We real cool

I think this is a very appropriate poem for college students because it reveals a sense of uncertainty and insecurity in oneself. After all, everyone must go through the grueling process of finding out exactly who they are. Self identity is part of growing up and “We real Cool” depicts students who are in the plight for self awareness. The kids hide their insecurities in the poem by calling themselves “cool” as the lines chant phrases such as “we real cool” and “we left school.” The terse sentences serve to resemble the language of these students who are too cool to be grammatical or maybe because they have “left school” so much they are uneducated and only can speak in sentences that are at the level of elementary school children. The enjambment with the “We” in every line except the last subtly shows that the kids are faltering with this concept of “we.” I think the kids have succumb to peer pressure so much that they are having an especially difficult time pulling themselves out of this cookie cutter image of the “cool” kids that skip school and put on the façade of bad teenagers. The last line of the poem is striking because it changes, making the reader realize that this life of uncaring and sticking with the “we” identity instead of the “I” identity results in a death that is practically unimportant. Therefore it is important that these students stray from the group and find themselves as individuals.