Identity in Gwendolyn Brooks "We Real Cool"

The question of identity in Gwendolyn Brooks, "We Real Cool," is unusual because it implies a sense of unity or solidarity among the pool players. Using the word "We" at the beginning of each sentence suggests that the pool players at the Golden Shovel do not have a strong sense of identity and they all identify as one. This could connect to the idea of adolescence and how young people might not have a strong sense of self-identity. Brooks suggests that the pool players are young by saying "We left school," this meaning that the players must have either dropped out of school or are playing pool when they should be at school. This poem also contains a sense of rebellion as the players "Lurk late" and "Sing sin." The combination of adolescence and rebellion among the young pool players alludes to the idea that the pool players, or the narrators, are posers and the idea of rebellion is appealing so they indulge in vices, such as skipping school, drinking, and staying out late, to try to act in a certain "cool" way. The last line "We die soon" implies that without a strong sense of identity the narrators will waste away and turn into beggars or drifters. Even the way the poem is written, in the way of a chant, suggests that there is a serious lack of identity among the young pool players and this will ultimately be their downfall.