Tone Of The Poem Chicago By Carl Sandburg

Chicago, one of the greatest cities in America, was once a place of crime and racism in the early 1900s. Many murders, bank robberies, and kidnappings took place in the city. In the poem “Chicago”, Carl Sandburg reflects on the city through the eyes of a Chicago citizen. He expresses that Chicago is “wicked” , but he is still proud of his big strong city (Sandburg line 6). Sandburg utilizes, diction, personification, and imagery to express the affectionate and serious tone of the poem. One strong element Sandburg utilizes to convey the strong emotions he has towards his city of Chicago is diction. By choosing a powerful word choice, the reader is able to connect with the feelings he is portraying. For example, Sandburg writes: "They tell me you are wicked"(Sandburg line 6); "They tell me you are crooked"(Sandburg line 7); and "They tell me you are brutal" (Sandburg line 8). The words "wicked" (Sandburg line 6), "crooked" , (Sandburg line 7) and "brutal" (Sandburg line 8) are harsh words that show the cruel side of Chicago. Had Sandburg chosen words with less diction, such as mean or bad, the audience would not have internalized the serious tone he intended. A second …show more content…
As seen with personification and diction, he uses imagery to display a strong, even masculine feel to the poem. The poem is filled with brawny imagery that shows Sandburg is in love with the tough, manly city and is proud to call it his. Initially he uses imagery to show the city’s flaws, "I have seen the marks of wanton hunger," meaning there is cruelty and brutality in Chicago (Sandburg line 8). Then the tone broadens with the phrase, "city with lifted head singing so proud to alive and coarse and strong and cunning" (Sandburg line 10). Sandburg is saying with this imagery that even with its faults, the manly city can still make him proud. These feelings are what Sandburg intended for the audience to