Chicago

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==== "Chicago" by Carl Sandburg identifies one main characteristic of Modernism, individualism. According to Dictionary.com, individualism is “a social theory advocating the liberty, rights, or independent action of the individual.” The Modernism time period focuses on the individual and standing out in crowds. Authors have their main characters be different and proud to be an individual. In "Chicago", there is no person. The main character is the city of Chicago. "Chicago" has similar characteristics of "A Rose for Emily" by William Faulkner. They both focus on being an individual. The poem "Chicago" is also similar to the poem "Honky Tonk in Cleveland, Ohio" also by Carl Sandburg. Carl’s writings were greatly affected by his life. He was born in Chicago, and love it dearly. His life had a major impact on this poem. ====

==== Carl Sandburg writes about many characteristics about the city of Chicago throughout the poem that make it unique and stand out from other cities. The first few lines of the paragraph stick out when reading the poem. They say, ====

==== “Hog Butcher for the World” (Sandburg) is a characteristic of the city because it is a big meat packaging city. “Tool maker, Stacker of Wheat” (Sandburg) these are symbols of industry and agriculture within the city of Chicago. This is confirmed by a criticism from Suttie, “the celebration of industrial and agricultural America.” Another line from the poem that expresses individualism is “Come and show me another city with lifted head singing so proud to be alive and coarse and strong and cunning” (Sandburg). Sandburg is describing Chicago to be different than any other city and proud to be different, which is the definition of an individual. ====

===="Chicago" is similar to another Modernism poem, "A Rose for Emily" by William Faulkner. "A Rose for Emily" represents individualism by the main character Emily, who is alienated from the rest of her town. "Chicago" represents individualism by being different and being proud of their city. The poem "Chicago" was said to represent, “the celebration of industrial and agricultural America” (Suttie). The idea of an industrial strong America was a new idea that branched away from the traditional ideals of the time, which is a major characteristic of the Modernism period. ====

Carl Sandburg wrote another poem similar to that of "Chicago" called "Honky Tonk in Cleveland, Ohio". A major similarity is the main character. Just like in "Chicago//",// the main character is also a city, Cleveland, Ohio. "Honky Tonk in Cleveland, Ohio" is about the jazz that is a new type of music arriving in this time period. Jazz was different, new, and breaking away from the other types of music at the time, which is a characteristic of the Modernism time period. The themes of the poems are also similar. Both are proud to be different and stand out in a crowd. Individualism is well defined by Carl Sandburg in both of his works.

In conclusion, Carl Sandburg's poem "Chicago//",// has the characteristic of Modernism which is individualism. This poem is very similar to another poem by Carl Sandburg called "Honky Tonk in Cleveland, Ohio". They are similar in that the main characters in both poems are cities. Also, this poem is similar to "A Rose for Emily//".// Both poems have the characteristic of Modernism, which is individualism. Lastly, Carl Sandburg's life affected his poems greatly. He was born in Chicago, which was why he wrote the poem "Chicago//".// **__ Citations __** "Individualism | Define Individualism at Dictionary.com." //Dictionary.com | Find the// // Meanings and Definitions of Words at Dictionary.com //. Dictionary.com. Web. 25  Apr. 2010. .

Sandburg, Carl. "Chicago." //Poets.org - Poetry, Poems, Bios & More//. Web. 25 Apr. 2010. .

Sandburg, Carl. "Honky Tonk in Cleveland, Ohio." //Poets.org - Poetry, Poems,// // Bios & More //. Web. 25 Apr. 2010. .

Suttie, Skye L. "'Chicago'." In Anderson, George P., Judith S. Baughman, Matthew J. Bruccoli, and Carl Rollyson, eds. Encyclopedia of American Literature, Revised Edition: Into the Modern: 1896–1945, Volume 3. New York: Facts On File, Inc., 2008. Bloom's Literary Reference Online. Facts On File, Inc. [] 8&SingleRecord=True (accessed April 20, 2010).

media type="custom" key="6200193" Abby Buchman

“Chicago” by Carl Sandburg was written to be a simple poem for simple people (Suttie). Writing for simple people, or common people, was a characteristic of Modernism. Modernism was all about the common man. He highlights the common man in this poem. One way he does this is by listing off blue collar occupations, the common man occupations, “ Butcher, Tool Maker, Stacker of Wheat, Player with/ Railroads and Freight Handler to the Nation” (Sandburg). While he loves the city that he claims to be his, he does not deny its brutalities either (Suttie). In fact he appears to acknowledge it. “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” (Sandburg).

This poem about Carl Sandburg’s home of Chicago is meant to evoke the image of being there in Chicago. As Cone says in his review, “ ‘Chicago’ celebrates the grittiness and gusto of the great Midwestern city” (Cone). Sandburg uses different techniques like driving rhythm to bring the city to life in his poetry. According to Cone, Sandburg uses the driving rhythm to “recreate the robust energy of Chicago itself” (Cone). Sandburg highlights different qualities of the city in the short lines of his poems. For example, “Stormy, husky, brawling, /City of the Big Shoulders. . . Bareheaded / Shoveling, / Wrecking/ Planning,” (Sandburg).

Frequently Sandburg uses images and descriptions of Chicago to enhance his poetry, however; in one of his other poems, “I am the People, the Mob”, Sandburg uses images of the prairie instead (Pinkerton). Pinkerton says he does this “because the prairie, the seed ground, dies and then renews itself” (Pinkerton). This poem is the exception to the rule though because this is one of few poems that does not highlight the city of Chicago. Another way he uses the city is in the poem “Halsted Street Car” where he uses the city as the setting for events in the poems (Pinkerton). However, in the poem “Chicago” he uses descriptions of the city for imagery.

Free verse is an important characteristic of Modernism, leaving behind structured poetry of previous eras. Sandburg uses two different kinds of free verse in this poem (Cone). The first, the short lines, are used for the opener and to interrupt the longer passages. They use only nouns and adjectives. “HOG Butcher for the World,/ Tool Maker, Stacker of Wheat” (Sandburg). The other type of free verse is the long lines. Even the lengths of the lines are used for imagery. “The long lines spread out, overrunning the page’s margins in the way the great city threatens to spill over its borders” (Cone).

Sandburg uses even the littlest things to help remind the reader of the city. He incorporates different elements such as the length of the lines, rhythm, and descriptions of the common men in Chicago to create a flawless image of the city. Sandburg did a good job of recognizing the downfalls of the city but also used these to the credit of the city later on. Sandburg’s poem is an excellent example of the modernism time period using the common man and free verse effectively in “Chicago”.

Works Cited Cone, Temple. ""Chicago." //Bloom's Literary Database//. Facts on File, 2007. Web. 3 May 2010.

Pinkerton, Jan, and Randolph Hudson. "Chicago Poems." //Bloom's Literary Database//. Facts on File, 2004. Web. 3 May 2010.

Sandburg, Carl. "Carl Sandburg Poems - Chicago." //Carl Sandburg - Chicago Poems - Carl Sandburg Biography//. Web. 03 May 2010. .

Suttie, Skye. "Chicago." //Bloom's Literary Database//. Facts on File, 2008. Web. 3 May 2010.