Poetry

The poem that I read was "We Real Cool."

I really enjoyed how the length of the poem paralleled the message that unambitious individuals will lead a short, meaningless life. The song is short and sweet, like the life of neglect and relaxation that the individuals described in the poem experience. I like how the "Golden Shovel" that the poem starts with represents the lives of these young individuals as, like gold, their lives appear desirable, but have no real intrinsic value.

In the poem, "We Real Cool" by Gwendolyn Brooks, I think that there's a great use of structure, diction, and tone. I interpret this poem to be the mindset of rebellious young people. The lines, "we left school...we sing sin," further paints the picture of a speaker who is unconcerned with rules or the law. The diction of the poem could be intended to reflect the dialect of teen drop-out culture that exists in American society.  

By ending the poem with "we die soon," the writer leaves much room for interpretation. To me, it represents the idea that youth and life will come to an end, and the lack of emotion that the last line contains further emphasizes that this is simply a fact. Upon deeper reflection, it might be possible that this message is an analysis of inequality in America, regarding the socio-economic hierarchy that exists in society. The last line could symbolize an extent of hopelessness that exists among minority American communities that experience high drop-out rates due to discrimination, lack of resources, and lack of opportunity.

I enjoyed all three of these poems even though they were different from one another.

"We Real Cool" is interesting because of its use of language and formatting. It uses colloquial language to give the reader a sense of who these seven pool players are.

"Filling station" is more descriptive, and I could see specific details of the gas station and the family who worked there. The last line is unexpected, and that's what makes it even better.

"The Story of a Drawer" captures children's fascination with adult things, in this case, a gun. The poet chooses words with the same sounds (steel glossy/ As cobras) that makes the poem sound beautiful when spoken out loud, while using a comparison that a child would make. 

I am a huge fan of modern poetry, but I have to say one of my all-time favorite poems is "To You" by the classic poet Walt Whitman. I read that poem at a really hard time in my life, and it made me feel like I wasn't alone. 

"Whoever you are, now I place my hand upon you, that you be my poem"

No matter who the reader is, it always feels like he is personally talking to them. Reading the poem is a unique, intimate experience that explores the relationship a writer has with a reader, even a century after the writer has died. I highly recommend reading it. A word of warning: You will fall in love with Whitman a little bit and you won't be able to help it. 

In reading these poems, I was particularly impressed with how these short and concise pieces conveyed so much feeling and depth. The first poem, “We Real Cool” stood out to me the most. Like Brianna said, the tone and diction in the first poem played an instrumental role in conveying the purpose and feel of the piece. It really showed how much can be expressed in just a few words and the power of ambiguity. This poem inspired me to think more deeply about how poetry can be used to create a statement. 

I thought that “We Real Cool” was a very interesting poem. It made use of a rhyming pattern consistent within each line, instead of a typical rhyming pattern found at the end of each line. It also took advantage of pauses and breaks in the lines starting each next statement by ending every line with ‘We' which was something that made it more unique than the spoken word. Despite it being a shorter poem, there were various meanings and lessons that the reader could have analyzed from the lines. In particular, I found the last line to be significant because it seemed like it summed up as an end result of what occurs when the previously listed actions are taken.

Out of all of the poems that I read, the poem "We Real Cool" really stood out to me. At first I did not really understand the poem because of its structure and its length, but after reading it a couple of times I found that the poems length and lack of diction was curated in order to depict the underlying meaning of the poem -- using structure to present its main points rather than words. I think that the poem touches on the lives of individuals who focus on external factors to generate their happiness rather than internal drives and how their misallocation of focus leads to uneventful and unfulfilling lives. 

I often forget how poems can reach beyond the structural boundaries of having long stanzas. "We Real Cool" reminded me of the simple yet creative and powerful means of poetry. I liked how the word "We" was at the end of each line instead of starting on the next one. I am unsure what it means but I am sure it was on purpose and captivates my attention more. 

I have always loved The Road Not Taken by Robert Frost since I was in the fourth grade (when I read it). It is really awesome because it can take one many meanings in life, and no matter what age I am, or what I am feelings, I can always relate it to something. Some poems deal with specific moments in life (i.e. grief, celebration, family, etc.) but The Road Not Taken can apply with practically any of those... at least for me.

I liked the poem "We Real Cool," because it created a rhythm. While it was concise, it evoked a lot of feeling and each phrase had a lot of meaning behind it.

I love poetry, so I have several favorite poems. One of my new favorites is actually by Chance the Rapper. In his Tiny Desk Concert with NPR (on youtube), he reads it aloud. I definitely recommend listening to it. (Warning: there is some profanity.) I like it, because it is so relatable. There is also a sound effect in the poem that makes it so interesting to listen to and relates to the feelings music can create.

I really enjoyed listening to the poem "We Real Cool." I also found it helpful and engaging to listen to the poem versus reading it in my head. The tone, voice, language, and structure all play into the overall meaning of the poem. What I particularly enjoyed about this poem was its ability to convey message through structure rather than solely diction. I also really enjoyed the emphasis on We at the end of each line to add to the dynamic and feeling of the poem overall. The use of mechanics added to the power of this poem in my opinion. Additionally, I really love all of the poems in the book Milk and Honey. They are emotional, powerful, personal, and relatable. 

