FACULTY OF EDUCATIONAL STUDIES

BACHELOR OF TEACHING ENGLISH AS A SECOND LANGUAGE (TESL)

LHE3252
TEACHING THE LANGUAGE OF POETRY

PREPARED FOR:
MADAM JURIDAH BT MD RASHID

TOPIC:
ANALYSIS PAPER:
“CHICAGO” BY CARL SANDBURG

DATE OF SUBMISSION:
10th JULY 2020

NAME MATRIC NUMBER

Wan Norazsyikin binti Wan Azli 197638
Nurul Iffah binti Sharifuddin 196866
Wan Sarah Shamimi binti Wan Baharudin 197023

ANALYSIS PAPER: CHICAGO BY CARL SANDBURG

 Written in 1914, Chicago is one of the greatest masterpiece of Carl Sandburg
depicting about his proud, the city of Chicago, from his perspective. The poem is about
the Chicago city which portray the greatness of the city and how its people are altogether
see it as their proudest pride. They do not care about how the people from outside
perceive the city, what matters to them is the city will always be there for them. Even
though he was not originally born and bred from the city, he was there during the
development of the Chicago. The poem is the tribute for the beloved city and the people
of Chicago really loved and celebrate it as it is the expressions that they can understand
dearly, the joy and knowledge of the city that they surely can relate with. Sandburg able
to bring the sentimental value in his writing as he was there witnessing the growth of the
city, feel the warmth from its people and the achievements of the city became a part of his
pride. The people of the Chicago are always together, the bond between them is
undeniably strong, strong enough to build a city of the nation’s main producer with their
own blood, sweat and tears.

Even though the poem is a free verse poem and do not bound with any rules, the
Chicago is written systematically into a shape of building which made it categorised as a
shape poem. The shape is not visible right away for the readers to see it by reading
vertically, they have to rotate the paper or phone to horizontal to see the appearance of the
skyscrapers shape that represent Chicago. The change of tones which emerge the poet’s
emotion into the poem make it appear to be more personal and closer to him. He
expressed his anger towards the stigma thrown by the outsiders, regretting the existence
of the dark side of the city then transform to defensive mode defending the city, accepting
the flaws as the way it is. The personal tone used by the poet shows that the role of poet
was merged to match together with the persona, make it the poet and the persona as one.

‘Hog Butcher for the World,

Tool Maker, Stacker of Wheat,
Player with Railroads and the Nation's Freight Handler;’

The poem starts with the significance of the Chicago which are the city’s main
industries that act as the main producer for the whole nation. The industries that boosted
the city’s growth and provided jobs, ease both the locals and immigrants to settle down
 there. ‘Hog butcher for the world’ refer to Chicago as the capital meat processing industry
not just for the nation but for the world. The city is also strategically situated with its
central location, numerous railroad connections and close to areas of livestock farmers.
Thus, also strengthen the evidence that the city was the main producer for agriculture
industries as what Sandburg referred to ‘The Stacker of Wheat’. The ‘Player with
Railroads and the Nation's Freight Handler’ on the other hand, refer to the majesty of the
public transportation system which was the busiest rail freight gateway in the United
States and still ‘lively alive’ as it was hundred years ago. Noted that the railways were
also the products of the Chicagoans hard labour that contributed to the one of the nation’s
largest public transportation system that remain its title as the United States’ railroad
capital to this day.

‘Stormy, husky, brawling,

City of the Big Shoulders:’

The expression of stormy, husky, brawling is meant to be implemented to the people

and the situation of Chicago. The image of passionate, strong and fearless community is
portrayed to show how much they would stand, defending their beloved city. It can also be
related with the loud city bustling with the industrial activities, with its non-stop traffic and
also with the voices of million people doing their own business. Chicago as the ‘City of Big
Shoulders’ is introduced by the persona to give the big picture to the readers to see Chicago
as a giant, hard-working man who could seemingly take on any difficult or demanding task to
put himself as the best person alive who provide continuously benefits not just for the nation
but also for his man. It is also to highlight Chicago as a ‘hard-working’ city and as the
concrete image of itself as the city of labour.

‘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.’
 Even though the poem was made to tell the world about the beauty of Chicago, the
persona did not exclude the dark side of the city from the narration. He admits that Chicago is
not a place for everyone, the reality here is harsh and brutal for some people. He agrees to the
accusation, stereotypes mentioned by ‘they’ that there are ‘dirty’ norms and activities done by
the people of the city. ‘They’ here can be referred to the outsiders who might have not even
step their feet to the city yet they already have tons of stigma towards the environment, the
community and towards the city itself. The persona admit that the immoral activities do exist
as he knows the prostitution business is a ‘thing’ here and the crimes are everywhere. When
he stated that the ‘gunman kill and go free to kill again’ shows that Chicago is a free city, a
city with no enforcement of laws. And thus, effected the most to the victims of the situation
which are the women and the children. Instead of being secured, they have no choice other
than be a beast too in order to protect themselves from the other beasts and most important is
to survive. So, this unhealthy environment will keep on ‘giving birth’ to the natural born
criminals and the cycle goes on.

