WE REAL
COOL
Please open the following link and READ THE POEM, entitled, “We
Real Cool”, by Gwendolyn Brooks FIRST (do not listen to the audio).
After you read the poem, rewrite the poem using your best
diction and grammar. DO NOT ANALYZE THE
POEM, just rewrite it in your own words.
Consider that you will be writing the poem to either your instructor,
and/or a Harvard scholar.
Next, listen to the audio.
Write any reflections you have on the poem after listening to the author’s
take on the poem. Was your translation
correct with regards to the author’s meaning, or were you complexly off
base? Explain why you think this is the
case.
Here are the outcomes:
Vocabulary: I would
like to see different students define the word, Cool. This assignment should also help students
think about how we judge writing.
Translation: Learn
how to decode language. I would like to
see how difficult it is for students to switch dialects.
Power: Discover
different interpretations between cultural groups in society.
I'm signing up to do Pam's assignment. Intriguing and fun I think.
ReplyDeleteI'm taking the second try, although I admit I have read this poem before. But I like it and I look forward to working with it.
ReplyDeleteOxford Translation
ReplyDeletePeg Randall Gardner
Socially Adept
Billiard Enthusiasts
Seven of us have been known to frequent the entertainment center called the Golden Shovel
We have established ourselves as modicums of social enlightenment,
And have eschewed formal education and all that it might represent.
We have no need to retire early, seeking the entertainment options of night.
We are experts at whatever we undertake, make no mistake, we get it right.
We proudly embrace socially unacceptable lifestyle manifestations.
And we extend the value of our libations with some harmless modifications.
We use all the skills at hand to enjoy a carefree, summerlike life
However, we fear that with our choices comes potential for great strife.
That was fun. I wasn't completely off base in my interpretation, although I didn't use either the musical or the sexual interpretation of "Jazz June". My favorite thing about this poem is how it speaks in both dialect and rhythm to really sound like the speech and attitude of young pool players on a school day afternoon. I felt bad when I listened to the tape that Gwendolyn Brooks has come to be bound by the popularity of the poem.
Now for the class questions:
Was what the assignment asked you to do clear? Yes, very clear.
Did the assignment really ask 30 minutes of work? If not, what made the assignment go over? I had a good time playing with it, so I ran over. It could have easily been done in a shorter amount of time.
What did you learn from carrying out the assignment? That is, did your learning match up with the goals/outcomes of the assignment?
I learned I had made some inaccurate assumptions about what the poem was saying. I remembered how effective I found the language the first time I read it - and did so again!
Was what you learned useful to you, given where you are with your paper? Sorry to say, it didn't help me with my paper.
What recommendations can you offer the assignment writer for how this assignment could be shaped to better achieve its goals/outcomes, or be clearer, or be of more assistance to writers at your stage of the writing process? I think the assignment helps a writer to think about word choices and how they affect interpretation of a written piece. I think rhythm is important even in prose as well, so there was that to take from this too. As far as the assignment, I think the parameters were clear and it accomplished its internal goals. AS far as helping with my paper, sadly, not so much. However it did help in one important way - it gave my brain some much appreciated diversion and exercise!
"We real cool. We Left school. We Lurk late. We Strike straight. We Sing sin. We Thin gin. We Jazz June. We Die soon."
ReplyDeleteMy rewrite: We are really cool. We Dropped out of school. We Stay out late. We Play expert pool. We Talk about gambling and other vice. We Drink gin with tonic or water. We Dance with the month of June. We Will die soon.
After writing my version (above), I listened to the author recite the poem and explain some of her meaning. I think I understood and correctly interpreted most of it. I was and still am a bit confused by the "Jazz June" line. She mentions that "June" represents the establishment, but she did not intend "Jazz" to indicate a sexual act.
I have often heard speech of this variety. I live in Milwaukee. I go out. I ride the city bus.
My reaction to the poem is sadness. Sadness not just because of the outcomes of the pool players' lives, but sadness because the players know the outcome of their lives.
And now the questions from the syllabus:
Was what the assignment asked you to do clear? Yes, the instructions were clearly stated, and written in a way that grabbed my interest right away.
Did the assignment really ask 30 minutes of work? If not, what made the assignment go over? I finished in about 25 minutes.
What did you learn from carrying out the assignment? That is, did your learning match up with the goals/outcomes of the assignment? The learning matched the intended goals. I became aware of my interpretation of this dialect of Black English, and noticed subtle judgments that the poem generated in me.
Was what you learned useful to you, given where you are with your paper? This assignment does not directly relate to my paper. Indirectly, however, it helps stress the awareness one must have of one's reactions when reading or listening to something in a different dialect than one's own.
What recommendations can you offer the assignment writer for how this assignment could be shaped to better achieve its goals/outcomes, or be clearer, or be of more assistance to writers at your stage of the writing process? I actually think this is a case where less instruction in how to do the assignment is best. Pam's instructions were just right; any more might have biased the reader's interpretation.