Lawrence 1

Jessica Lawrence

Ms. Jacobs

Freshman Comp 2

November 19, 2017

The Seven Real Cool Deadly Sins Formatted: Normal, Centered

Living a life of sin is a thrilling yet dangerous game, especially for the adolescents or

young adults. In the 1950s, Gwendolyn Brooks published a jazzy and impactful short 10-line

poem that skillfully uses the seven deadly sins to depict the rebellious attitude and typical

deviant behavior of the youth during that era, and what will eventually become of them if they

continued to live such a lifestyle. Brooks usage of the seven sins within the poem can reflect the

schema of the sins stated in The Book of Pastoral Rule, a diagnostic system that monks, priests, Formatted: Font: Italic

and spiritual directors used to diagnose and treat troubled faithfulsfaithfuls. Through a readers

response critical approach, Brookssapproach, the usage of the seven sins in We Real Cool

and how the Sins are described in the pastoral diagnostic system, together implement the

consequences of living the sinful sinful lifestyle.

According to The Norton Introduction to Literature by Kelly J. Mays, aMays, a reader- Formatted: Font: Italic

response critic ask not what a work means but what a work does to and through a reader

(1369) meaning how the reader interprets the text and then effectively performs the text into

existence.(. (1369). The aspect of the jazzy rhythmic words of Brooks and the correlationthe

reference to the seven deadly sins within, both allude to the consequence of an immoral lifestyle.

The Pool Players in the poem, are proudly living a rebel lifestyle where skipping school, staying

out late, getting into fights, drinking and partying is considered the cool thing despite knowing
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that such sinful actions and attitudes will end with a shorten life expectancy, or a Deadly

consequence.

The poem begins with seven pool playerplayers hanging out at a pool hall, then continues

with -four stanzas of two lines each- to describe their perceived coolness cleverly capturing the

overall proud celebrating celebratory tone We Real Cool, We Left School (line 3-4), of the

players attitudes. We Real Cool, We Left School(line 3-4), Brooks starts then boldly finishes

with their eventual demise for living such a sinful life withlife with We/Jazz June. We/ Die

Soon. (line 9-10). The same type of deviant characteristics and actions of the pool players, can

correlate to how the seven deadly sins in the Pastoral diagnostic system describe and diagnose

troubled faithfulsfaithfuls.

According to The Seven Deadly Sins as a Pastoral Diagnostic System, a scholarly

article by Scott Sullender, writes that therethese are the seven main types of problematic states

of mind (220). Pride, Envy, Sloth, Greed, Wrath/Anger, Gluttony, and Lust are the individual

names of these seven deadly sins. Considered root conditions that can ledlead to a variety of

Deaths-literal death as in violence, death of the soul as in Greed, death of relationships as in

Lust, death of relationship with God in the case of Pride... (224). Each of these sins are

considered pervasive patterns of behavior and thinking, particularly the latter, that cause various

negative and destructive behaviors. (224). To be Slothful, is not just physical but a mental and

spiritual laziness, of mind, body and spirit. A lack of motivation.(. (220) To be Prideful, is to

have an overestimation of ones self, an inflated ego that blocks one from seeing ones own

failings or limitations(limitations (220)., Bboth diagnoses are comparable to the Pool Players

proudly announcing how they left school, meaning they chose not to further their education/

gain knowledge, a sign of mental laziness.

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The Pool Players also showed signs of Greed, Wrath/Anger, and Gluttony,

withinGluttony, within the 3rd and 4th stanza. We Lurk Late, We Strike Straight, We Thin

Gin,. To Lurk is to remain hidden so as if waiting to ambush, sinister purpose. Criminals/

thieves can easily be described as lurkers. Greed is the excessive desire to own or possess more

and more(more (220), and Envy is the desire to have what ones neighbor has(has (220),

both of which are typical characteristics of thieves. The beginning of the poem the Golden

shovel can also allude to a tool used to dig graves or perhaps, more treasure/gold. To Strike, is

to hit forcibly and deliberately, a sudden attack. Anger/Wrath is diagnosed as anger being out of

control, quick, reactive, and out of proportion to the situation. (220), the line to striking straight

comes after the players lurking late, which ledsled to the assumption to them also getting into

deliberate fights. By thinning the gin, they are extending the consumption of the alcohol, thus

making the effects last longer as well, which can only be described as gluttony, the

overdrinking/overeating, over indulgence of substances. (220).

In the 1950s, Jazzs, Jazz was a form of americanAmerican music that grew out of

african-americanAfrican American music traditions which quickly became a form of rebel dance

music. To be Lustful is having excessive desire for sexual experiences (220), usually

manifested in compulsive sexual behaviors, treating other as objects for self-gratification,

implied selfishness. Jazz was considered rebel music because of the sensual/raunchy nature of

the sound and how it caused masses to engage such sensual illicit movements. Coupled with the

lyrics of these songs that were also becoming more and more openly sexual in context, the pool

players singing sin andsin and jazz dancing in hot month of juneJune, sounds like one hot

lustful evening.
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In conclusion, The Pool Players in the poem, are celebrating the life of sin. They

proudly praise themselves, as they partake in the overindulgence of the lifestyle of drinking,

deviant and illicit behavior until they die sooner with the denial of their own faults. Gwendolyn

Brooks usagereference of the Seven deadly sins describes the attitudes and mindsets of troubled

faithfulsfaithfuls. as well as the inevitable consequences of the adolescents ,adolescents. as well

as Tthe pastoral diagnostic system and the schema of the sins, which can also be correlated to

this current generations trouble faithfulsfaithfuls and be used as a tool to help diagnose and

guide the troubled away from the deadly sins.

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Works Cited

Mays, Kelly J. The Norton Introduction to Literature. W.W. Norton & Company, 2017.

Sullender, Scott. The Seven Deadly Sins as a Pastoral Diagnostic System. Pastoral

Psychology, vol. 64, no. 2, 2014, pp. 217227., doi:10.1007/s11089-014-0602-8.