In the next few lines of the poem, which is in line 13 until line 25, the persona refutes
back the negative things that has being said about Chicago. He mocks at the people that
mocks Chicago, stating that they are wrong for doing so. In line 13, the persona said;

‘And having answered so I turn once more to those who sneer at this my city,
and give them back the sneer and say to them:’

In these lines, the persona is defending Chicago. The way he turns to the mockers
shows how proud he was of his city. He was brave enough to give replies to what has been
said about his city because he thinks that despite of all the negatives in his city, people cannot
deny that there are other good things happening in the city, in which the persona believes are
the greatness of Chicago. This is why the persona was being very courageous and confident,
because he believes that his city has a lot of good sides that the residents are proud of. He
then asked the mockers to show him another city that is as great as Chicago.

‘Come and show me another city with lifted head singing so proud to be alive
and coarse and strong and cunning.’
 He dares the people to come up to him with proofs that there are other cities like
Chicago because he believes that no city can be compared to Chicago in terms of its
greatness. In this line, Chicago is personified as someone that is proud of himself. He was
described as a masculine figure that is strong and energetic. Chicago is seen ‘alive’ because
of what is happening in the city. The people of Chicago made the city alive. There are a lot of
labours being done in Chicago which made the city alive.

In the next line, the poet describes more about Chicago:

‘Flinging magnetic curses amid the toil of piling job on job, here is a tall bold
slugger set vivid against the little soft cities;’

Because of what is happening inside of the city, people from other cities throws
curses at Chicago. In their eyes, Chicago is a bad city. However, the people of Chicago just
throw the curses off and are not bothered by them. Chicago is a city that depends on hard
labour. They keep on working hard despite getting hates from others. They are not affected
by the hates and keep on doing what they did best which makes them stronger as a whole.
Chicago was again personified as a ‘tall bold slugger’ which shows that the persona believes
that Chicago is a tough and fierce city in contrast to other ‘little soft cities’ around it. The
persona believes that the other cities are less exciting and more boring.

In the next line, the persona personified Chicago as a dog who is fierce. He said:

‘Fierce as a dog with tongue lapping for action, cunning as a savage pitted
against the wilderness.’

Chicago was personified as a dog because as we are all aware, a dog is an animal that
is known for being loyal and faithful to its owner. Chicago is seen as a loyal city to its
residents. The residents have faith in Chicago that no matter how hard life gets, Chicago will
never abandon them. Even if they are fired from work, the city will always have another job
offered for them. That is why the residents really love Chicago and are willing to do anything
for the city. Chicago is also once again seen as a fierce entity. We are also aware that dogs
are fierce, so like Chicago, the city will protect its people no matter what. That is why the
image of a fierce do was used, to show how Chicago acts for its people.

In the next few lines, the persona uses a few one-word liner which were:

‘Bareheaded,
Shovelling,
Wrecking,
Planning,
Building, breaking, rebuilding.’

These lines give an image of construction. The words used strengthen the fact that
Chicago is a city of hard labour. Chicago is a raw city but it is alive and will always be
progressing. This few lines also shows the life cycle of the city. Yes, bad things do happen in
the city, however, the residents tried their best to go through these circumstances together for
their economy to grow. This also shows how the residents are hardworking and will never
give up. The line ‘building, breaking, rebuilding’ shows that the city will always progress
forward no matter how many times they fail. We can also see that a lot of job opportunities
were being offered in the city.

‘Under the smoke, dust all over his mouth, laughing with white teeth,
Under the terrible burden of destiny laughing as a young man laughs,’

From this part of the poem, personification is being used. Personification is used to give
human qualities to something that is non-human, and in this case the persona is talking about
the city Chicago as if it is human, giving it human qualities such as ‘dust all over his mouth’,
laughing with white teeth’, ‘as a young man laughs’. Chicago is known for its hardworking
labourers. They work day and night and in a way, it contributes a great deal to what keeps the
city alive. However, even if Chicago is always covered in smoke, soot, and dust all over his
mouth, Chicago is still a living, vibrant person, who is always laughing, showing his white
teeth. The white teeth symbolise cleanness in a dusty environment. It is to say that even if on
the outside, Chicago may look dark and dim, but on the inside, to its people, it is still clean
and pure. A place that its people are proud of and knows very well. Moreover, to this
persona, Chicago is someone that always laugh. The word ‘laughs’ is repeated a lot in the
poem. Even if Chicago is under the terrible burden of destiny, he still keeps laughing. This
creates an image of Chicago as a young man who is carefree, vibrant, and active. A man of
action, someone who still works even if he is under a burden. It is no denying that Chicago is
a city that works because instead of thinking and listening to the people who is talking bad
stuff about him, he will just continue to do his business and strives to grow.

