I Am The People, The Mob - A poem by Carl Sandburg

Carl Sandburg - I Am The People, The Mob

I AM the people--the mob--the crowd--the mass.
Do you know that all the great work of the world is
done through me?
I am the workingman, the inventor, the maker of the
world's food and clothes.
I am the audience that witnesses history. The Napoleons
come from me and the Lincolns. They die. And
then I send forth more Napoleons and Lincolns.
I am the seed ground. I am a prairie that will stand
for much plowing. Terrible storms pass over me.
I forget. The best of me is sucked out and wasted.
I forget. Everything but Death comes to me and
makes me work and give up what I have. And I
forget.
Sometimes I growl, shake myself and spatter a few red
drops for history to remember. Then--I forget.
When I, the People, learn to remember, when I, the
People, use the lessons of yesterday and no longer
forget who robbed me last year, who played me for
a fool--then there will be no speaker in all the world
say the name: "The People," with any fleck of a
sneer in his voice or any far-off smile of derision.
The mob--the crowd--the mass--will arrive then.

Added: on May 6th, 2009 at 9:23 PM | Viewed: 7544 times | Comments and analysis of I Am The People, The Mob by Carl Sandburg Comments (15)

I Am The People, The Mob - Comments and Information
Poet: Carl Sandburg (Carl Sandburg Art) Poem: 14. I Am The People, The Mob Volume: Chicago Poems - Other Days (1900-1910) Year: Published/Written in 1900 Poem of the Day: Apr 28 2008 Comment 15 of 15, added on May 7th, 2009 at 1:01 AM. Carl Sandburg was the kind of person who actnoliged the people who worked hard. He volunteered to fight in the Spanish American War and after he went to Lombard College. His poems relate to his life. How he sees the world and the people in it. Diana Garcia from United States Comment 14 of 15, added on May 7th, 2009 at 12:54 AM. It's very apparent that Sandburg wasn't a large fan of rhyme or rhythm. What he did use as a writing technique was the art of parallel structure. This technique being the repetition of certain key phrases, such as, "I am the people... I am the workingman... I am the audience..." (Sandburg), and so forth. He also tended to include Abraham Lincoln in his works, of which he was also an avid fan. Nick Johnson from United States Comment 13 of 15, added on May 6th, 2009 at 9:23 PM. Carl Sandburg uses free verse to write this poem. In this poem he talks about how the people are the reason people like Napoleon and Lincoln were able to do all that they did. Even though people like them die the people are still strong. He uses Lincoln because he loves to talk about Lincoln in his poems. Whitman and Sandburg both write in free verse and like to talk about Lincoln. He talks about how if it were not for the people that nothing would ever get done. The people he is referring to are the middle and lower class citizens. Matt Perry from United States More Comments >> Are you looking for more information on this poem? Perhaps you are trying to analyze it? The poem, I Am The People, The Mob, has received 15 comments. Click here to read them, and perhaps post a comment of your own. Of course you can also always discuss poems by Carl Sandburg with others on the American Poems poetry forum!

Poem Info
Poet: Carl Sandburg Poem: 14. I Am The People, The Mob Volume: Chicago Poems - Other Days (1900-1910) Year: Published/Written in 1900 Last read: Dec 19 2009, 2:20AM Poem of the Day: Apr 28 2008 Viewed 7544 times. Added on May 6th, 2009 at 9:23 PM.

Sandburg Info
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