"We Real Cool" - Enjambment

“In "We Real Cool," (poetry reader page 11), Gwendolyn Brooks uses the poetic element of enjambment (see your glossary). Why do you think she does this, and how does it affect the meaning of the poem?”


    The poetic element Enjambment is very important in the poem “We Real Cool”. This poem is fairly short, but the use of Enjambment seems to make it flow much quicker. Enjambment changes the rhythm of this poem and puts emphasis on “We”. Using Enjambment also gives the poem a sense of urgency. The last line also really stands out in comparison to previous lines. The poem explains bad choices these “Players” have made, and it leads quickly to an end. I think “We Real Cool” stands for this group of players [We] doing things to be cool, and not making great decisions in the long run. At the beginning of the poem it mentions some bad choices such as “We/Left School”, then leads to “Sing sin”, and “Thin gin”. I noticed “sin” and “gin” when I read this, and the poem eventually leads to “We/Die Soon”.