Day after Day, the youth trample past the monotonous ivory.
A dreary pathway of apathy; hierarchy reticulated like the ever-growing vines
entangled on an aged oak. The school holds no enticement to the youth of an
inverse era. For African Americans in the 1960’s there was only half the chance
of completing high school(digitalhistory.com). Education was of lesser
importance, which is of veritable notability when reviewing the writing of
Gwendolyn Brooks.
To begin, “we real cool. We left school”(Brooks). The
sixties was an era of “flower power.” School was a “drag”
(grammar.yourdictionary.com). “Cats” and “chicks” were constantly “bookin” from
the insipid corridor(pbs.org). Societal popularity was contingent on opposition
from the Man. Brooks describes the connection between defiance of the accepted
norm simply the in first statement.
As the adolescents descend into the pool room the deafening chant divides the inundating smog “we lurk late. We strike straight”(Brooks). Billiard was reestablished
by two varying events, the first being “the release of the movie, The Hustler,
based on the novel by Walter Tevis. The black and white film depicted the dark
life of a pool hustler with Paul Newman in the title role”(bca-pool.com). The
Pool Room was a place where the conscience of the Man could not be infringed upon
by another being. The ideals of the era were simply compacted into a single
building, the Billiard. It is only logical that rebellion is centered at the end of a cue soaring across the green oasis.
The party rages. “We sing sin. We thin
gin”(Brooks). During the era of the blues, sin was
“celebrated”(lit.genius.com). The youth reveled in the sinful nature of the
blues. Rebellion during this era is considerably deemed the most imperative
means of acceptance. Drugs and alcohol were integers of prominence for adolescents
as well. As money was not a relevant eventuality of the free spirited era,
adaptations were necessary. Diluting gin with water was a common practice as a
means of payment was scarce. The youth had to do what was necessary to find
their own version of happiness.
The poem concludes in saying “we jazz june. We die
soon”(brooks). Simply, jazzing in June portrayed the importance of the jazz in
the African American culture of the sixties. In following, “we die soon.” The
blight lifestyle is affirmed. Death is imminent when running with the big “cats.” Do you feel the youth of the sixties lived a fast life? How have adolescents evolved today? Is it a positive change?
