Comparing The Poems Of Carl Sandburg And The Industrialized World

Sandburg and the Industrialized World The industrial revolution was a strenuous time for the urban working class. Pollution, long hours, dangerous factories, and little pay created a miserable life for the average city dweller. With many of his poems Carl Sandburg captured the bleak hardships of the industrial age. “ Chicago”, “The Harbor”, and “I Am the People- The Mob” share a common theme of mechanical misery. One of the largest epicenters for growing industries, Chicago became an inspiration for Sandburg's poems. “Chicago” lays out the vivid details of the depressing corrupt city and how the people have adapted to its hostility. “ 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” Women and children are being affected by the wounds of hard labor, being left without a voice as gunman patrol the streets killing those with differing opinions only to be released a week later. “ Chicago” truly captured the hopeless feelings and the scale of people that were scared with the rapid changes. …show more content…
It focuses on the difference between urban and rural life. Dark, overcrowded, and filthy Chicago was a wretched city with many citizens who could not afford to feed themselves on a daily basis “ Looked from their hunger-deep eyes,/ Haunted with shadows of hunger-hands,/ Out from the huddled and ugly walls,” Contrasting to the urban life the poem goes into rural life, which was considered a lifestyle of beauty and freedom. “On a blue burst of lake,/… And flying white bellies/ Veering and wheeling free in the open.” Through comparing the two lifestyles Sandburg is able to express the hardships of city