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,
Bulding, 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, pround to be Hog Butcher, Tool Maker, Stacker of Wheat,
Player with Railroads and Freight Handler to the Nation.
I thought this was a great poem. Sandburg really does a great job portraying Chicago as he sees it. He knows it has flaws, but overall he is defending his city and showing why it is superior to other cities.
The author is trying to create an image for the reader of how Chicago (to Sandburg) is like. He shares that it is a thriving city as well as a problematic city that lets it stand out from the cities around it. He also explains how the city survives from day to day with the addition of what Chicago has to offer in an economic/occupational sense.
He talks in this poem as if he knows the city personally. He acts as if the city of Chicago is his family. He knows its not perfect but her loves it.
i think this poem is the poets idea of what the city of Chicago is. He describes it as a hard city. Not a place for a weary person. this poem isdirected at the readers and its harshness makes me think twice about the seeminly glamorous city.
I think Sandburg does a wonderful job personifying Chicago with it’s population. Also, his word choice and sound repeatition to create the effect of physical work or even the trainyard. A good perspective work.
I think when carl was writing these poems he was definetly smokin thats why the names of his poems are like Haze, Grass, and Fog. He was definetly in a haze in some thick fog when he was writin this.
I wanted to remind some of you guys commenting that the Chicago he’s writing about was the packinghouse central of America during the early 1900s, was polluted, poor, and – well, if anyone has read The Jungle, you’ll know what I mean. So keep in mind what situation he’s talking about here – this is not your modern day Chicago. So don’t say Chicago is getting a “bad rap” for whatever if you are talking about modern day Chicago.
Powerful poem. Really awesome.
Yo mon!
I really liked this poem, it trully spoke to me deep down.
I had to recite this poem with my eighth grade graduation class, 28 years ago, and I can still hear it in my head. It’s powerful and moving – a vivid picture of the Chicago of his time, that wasn’t that different from the Chicago of mine.
I think that this is a good poem because it shows patriotism and loyalty to a place. This poem describes how Sandburg loved Chicago. It is obvious in this poem that he is standing up for his city and that he understands that it is not perfect but that he likes it. There may be many bad things in the city but there are many good things too. I think that he wrote this poem because someone said something about the city and he did not like it.
Sandburg is vitually unknown to me until I came across the “Chicago” poem. It’s pretty amazing to see how a single man has stand up and defend the city where he belongs though its a common knowledge that Chicago is well known for its high crime rate, probably the highest among all the metropolitans. Anyway, full credit to Sabdburg and I really love this poem very much!
To me, this poem shows how important it is to write about that which we know. Sandburg makes the city come alive with all it’s sweet icing as well as it’s crusty near foul core. The life and energy of the city itself is shown in all it’s clarity.
Gotta love it!
Peace,
Slick
In a way, Chicago seems like that of a family as he portrays it in this poem. He describes the city and the inhabitants as they work and he defends. He is a defender for a place he calls his home (understood) no matter what problems may be going on; much is the same for a family – in a family who is strong and in love with one another, no matter what happens to the family, they will continually stand up and defend one another.
I love the way Mr.Sandburg describes Chicago as the people’s town. It may not be perfect, but it’s hard working, and it’s real. I love it, I love everything about this poem. It’s hearty, like meat and potatoes and it really speaks to anyone who’s fought for a place to call home.
i think that this poem is bad, its boring. i love poems but not this one
Carl Sandburg defends the city that most inspored him. He only lived there for the last half of his life. He lived in Galesburg for over 20 years before he went to Chicago to live.
Even though Carl Sandburg is talking about Chicago and he did live there. It was not this home town. Just thought I might state that.
Ammmmm…this poem is really inspiring because it shows nationalism, since in this poem Mr. Carl is defending his own country the Chicago although he knew that its really in a bad condition. that’s all and i love you!!!!!
it is my educated opinion that mr carl is defending his home city of chicago. this city is gettin a bad rap for crime and free sex. though this is true and carl knows it, he stands by chiacgo claiming that all cities have their problems like they do, and they’re getting through it together.