Buttons - A poem by Carl Sandburg

Carl Sandburg - Buttons

I HAVE been watching the war map slammed up for
advertising in front of the newspaper office.
Buttons--red and yellow buttons--blue and black buttons--
are shoved back and forth across the map.

A laughing young man, sunny with freckles,
Climbs a ladder, yells a joke to somebody in the crowd,
And then fixes a yellow button one inch west
And follows the yellow button with a black button one
inch west.

(Ten thousand men and boys twist on their bodies in
a red soak along a river edge,
Gasping of wounds, calling for water, some rattling
death in their throats.)
Who would guess what it cost to move two buttons one
inch on the war map here in front of the newspaper
office where the freckle-faced young man is laughing
to us?

Added: on March 19th, 2006 at 10:10 PM | Viewed: 3878 times | Comments and analysis of Buttons by Carl Sandburg Comments (4)

Buttons - Comments and Information
Poet: Carl Sandburg Poem: 7. Buttons Volume: Chicago Poems - War Poems (1914-1915) Year: Published/Written in 1914 Comment 4 of 4, added on March 13th, 2008 at 10:51 PM. The poem was published in 1905, years before the start of the Great War. So it obviously has nothing to do with a war that hadn't happened yet. It would appear to be a much more general critique of wars in general and a discontinuity between people fighting a war and people "supporting" a war. American Student from United States Comment 3 of 4, added on May 9th, 2007 at 12:54 PM. The buttons have more to do with there not being an understanding of war at home, where people have never experienced its horrors. The freckled face boy is making fun of those dyeing soldiers, because if the buttons are moved one inch west, then it means the allied advanced was beaten back, and the Americans lost land. This poem talks about that lack of understanding, and the glorified aspects of war before the peace movement and Vietnam.(Though the grisly aspects were more understood then say, at the beginning of WWI) Axel from United States Comment 2 of 4, added on March 19th, 2006 at 10:10 PM. the buttons in this poem symbolize how the high authorities are greedy for land and measure success on how much land they have gotten victory over and not how many lives it has costed them English Student from United States More Comments >> Are you looking for more information on this poem? Perhaps you are trying to analyze it? The poem, Buttons, has received 4 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: 7. Buttons Volume: Chicago Poems - War Poems (1914-1915) Year: Published/Written in 1914 Last read: May 12 2008, 10:24AM Viewed 3878 times. Added on March 19th, 2006 at 10:10 PM.

Sandburg Info
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