Home is a nearly impossible thing to find, but those who find their homes will stand up for it no matter what. Carl Sandburg’s “Chicago” does a fantastic job of capturing the relationship between a man and his city. The narrator in the piece defends his city in a protective and almost romantic manner. Sandburg displays the intricate and under-discussed relationship through lavish and descriptive language, humanizing personification, and superb sentence structure. Sandburg marvelously utilizes language throughout the piece to encapsulate the connection between the narrator and his home of Chicago. The language used paints the exact picture needed for the audience to do the majority of the work of discovering the relationship between the narrator …show more content…
The narrator forces the audience to see images of citizens of the city who have worked hard and are terrified of the future, but despite that, they continue to smile. By creating a contrast between the surface-level disgust that the citizens must live through and the secret joys beneath said citizens, the audience can swiftly gather that the narrator isn’t just ignorant of his city’s faults, but instead has learned to embrace them. The narrator, upon being told that his city is “crooked” (Sandburg, 8) and “brutal” (Sandburg, 9) does not back down and concede, but instead, he stands up for his home. Despite the accusations that the narrator must somewhat agree with, he stands up for his home and begs for the city’s naysayers to “show me another city with lifted head singing so proud to be alive and coarse and strong and cunning.” (Sandburg, 13) Once again the narrator takes on the horrible things about his home and embraces them. He doesn’t …show more content…
The poem opens in a conversationally unnatural format. The narrator describes his city as the “Hog Butcher for the World / Tool Maker, Stacker of Wheat” (Sandburg, 1-2) and calls his city “City of the Big Shoulders.” (Sandburg, 5). The structure sets the scene for the rest of the piece as the narrator talks about his city in an unfocused manner. Opening the poem by establishing a basic understanding of how our narrator sees his home in simple, short sentences, allows the audience to quickly get comfortable and gather an idea of what the rest of the poem has in store. Sandburg’s understanding of the connection one has to their home is more than pleasant, however. The distant and split sentences throughout the poem match not only the narrator’s thoughts about their city, but also reflect the natural flow of an argument which reinforces the theme of a man and the pride he feels for his city. For example, the structure on lines 11-16 focuses on long, drawn-out sentences while retaining sharpness with each word and paragraph space. Then, the split of the established pattern from lines 17-18 continues the argumentative feeling of the sentences, but now takes a more hopeful and blissful tone. Then, in a genius maneuver, Sandburg ends the poem with the beginning lines of the piece, but
Pride: we can take it in what we do, who we are, and what we’ve overcome. In Carl Sandburg’s “Chicago” he writes about the criticism and judgment that comes at his city, Chicago, and her laborers. The theme he portrays in his poem is that people can be proud no matter what they do, where they live, and what people think of him/her. He illustrates this theme through, word choice, imagery, and relational shifts throughout the poem. First of all, the poem tells us the thesis stated through word choice
Carl Sandburg, in his poem Chicago, provides a dynamic and a loutish description with a certain tone of social criticism about the city of Chicago. Throughout the poem, the author makes use of literary devices, such as personification, apostrophe, similes, and repetition, giving the city a human-like representation with an intense personality in a realistic way. Also, the contrast between positive and negative qualities makes his poetry direct and concise which sings the glories and the penalties
what Carl seemed to see from his experiences in Chicago. Since living in Chicago, Carl Sandburg grew to love the young vibrant city and he describes it by comparing it to a young person in his poem “Chicago”. One universal theme in the poem “Chicago” is that the city shares some of the vibrant, active, and flawed
“Chicago,” by Carl Sandburg wrote a poem that the great city of Chicago that embraces everything that the city has to offer, from hog butchers to railroads, from construction sites to prostitutes. The poem paints a portrait of a vibrant, cunning, wicked, joyful, laughing place. The speaker begins the poem by telling the reader about all of the negative aspects of the city of Chicago but ends in the exact opposite stance. The poet feels that Chicago will face the future ready to fight and win. Sandburg
called Chicago and it was written by Carl Sandburg in 1914. In the poem Carl talks about the streets of Chicago and describes the hardship of the streets. Carl also describes the people who live in Chicago and how they are appreciative, dedicated and sometimes do jobs and other tasks they do not practically enjoy or like just to make a living. Carl uses a lot of dramatic imagery throughout the entire poem that way he can characterize some of the situations in the poem. In the first stanza, Carl describes
