Poetry Potential And Risks It Takes: “We Real Cool,” “Next To Of Course God America,” And “Gypsies”

Poetry is often seen as an inaccessible literary genre. It is one that is created by and for people with certain educational and class backgrounds. T. S. Eliot observed that it appeared […] that the importance of poetry is dependent on its ability to be understood by civilisation […]. Poetry is not an art form that originated as an obscure form. Poetry began as an oral and auditory form that everyone could hear and enjoy. Poetry can take risks and address social issues, defying the norms. People from marginalised communities are able to speak out against the conventions of society and refuse to remain silent or complacent. People with social privilege may be turned away if they discuss taboos or seek to understand the world and its inhabitants. Poetry can therefore be seen as a place for social deviation, where people are willing to take risks in order to achieve greater good. This is the important function of poetry, which is explored in and here illustrated by Gwendolyn’s “We Real Cool” by Gwendolyn. [3] Also John Clare’s “Gypsies” by John Clare.

Brooks’ poetry reflects her African-American heritage. It was risky and courageous for Brooks to speak out and prioritize her own voice. Her voice was something that American society was afraid to hear. Her voice was actively suppressed by society, but she still produced poetry. Brooks’s focus in “We Real Cool” on African-American experience is highlighted by repeated repetitions of plural pronouns ‘we’ (ll). 1-7). This word appears on every line, barring the first. The poem is indefatigable. This relentlessness is enhanced by the use dejambment. Each line ends with the word “we”, and each line ends with the statement that follows. Brooks’s desperateness to tell her story makes it seem like she is racing to do so, and there is always fear. As a black woman, she is very aware that her voice, and the space in which she can use it, may be cut short or taken away at any time. She takes risks in her life and in her work. The poem is 8 lines long and has a 2-line epigraph. This further demonstrates the need to tell. Each line has only three words, and each one is short. This intensifies the fast pace. Brooks’ hurryes along, daring herself to speak the truth, but being aware of all that comes with it. John Clare, a peasant son, was not considered important or worthy of attention. This made it possible for him to be bold in trying to get heard by the literary elite. Brooks didn’t choose to place his own experience first in the poem Gypsies. He chose to talk about The boy’ (l.2) or ’The gypsy’ (4.). This could be justified as an attempt to avoid talking about his personal experiences. However, it should be seen as an additional risk. Clare chose a population that was far less marginalised than him and highlighted the struggles of those not well-tolerated by his own class. Clare does not mince words as he depicts the scene. Clare does not hide the reality of the lives of the ‘Gypsies. It begins with the description of ‘The deep snow’ (l. 1). This is an easy way for the reader to understand, and could also be part of any poem about natural phenomena. But once the context is set, this snow covers what appears to be a’squalid camping’ (l.5) where people attempt to live. They are an unprotected’ race (l.14) and the horror of their situation sinks in. Many people don’t see the reality of marginalised people living in. They even disregard the fact that they are human beings. Clare insists that he tells them the truth, hoping to change their attitudes. He is not only putting himself at risk, but he is also threatening his career.

E. e. cummings was born in a more privileged social environment than Brooks and Clare. Yet, he also has a bold style of poetry. He runs the risk of being considered deeply unpatriotic by using ‘next too of course god America I’. America is still a horrible country. To mock Americans’ loyalty to their country, he uses the sonnet form that is traditionally associated with romance and love. He includes a small part of the National Anthem (ll. 2-3) – amid questioning the faith, loyalty, and motivation of the song. He addresses the unthinking devotion and writes of people who rushed to the slaughter like lions (l. 11), but didn’t stop to think (l. 12). The first line’s zoomorphic simile is especially interesting. Lions signify strength and courage – this is what people fighting for their country feel. The transfered epithet of “roaring slaughter” (l.11) implies that they faced a more difficult task than they expected and that defeat – death — was inevitable. Cummings is at risk of being exiled and even charged with treason for suggesting that war was not an opportunity to defend and boast America’s excellence. He refuses not to be made’mute’ (l.13), knowing it is worth the effort to achieve freedom for all.

Clare is more concerned with the impact of racism, classism, and xenophobia than cummings. He illustrates the story of ‘The Boy goes hasty with his load’ (l. 2). This shows that children are forced work in desperate situations, just like the ‘Gypsies. Clare uses the image of a child to show sympathy for those who are struggling to care for their children. Clare also mentions the malnourishment experienced by travellers. Clare explains that ‘none has a lot to spare’ (l.11), and that their food ‘tainted’ (l.8). These are both effects of poverty, which is closely linked with being excluded from society. Clare doesn’t specifically mention that this is the reason why the travellers are marginalized. But the last line – ‘A quiet and pilfering unprotected species’ (l. 14), – suggests that they have prejudiced attitudes. Because they are not taken care of by the rest, they are an “unprotected” race. They perceive them as ‘pilfering’ and don’t think about why they are forced to steal. When confronted with this image of their lives, readers are forced to reflect on this. It is an incredibly bold act that questions the social situation the travelers are in and challenges the reader to change their perceptions.

Brooks also suggests that African-Americans are marginalized in a way that has a significant impact on their daily lives. Brooks writes of some aspects in their lives that could seem deviant to White America. These activities are normalized and made humane by her writing. The rhyming of these activities with others, such as ‘Strike straight (l. 4), and ‘Thin Gin’ (l. 6), furthers this normalization. These are activities that white Americans would have even taken part in. She suggests that people’s prejudices make their preferred activities seem different. Brooks also normalizes that they ‘Left School’ (l. 2), a phenomenon which was not common in America 20th century. Brooks doesn’t give any explanation for why they left school. Although poverty and racism are both issues that affect education, Brooks doesn’t. This makes Brooks’ statement more powerful. Brooks isn’t interested in explaning nor reasoning about it. It is just a fact that some people have and does not need to be justified. The poem challenges readers’ expectations, as it is written by a published poet. These situations are and activities are presented in the poem as normal and even pleasant, which defies societal norms. Sarcasm is the main way cummings challenges patriotic convention. The title and opening lines ‘next, of course god USA i’ (l. 1) refer to Americans’ reverence for America. The irony of the use of the phrase of course’ in the opening line is so obvious that it sounds almost absurd. This is further emphasized by the use ‘and thus forth’ (l. 2). It dismisses praise of America as if all it means is the same. Cummings’ sarcasm about patriotism rests in the line “What could be more beaut-/ iful then these heroic happy deceased” (ll. 9-10). Cummings suggests that attitudes to the deaths in war are ridiculous. She uses the words heroic’ and the happy’ together with the word ‘dead’. The bizarre juxtaposition of these words and the connotations of them is striking. It highlights the absurdity that we think of death this way. Cummings, therefore, challenges American thinking about war and the way it affects casualties.

Poetry is capable of straying from its own structure and expectations. This is demonstrated by Brooks, Clare and cummings in the various poems in this essay. Each poet may be silenced, isolated, and/or have their social status affected. But, they do not hesitate to challenge dominant culture for a greater cause. Although literature, especially poetry, has been seen as an elite art form in times past, it can be seen as an opportunity for marginalised people to speak out and share their experiences and challenge the status quo.

Brooks Gwendolyn. We Real Cool. Margaret Ferguson, 4th edn (New York: W.W. Norton & Company 1996), p. 1481 cummings. ‘next, of course, god america i’ is in The Norton Anthology of Poetry. Margaret Ferguson (4th edn), (New York : W.W. Norton & Company, 1996) p. 1381 Clare, John ‘Gypsies’. Margaret Ferguson, 4th edn (New York: W.W. Norton & Company 1996), p. 823