My favorite poem that we read was "The Story of a Drawer" by James Applewhite. I thought it was very descriptive, but also short and sweet. I was able to picture the robbery through the imagination of the children. 

My favorite poem is "If You Forget Me" by Pablo Neruda. I purchased his book when I was in France and read the poem for the first time there. The poem is very emotional but I think the reason why I love it so much is because I associate it with a wonderful time in my life.

As many others have stated, I think that "We Real Cool" stood out the most despite being the shortest. I think the fact that it was very abrupt and to the point gave it a heavier weight or effect. I think I've read this poem before a while ago, and the author, Ms. Brooks, tended to highlight the struggles and just daily thoughts, actions, etc. of those within the black community that she grew up apart of. I think it's blunt realism and honesty really makes her work beautiful. 

After reading these three poems, I came to have a greater appreciation for the emotion that a very concise poem can portray. "We Real Cool" with its strange structure, colloquial diction, and tone perfectly portray the short, clipped and seemingly arbitrary life of those who gamble or play their lives away. The use of alliteration certainly added to the clipped tone, and above all, I think the poem did a phenomenal job of portraying her message through every possible element.

That being said, I also really enjoyed "The Story of a Drawer" because of its intense description. I think there is a lot to be said for the imagination and potential for a story when more of the poem is focused on description than plot. Particularly in this one, it further exemplifies that the story of the robbery is being told through a child's perspective.

I really enjoyed reading "We Real Cool' and "The Story of a Drawer" because I could feel the scenario the narrator was trying to describe as it had more of a family piece to it. "We Real Cool" was perhaps my favorite because I thought it was very profound how it hit such a deep note about human nature in such a short amount of time and with such a laid back tone.

I really enjoyed reading these poems. I think that a common theme in this class is learning how to communicate your ideas by utilizing the medium. For these poems, I think that structure is really important. I think that "We Real Cool" was really creative in the way that it was composed. It was really short and yet there was a lot conveyed. I think that the tone shift with the last line is particularly interesting. The diction and structure definitely fit the mood of the poem, which was about young people who think that they're cool. The word "cool" in relation to teenagers makes me think of youth trying to play off their emotions, which definitely went with the short composition of the poem. I think that poetry, in general, is very open to interpretation and poets can be really creative with how they compose them.

I love poetry and thoroughly enjoyed reading these poems. My favorite was Filling Station. I appreciate this poem because its strong word choice creates a vivid image of love and family in an unexpected location, the dirty filling station. From the very first line -- "Oh, but it is dirty!" -- hooks the reader and creates a sense of playful dirtiness that continues throughout. I like to see how a simple thing, like a place or object, can be described in such detail through poetry. This idea is also found in The Story of a Drawer, which shows a child's fascination with a gun. We Real Cool differs from the other two poems to me because it doesn't focus on a specific place or thing, but rather a group of people. The colloquial dialect and consistent rhythm give the poem a vibrant feel that makes it unique and fun to read. Overall I loved reading these poems and am excited to see how we can integrate technology into poetry in our class. 

My schema of poetry contains figurative language, and I found the absence of this literary device in these poems particularly striking. This "deviance" highlights the potency of direct and narrative voices in poetry. These poems lack embellishment, and their raw nature produces a more visceral literary style. 

Upon listening to Brooks' narration of "We Real Cool," I immediately noticed her lack of emphasis on "we" and the stress she placed on the latter portions of the sentences and phrases. Shifting the focus away from "we" fosters the impression that the actual individuals are less significant and that the structural flaws of society that perpetuate this unfortunate reality should be in the foreground; the seven boys are merely functioning as a microcosm. Brooks' reading of the poem also produces a "jazzy vibe" by allowing the end of the sentences and phrases to be more fluid and free-flowing as she recites the lines. This more upbeat narration creates a tension between the gravity of their dull situation and their perception of their glorified lives, thus emulating their incognizance of the linear lives they've succumbed to. The use of enjambment in this poem is rather effective. Implementing end-stop would have fostered a sense of finality; however, employing enjambment suggests that falling into this trap is continuous and does not end with these boys. 

"We Real Cool" has rendered itself as one of my favorite poems. It is joining my list of "all-time favorites" with "I, Too" by Langston Hughes. I've found solace in the words of this Hughes poem. This poem asserts (and reasserts) my identity as a thread in the American fabric. 

"We Real Cool," is a very interesting example of contemporary poetry; it makes use of short, parallel couplets, enjambment , and caesuras in each and every line to create a disconnected, even stutter-like feel that plays up the theme of illiteracy. It is able to effectively portray both the boldness of these young people as well as the insecurities among them while also highlighting the importance of education in the lives of these youths. The fact that the poet is able to capture so many different things in a series of short, 3-4 word sentences is unbelievable.

I enjoyed the poem "Filling Station" because of its descriptive nature. It also described a gas station in a non-typical way which I found interesting. It had the rhythm and diction of a very short story and made me feel as if I was standing there at the station.

Reading the poem "We Real Cool" By Gwyndolyn Brooks, you can since a certain rhythm that follows the poem. The author wanting a certian pauses after each line with a meaning. ending the line with the word "we" which in a sense is the beginning word of the next line. But yet, a pause creates a certain dramatic mood while it is being read. This is something that I really appreciated.