Tone Of The Poem Chicago By Carl Sandburg

Most people are proud of their home town; However, few people are as proud as Carl Sandburg is when he writes “Chicago”. One is able to tell how he feels about his home city of Chicago through his use of tone. Sandburg is able to superbly manipulate his tone throughout the whole poem. One is able to realize the love Sandburg has for Chicago through this tone. He utilizes imagery and diction to develop this proud tone throughout his poem, “Chicago”. Sandburg’s imagery allows the the reader to see what makes him proud. Sandburg paints a picture of how the citizens of Chicago react to all their problems. Through all the hardships including “seeing the gunman kill and go free” (line 9) that the people of Chicago endure, they are able to keep their …show more content…
He describes the city’s resilience to all the challenges the at comes before it. He describes the people “laughing” through all the problems they suffer; then, he states that a young man is
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“under the smoke, dust all over his mouth, laughing, with white teeth” (line 25) which insinuates that the young man is smiling and remaining happy, even though he is going through a tough situation. This would make Sandburg proud because his fellow Chicago natives are mentally tough people that will not let anything keep them down. Although the people of Chicago are being tested with difficult times, they keep their heads up and keep moving forward, with a smile on their face. Sandburg, once again, utilizes imagery to help show his town. He describes the city as “fierce as a dog, lapping for action, cunning as a savage pitted against the wilderness,” (line 18) to express the city’s tough mindset and ability to withstand anything. He is able to create the picture of a fierce dog and by comparing it to the city, one can understand why he would be proud. He is proud of his city for being able to withstand any challenge and fight their way back through