There's something magical about a poem limited in length but unlimited in meaning. Few of us are able to write something short without it seeming somehow incomplete. Chicago's own Gwendolyn Brooks and William Carlos Williams are two who were able to create dense, compact, tight poems.

Your task: Read the poems and answer the questions that follow.

 We Real Cool

The Pool Players.
Seven at the Golden Shovel.
We real cool.  We
Left school.  We
Lurk late.  We
Strike straight.  We
Sing sin.  We
Thin gin.  We
Jazz June.  We
Die soon.

--Gwendolyn Brooks (1917-2000)

1. Look at the poem on three different levels:
bullet stylistically: Why do you suppose Brooks chose to divide the lines as she does? What impact does this have?
bullet realistically: How is the message of this poem true to life?
bullet humorously: What's humorous about this poem?
2. Gwendolyn Brooks says this about the poem: "The WEs in 'We Real Cool' are tiny, wispy, weakly argumentative "Kilroy-is-here" announcements.  The boys have no accented sense of themselves, yet they are aware of a semi-defined personal importance.  Say the 'We' softly."
                                               ---Brooks, Gwendolyn.  Report from Part One.  Detroit: Broadside Press, 1972.
bullet How does saying the "We" softly impact the meaning of the poem?
The Red Wheelbarrow

              so much depends
              upon

              a red wheel
              barrow

              glazed with rain
              water

              beside the white
              chickens.

   --William Carlos Williams (1883-1963)

1. Write down ten words that you think of after reading this poem. Do not use any of the words used in the poem.

2. The author's initial's are WCW. In fact, if he were a wrestler, Billy Squared might be a good nickname (if Billy equals 2, to keep your math teacher content). However, this poem has a different emphasis than the World Championship Wrestling (WCW). What do you suppose the author is trying to convey in this poem?

3. On an 8 1/2 X 11 piece of computer paper, draw this poem. Feel free to include details and colors beyond the details of the poem but still in the spirit of the poem.

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