Poems “We Old Dudes” by Joan Murray and “We Real Cool” by Gwendolyn Brooks are going to be the primary focus of this essay. It might be easy to draw comparisons between the pieces as the poem by Murray derives its leading themes and literary elements from “We Real Cool.” The poem by Brooks demonstrates the careless daily lives of young African-American boys in the 1950s. The poem “We Old Dudes” by Murray focuses on the routines of older white men who might have lost their spirit of rebellion but still manage to lead pretty nonchalant lives. Murray and Brooks utilize epistrophes to add rhythm and emphasize a point. Both poems explore how seemingly opposite groups of people enjoy their life because they know the inevitable outcome (lives tend to end), and the authors implement similar literary devices in order to examine these themes further.
Literary Analysis Chart
“We Real Cool” was written in 1959, so while it focuses on the lives of young black boys, the poem also gives some insights into American realities during that period mentioning jazz and playing pool. In the 50s, the heroes of Murray’s poem might have been the same age as the boys from “We Real Cool.” Now that they are much older, their lives bear little to no resemblance to those black boys who “Thin gin” (Brooks, line 8) and “Jazz June” (Brooks, line 9). White grandpas enjoy playing golf and vacationing on Palm Beach, while black teenagers sing, skip school and get into fights. The latter live their lives to the fullest as they know their youth will end eventually. Murray’s characters, on the other hand, have no other option but to relax because they realize there is no much time left as they will be “Soon Dead” (Murray, line 8). In both poems, cynical attitudes towards the future are explored, but the concept of rebellion in Brooks’ work opposes the conformity and predictability of “We Old Dudes.”
To create a unique rhythm, both Murray and Brooks use repetition at the end of every line. A dramatic effect is achieved through the utilization of “We.” Such an epistrophe serves the purpose of making generalized statements about the lives of certain groups. Brooks masterfully implements alliterations that sound like rap, such as “Sing Sin” and “Jazz June.” As a result, they help the author to demonstrate the identities of pool players. Murray chases the same purpose as he fills the poem with stereotypes associated with old Caucasian men (white shoes, golfing, Republican, etc.). While both authors focus on utilizing repetitions to establish a specific rhythm and explore the themes of their pieces in more detail, they apply different literary devices like to achieve that as well.
Murray and Brooks explore the themes of identity, the fleeting nature of life, and the concepts of rebelliousness and conformity, which they achieve by using epistrophes. “We Real Cool” is filled with alliterations to help the readers get to know the boys more, while “We Old Dudes” feeds into numerous stereotypes in order to create a flawed, but still a somewhat accurate portrayal of old white men in the twenty-first century America.
Works Cited
Brooks, Gwendolyn. “We Real Cool.” Literature to Go, written by Michael Meyers and Quentin D. Miller, 4th edition, Bedford/St Martin’s, 2020, p. 509.
Murray, Joan. “We Old Dudes.” Literature to Go, written by Michael Meyers and Quentin D. Miller, 4th edition, Bedford/St Martin’s, 2020, p.534.