Respond to Peers: Respond to at least two of your classmates' posts. Each response should be at least 75 words in length and should address two or more of the following:
• Do you agree with your classmates' perspectives? Why, or why not? Be specific.
• Ask a specific question to encourage further discussion on the topic.
• Challenge your classmates' interpretation of literature and/or point of view.
• Do a small amount of research and share what you learn with your peers about the topic discussed in this post.
• Mary Prudencio
• 75 Word Count Response
Part One -
o What is the theme of the poem? How do you know this is the theme?
The theme of the poem is a group of young boys showing their identity to on lookers. I know this because of the word "We" is being repeated at the end of every line. The young boys are rebellious by missing school and staying out late.
o What poetic devices (e.g., rhythm, figurative language, etc.) are used in the poem? Offer at least two examples.
The emotional tone of the writer lets me know that the boys are wanting to look and be cool. The word "June" is an enjoyable month which means they are probably always out. There are also metaphors in the poem. For example; "sing sin" is meaning they are acting out in some way not really singing.
o How do these poetic devices contribute to the development of the poem's message?
When listening to the writer's voice and her tone, I knew the mood of the poem. In 9.2 it states, "the mood of a work may be joyful, eerie, foreboding, etc." (Clugston, 2014). Brooks used metaphors to describe the rebellious boys.
Part Two -
o How did hearing the poem recited aloud compare to a silent reading of it?
As I read the poem, I read it a different way than what the writer did. In 8.9, "Usually, when there is no punctuation at the end of a line, the poet is carrying the thought to the next line, a pause is not needed until you reach the next punctuation cue," (Clugston, 2014). The writer does not stop at the periods.
o Did the performance highlight certain words or phrases that were not as apparent in a silent reading?
The word "We" was repeated but when read aloud, it gave great significance that "We" was important.
o Did the pace change and, if so, how did it change your understanding of the poem?
The pace changed when I did not need to stop at every punctuation mark.
o Did words have different connotations and, if so, what kind(s) of connotation did you associate with the poem? I did not notice any connotations.
o Do you think reading poetry aloud is a worthwhile endeavor when analyzing it? Why, or why not?
Reading poetry out loud is easier to analyze than reading it silently because I can experience the poem, using sound and rhythm.
Reference
o Brooks, G. (2016, July 05). We Real Cool.
Clugston, W.R. (2014). Journey into Literature (2nd ed.) [Electronic version].
• Ronda Schulz
• 75 Word Count Response
Discussion 1:
Poetry and Performance "We Real Cool" Gwendolyn Brooks, 1960
Part One
What is the theme of the poem? How do you know this is the theme?
The theme of the poem is a group of boys who feel they're too cool for school, so instead, they play pool. The idea is introduced throughout the poem; the author lists the things that the boys might be feeling as they play pool instead of attending school. In the poem, the first sentence says, "we real cool" (Brooks, 1960) that indicates to how the pool players feel.
What poetic devices are used in the poem?
The author used rhyme when she wrote her poem about the pool players. The words ‘school' and ‘pool' rhyme as do ‘late' and ‘straight.' Brooks also uses mood when she wrote her poem, she made the reader feel like they were part of the group and that they were one of the ‘cool kids' who skipped school to play pool.
How do these poetic devices contribute to the development of the poem's message?
Using rhyme in her poem Brooks made it easier for the reader to get through the poem; the words sound the same. The rhyming shares in with the mood of the poem by making the poem feel smooth and flow easily as it's read. As it's read the reader can tell how the boys in the poem feel.
Part Two
How did hearing the poem recited aloud compare to a silent reading of it?
Hearing the author of the poem reading it aloud allowed me to understand exactly how the author wrote the poem. When I read the poem, I didn't stress the right words or pause between the sentences like the author did.
Though, when I read the poem, it made me think of a group of people who were up to no good. Hearing the poem read aloud was much more entertaining than reading it silently to myself.
Did the performance highlight certain words or phrases that were not as apparent in a silent reading?
Yes. One highlighted word was at the beginning of the poem. The word ‘cool' was highlighted and stressed, drawn out, much more than when I read it silently.
Did the pace change and, if so, what kind(s) of connotation did you associate with the poem?
The pace of the poem didn't change as it was read. The author paused at the end of each sentence, maybe to let the sentence before sink in before continuing to read.
Did words have different connotations and, if so, what kind(s) of connotations did you associate with the poem?
From my interpretation of the poem, there are no connotations; each word means what it means. Though some of the words could be confused, the author points out that the word ‘Jazz' was misinterpreted, as sexual instead of musical, and that got the poem banned from some places.
Do you think reading poetry aloud is a worthwhile endeavor when analyzing it? Why or why not?
Yes, reading poetry aloud lets the reader hear how the words sound when said together. Reading silently doesn't give the same effect. Reading aloud also provides the reader with the chance to play around with the sounds found in the poem. Such as when Brooks read her poem aloud, it sounded as though she was enjoying reading it and the listener could hear how she played with the sounds.
Resources:
Brooks, G. (2016, July 05). We Real Cool.
Clugston, W.R. (2014). Journey into Literature (2nd ed.) [Electronic version].