Chicago

by Carl Sandburg

This poem is from his 1916 collection, Chicago Poems.  Click here for the text.  Click here for an audio version of the poem set to jazz by the Lou Malandra Trio.

Photo of Water Street, Chicago, is from Pat Sabin's Old Chicago web site.

Discussion questions:

  What is important or effective in Sandburg's use of Whitmanesque line lengths?

  What do you find particularly important about word choice (diction) in the poem?

  What is important about repeated images in the poem?
hog image above is from colortheanimals.com. 

Created by Stan Galloway 21 July 2005.  Last updated 25 July 2005.  Contact me at sgallowa@bridgewater.edu