Chicago

by Carl Sandburg

Hog Butcher for the World,
Tool Maker, Stacker of Wheat,
Player with Railroads and the Nation's Freight Handler;
Stormy, husky, brawling,
City of the Big Shoulders:

They tell me you are wicked and I believe them, for I have seen your painted women under the gas lamps luring the farm boys.
And they tell me you are crooked and I answer: Yes, it is true I have seen the gunman kill and go free to kill again.
And they tell me you are brutal and my reply is: On the faces of women and children I have seen the marks of wanton hunger.
And having answered so I turn once more to those who sneer at this my city, and I give them back the sneer and say to them:
Come and show me another city with lifted head singing so proud to be alive and coarse and strong and cunning.
Flinging magnetic curses amid the toil of piling job on job, here is a tall bold slugger set vivid against the little soft cities;
Fierce as a dog with tongue lapping for action, cunning as a savage pitted against the wilderness,
Bareheaded,
Shoveling,
Wrecking,
Planning,
Building, breaking, rebuilding,
Under the smoke, dust all over his mouth, laughing with white teeth,
Under the terrible burden of destiny laughing as a young man laughs,
Laughing even as an ignorant fighter laughs who has never lost a battle,
Bragging and laughing that under his wrist is the pulse, and under his ribs the heart of the people,
Laughing!
Laughing the stormy, husky, brawling laughter of Youth, half-naked, sweating, proud to be Hog Butcher, Tool Maker, Stacker of Wheat, Player with Railroads and Freight Handler to the Nation.

TITLE
"Chicago" This poem is obviously going to be about the city, Chicago. I think the poem is going to be about poet's special memory in Chicago.

PARAPHRASE
This poem was about the lives of people in Chicago and about the city itself.
The first 3 lines were the lists of various jobs in Chicago, which gave the feeling that Chicago is a working city. But from line 6-13, Sandburg began to described the abominable view of Chicago. However from line 14, he moves on and starts the defense of how hardworking, proud and strong city chicago is. Overall, this poem was about pride. The pride of people in Chicago for their hard work, the pride of Chicago for its magnitude, and Sandburg's pride of living in Chicago.

CONNOTATION
metaphor- Sandburg described Chicago as "...a tall bold slugger set vivid against the little soft cities" It gives readers the feeling that chicago is very strong and wild city.
City of big shoulders: it described the magnitude of city. The big shoulders represents that Chicago is big and mighty.
personification- from line 6-13 Sandburg described Chicago by saying "you"
ex) "...they tell me you are wicked...", "...they tell me you are crooked..."
symbolism- slugger: symbolize the strength and power of Chicago
laughter: symbolize people's pride toward their work and city.
breaking, rebuilding: symbolize that Chicago is developing everyday.
imagery- the entire poem gives very vivid image of Chicago.
ex) "Under the smoke, dust all over his mouth, laughing with white teeth,"
this line gives image of how the people in Chicago enjoy working even in the harsh situations.

ATTITUDE
This poem was written in the first person so Sandburg addressed the readers directly. In the poem he used many strong words such as, "coarse"(line 15), "bold slugger(line 16)", "bragging(line 28)" to describe the strength and brawn of Chicago. From line 6-13, when he described the unpleasant side of Chicago, Sandburg kept using "they tell me..." so readers could know that it is not his idea. Someone else told him.

SHIFTS
For first 3 lines, Sandburg indicates that chicago is very busy and hardworking class city by listing the various jobs that people have in Chicago. Then suddenly on line 6, he starts to describe bad part of chicago by saying that it is "wicked", "crooked", "brutal". He also gives examples of why they are wicked, crooked or brutal. Then the poem shifts one more time on line 14, "Come and show me another city with lifted head singing so proud to be alive and coarse and strong and cunning." Then he starts to recover the view of Chicago by defending how strong and passionate city Chicago is.

TITLE
As I guessed, the poem was about Chicago. But not Sandburg's childhood memories in Chicago. It was mostly about city itself. Chicago is very dangerous and brutal city, but it is also strong, hardworking and muscular city.

THEME
The poem was mostly vivid description of Chicago. However he theme of this poem was poet's thoughts and pride toward Chicago.

Fire And Ice (by Robert Forest)

Some say the world will end in fire;
Some say in ice.
From what I've tasted of desire
I hold with those who favor fire.
But if it had to perish twice,
I think I know enough of hate
To know that for destruction ice
Is also great
And would suffice.


Title- "Fire and Ice" Fire and Ice are two very different factors. I think the fire and ice indicates the opposite side of world or human's personality.
paraphrase-
(SOME say the world will end in fire,
Some say in ice.) = two options for the end of the world: fire or ice
(From what I’ve tasted of desire
I hold with those who favor fire.) = from experience of desire, I perfer fire
Connotation- Rhym schemee- ab aa bcbcb
Attitude- He relates fire with desire. This comparison suggests that Frost views desire as something that consumes and destroys. He also relates ice with hatred. This comparison made me think that Forst views hate as something rigid and cold and will break when you control wrong.
Shift- There is not significant shift in this poem. However, last stanza has little shift in action, which states that 'And would suffice' meaning two forces are equally great.
Title- Two opposite destructive forces that will cause end of the world.
Theme- The 'physical' end of the world. The desire and hatred in life.