Per the poem’s opening stanza, the main characters in “We Real Cool” are “The Pool Players” (1). They are “Seven” (2) in number, and they hang out at a place called “the Golden Shovel” (2). Gwendolyn Brooks stated that she was inspired to compose the poem after walking past a pool hall during the day and observing a group of teenagers inside. In the jazz tradition of imitation, she decided to simulate the conversation she imagined the boys having. Though they are presumably seven individuals, they speak as a collective “We.” Each of their individual identities is thus subsumed into the “We,” making for a curious statement on jazz culture. Though far from an outright condemnation of said culture, the boys’ borderline-illicit activities and their lack of individual identities and agency suggest a more menacing side to this type of jazz space. That they believe they will “Die...