‘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,’

Chicago was once a city ready to burn in 1871. The fire was so great that it killed 300
people, hence to why it was called, ‘The Great Chicago Fire’. Yet even if it was losing once a
time ago with the fire and people dying, Chicago still laughs like an ignorant fighter who has
never lost a battle. This fighter, this labouring man, brags like he has never lost anything.
This means that Chicago is a very confident young man. He will not let his failure or the
negatives gets the best of him and will still continue to work, grow and never give up. Just
like the people of Chicago, when after the Chicago fire was gone the people were even more
determined to help make the place better again. He is not a worrier but a doer. Moreover,
Chicago is someone who likes to brag. The laughs could also be from the arrogance of the
people of Chicago. People from Chicago are not raised to be graceful people because the city
can be harsh and brutal. Because of this, they are raised to be strong, hardworking, people of
action hence to why Chicago is a big and vibrant city as today. Other people outside of this
city can say bad stuff about Chicago but the people of this city knows and acknowledge the
beauty of it. It may not be a perfect city but it is enough for them. Just like how in the poem it
says ‘under his ribs is the heart of the people.’

‘Laughing!’

The laughing refers to the people of Chicago. They are the people who find joy in rolling
up their sleeves and getting to work. Hence the laughing here is the laughter of joy and life of
its people.
 ‘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.’

The last stanza, is the perfect way the persona concludes his poem. He repeats the first
stanza again which is the identity of Chicago, the things Chicago are best known for. This
increases the tone of pride and proud of his city. He is proud to be the people of a city that is
known for Hot Butchers, Tool Makers, Stacker of Wheat, Player with Rail roads and Freight
Handler to the nation. He treats the city like a human and admires many aspects of the city
from the buildings, to the people, to the labourers to city’s identity and many more. This
shows that he is very proud of his city.

In conclusion, the poem Chicago teaches us a lot of things. No city is perfect, and there is
no reason to be ashamed for its flaws, and it is unfair to single out any city for having
imperfections because each and every city has its own flaws and imperfections. Its what the
people of the city thinks that matters the most because it is what makes the city alive, vibrant
and well. There will always be people who are going too say bad things about our city and
yes we may agree, but we should always stand up and remind them again of how great our
city can be and how proud we are to be its people. Just like how Carl Sandburg portrays in
this poem, Chicago. Even if his city has imperfections, he is still very proud of it and wrote it
in a shape poem for the world to see because he knows the beauty that lies within the city of
Chicago. Therefore, we should be like the persona who is proud of his own city and embraces
the beauty of it.

“We live in cities you'll never see onscreen

Not very pretty, but we sure know how to run things

Livin' in ruins of a palace within my dreams

And you know we're on each other's team.”

(Team, Lorde 2013)

References:

1. Biography of Carl Sandburg, Academy of American Poets

(https://poets.org/poet/carl-sandburg) (Accessed July 7, 2020)

2. About "Chicago" by Carl Sandburg, Dr. Amos Wesonga, 2017

(https://www.grin.com/document/439509) (Accessed July 7, 2020)

3. Chicago Facts, Choose Chicago (https://www.choosechicago.com/press-

media/toolkit/chicago-facts/) (Accessed July 7, 2020)
4. Why Chicagoans Are So Damn Proud to Be From Chicago, Courtney Rios,
February 17, 2017
(https://urbanmatter.com/chicago/proud-to-be-from-chicago/) (Accessed July 7, 2020)
5. When Chicago Was 'Hog Butcher to the World, Daniel Hautzinger, June 21, 2018
(https://interactive.wttw.com/playlist/2018/06/21/union-stock-yards) (Accessed July
7, 2020)
6. Why is Chicago called the "City of Broad Shoulders?” Robert Girard, August 2, 2015
(https://www.quora.com/Why-is-Chicago-called-the-City-of-Broad-Shoulders)
(Accessed July 8, 2020)
7. Chicago – The Nation’s Freight Handler, Andrew L. Hughes, June 18th, 2018
(https://www.dieselinjurylaw.com/blog/chicago-the-nations-freight-handler)
(Accessed July 8, 2020)