “cool” to drink under the age. Although this was written in the 1950s, today’s society is based upon the theme of approval, which signifies music’s powerful voice. Young adults tend to succumb to the trends that are
set by celebrities and artists, however the impact may be negative just as in this poem. Brooks was raised in the poverty-stricken area of Chicago, South Side. When the narrator says, “We die soon”, the theme is there is nothing to live for. Blacks during this time in the 1900s were limited in their resources and they did not see a need to live with boundaries.