Unfortunately, it is common for many individuals, especially young people, to be attracted to the “wrong crowd” and make poor decisions at various points in their lives. Fortunately, most of these individuals who are attracted to the wrong crowd, or who are themselves the wrong crowd, at one point or another can typically develop enough maturity and intelligence to eventually walk away from participating in such irresponsible acts and children to lead successful lives. But what about individuals who never grow up? It is a true and unfortunate fact that there are hundreds of thousands of people who cannot dig themselves out of the wrong crowd and who waste time while life falls apart. The poem "We Real Cool" written by Gwendolyn Brooks tells the story of a group of individuals who made a series of bad decisions, which ultimately led to their untimely deaths. Say no to plagiarism. Get a tailor-made essay on "Why Violent Video Games Shouldn't Be Banned"? Get an original essay Gwendolyn Brooks, an African American poet born on June 7, 1917 in Topeka, Kansas, is an accomplished writer whose works primarily describe the struggles and triumphs of the people who lived in her community. At just six weeks old, Brooks' family moved to Chicago, Illinois, which was crucial to her writing career. As a child growing up in Chicago during the Great Depression, she likely lived through, witnessed, and experienced a bleak and seemingly hopeless environment, which no doubt influenced her writing. This is especially evident in "We Real Cool", a poem that tells the story of a group of unemployed boys who die tragically earlier than expected. In the poem, Brooks talks about kids who drop out of school, stay out late, drink often, and "die early." On a superficial level, Brooks effectively tells a moving ballad in four short verses. These boys he talks about in the poem are actually childish men and are perfect examples of the choices presented to readers in Robert Frost's poem "The Road Not Taken." As the title of Brooks' poem suggests, these young people believe they are cold in the bad decisions they are making, when in reality they have simply chosen to submit to bad choices and run away from living a meaningful life. They chose to take the easy path, following their peers, the wrong crowd, towards a life that is even less than mediocrity. As the reader delves deeper, this poem reveals itself about living life in the fast lane and its consequences. Perhaps the poem is not only a story, but also a lesson in the consequences of young people choosing to ignore responsibilities as maturity and adulthood approach and loom. Although there are notable differences in plot and characters, it may be noted that the themes in this poem are similar to those found in J.M. Barrie's "Peter Pan", a story that had its own popular film based on the text released just a few years earlier of 'We Real Cool' has been released. 'Peter Pan' introduces audiences to the classic fictional characters of Neverland, Peter Pan and his crew of Lost Boys, who spend their entire lives outgrowing age adult, while Brooks masterfully shows that the real world does not work the same way. The young people in his poem are analogous to the Lost Boys of Peter Pan, but unfortunately they are far from immortal and must face the consequences of their prolonged childhood. Tragically, the most serious part of the consequences concerns premature death. Brooks orchestrates effective literary and applicative tools and strategies.