Sandburg wrote his poem ‘Chicago’ in 1914. The city of Chicago itself was first established in 1833, meaning it was only about 70 years old. In 1971, a fire destroyed the entire Central Business District. The years following were a slow and grueling recovery, but eventually Chicago became a “Dominant Midwestern center for manufacturing, commerce, finance, higher education, religion, broadcasting, sports and jazz….”( Source 1). In ‘ Chicago’, Sandburg describes Chicago as a young man. His reference
lives today. Carl Sandburg is one of many American poets; his words have penetrated the minds of many people across the world. Carl was not only a poet. He began his work writing historical readings about a man that had a huge impact on his life, Abraham Lincoln. He also wrote many short stories in the children’s literature area. Carl Sandburg was born on January 6, 1878 in a 3 room cottage in Galesburg Illinois, which is now maintained by the Illinois Historic Preservation Agency. Carl worked from
“Joy always, Joy everywhere, Let Joy Kill you.” is a quote from Carl Sandburg’s poem “Joy”. His straightforward writing shows the simplicity of everyday life. Joy can be found anywhere and can make the actions and choices in life more meaningful. This theme of everyday life makes Carl Sandburg one of the most influential American poets of all time. Carl Sandburg was born in Galesburg, Illinois on January 6, 1878. Both his parents were Swedish immigrants that moved to the America because jobs were
and Works of American poet: Carl Sandburg Carl Sandburg (1878-1967) was born and raised in Galesburg, Illinois to Swedish immigrants August and Clara Anderson Sandburg. His father August was a blacksmith’s assistant on the Burlington and Quincy Railroad in Chicago. Carl Sandburg was the second of seven children in a small three-room cottage, typical for 19th century working-class. Shortly after Sandburg’s birth, the family moved to a larger house in Galesburg. Sandburg quit school after the eighth
Carl Sandburg was one of the leading poets and writers of his time. He won two Pulitzer prizes for both his Complete Poems and his autobiography on Lincoln. However, critics have been split on their viewpoints of Sandburg. Some feel he is a masterful poet weaving together political messages with his “folksy” writing, while others feel that he is a writer scribbling his ideas down with no poetic technique. Carl Sandburg’s poetry has been praised and criticized because of its roots in the Midwest,
Carl Sandburg “I've written some poetry I don't understand myself,” Carl Sandburg once said. Carl Sandburg was one of the most unique and passionate poets and writers in his lifetime. He received many awards and recognitions and he had many admirers. Carl Sandburg can be noted as a great man based on his early life experiences, his adult life experiences, his life as a poet, his many great achievements, and his impact on the world. Carl Sandburg had a rough start in his early life. He was born in
Author-poet Carl Sandburg was born in the three-room cottage at 313 East Third Street in Galesburg on January 6, 1878. The modest house reflects the typical living conditions of a late nineteenth century working-class family. Many of the furnishings once belonged to the Sandburg family are still in tact. Behind the house stands a small wooded park. Underneath Remembrance Rock, lie the ashes of Carl Sandburg, who died in 1967. Carl August Sandburg was born the son of Swedish immigrants
Carl Sandburg was born to Swedish immigrants in Galesburg, Illinois on January 6, 1887 (Poets). At a young age, Sandburg developed an interest in reading and writing. However, he was forced to leave school at age thirteen to help support the family income (Poets). Sandburg grew up working tough jobs such as driving a milk wagon, working in a barber shop, and being an apprentice tinsmith (Poets). He would later utilize the images and experiences he was exposed to to create verses and poems that reflected
The Works of Poet Carl Sandburg and His Effect on American Poetry The beloved poet, Carl Sandburg, changed the course of American poetry. He was a poet, novelist, journalist, and songwriter, yet the influence of his works have not always been acknowledged. Carl Sandburg's evocations of American urban and rural life, compassion for people, and his love of nature, through his works have made an enormous contribution to the American literary scene. Carl Sandburg was born on January 6, 1878
During the publication of “Chicago” by Carl Sandburg, Chicago was the largest city in the Midwest which established itself as an industrial metropolis with a population that doubled every twenty years. However, the city’s accomplishments were often hidden behind its rising crime rates and poor working conditions. In the poem “Chicago,” Carl Sandburg aims to defend the greatness of Chicago through images of the city throughout each part of the poem. Sandburg introduces “Chicago” by simply providing