Chicago

Chicago
by Carl Sandburg

Hog Butcher for the World,
Tool Maker, Stacker of Wheat,
Player with Railroads and the Nation’s Freight Handler;
Stormy, husky, brawling,
City of the Big Shoulders:

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.
And having answered so I turn once more to those who sneer at this my city, and I give them back the sneer and say to them:
Come and show me another city with lifted head singing so proud to be alive and coarse and strong and cunning.
Flinging magnetic curses amid the toil of piling job on job, here is a tall bold slugger set vivid against the little soft cities;
Fierce as a dog with tongue lapping for action, cunning as a savage pitted against the wilderness,
Bareheaded,
Shoveling,
Wrecking,
Planning,
Building, breaking, rebuilding,
Under the smoke, dust all over his mouth, laughing with white teeth,
Under the terrible burden of destiny laughing as a young man laughs,
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,
Laughing!
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.

Chicago Summary
"Chicago" Popularity: Carl Sandburg, a distinguished American poet, biographer, and journalist, wrote Chicago. It was first published in 1914. The poem talks about the typical life seen in Chicago. Most of the time, the city looks darker from things like prostitution, hunger, and murder in some corners of the city; However, despite the darkness, the poet says that Chicago is still a prosperous city. One of the phrases from the poem 'City of Big Shoulders' is still used as a nickname for the city.
"Chicago" as a representative of pride: the poem is an expression of pride. The poet narrates what he observes and hears in the city while he walks. He praised Chicago for having flourishing industries. He also describes Chicago as a huge, hard-working, and active place. The poet has a debate with "you", the other voice. "They" speak of the evils that are deeply ingrained in the city, such as women seducing men, men killing humanity, hunger and hunger. Despite knowing that Chicago is a dangerous place to live, citizens pride themselves on being in an active and vibrant city.
Top Topics in Chicago: Progress, social realism, and admiration are the main themes of this poem. The poet praises the city for its progress and its good virtues speaks of its economic status and the immense opportunities it offers its people. But every coin has two sides to be seen, even though it has positive properties. He recognizes the city's fatal problems that have corroded its beauty and admires it for work and life It caters to the people.
Analysis of literary devices used in "Chicago"
Literary devices are tools that writers and poets use to give readers convey their emotions, feelings and ideas. Carl Sandburg used various literary devices to enhance the intended effect of his poem. Some of the main literary devices have been analyzed below.

Assonance: Assonance is the repetition of vowel tones on the same line. For example the sound of / a / in "Player with Railroads and the Nation's Freight Handler" .
Consonance: Consonance is the repetition of consonant tones on the same line. For example the tone of / r / in "Player with railroads and the carrier of the nation" and the tone of / n / in "Under the terrible burden of fate laughing as a young man" .
Alliteration: Alliteration is the repetition of Consonant sounds on the same line in quick succession. For example the sound of / b / in “Build, Break, Rebuild”.
Images: Images are used to make the reader perceive things using their five senses. For example "Tool Maker, Stacker of Wheat"; "Players with railways and the nation's carriers" and "Under the smoke, dust all over my mouth, laughing with white teeth".
Personification: Personification means giving human qualities to inanimate objects. For example, "Big Shouldered City", "Pig Butcher to the World" and "Fierce as a dog with tongue licking for action, cunning as a savage pitted against him."
Simile: Used to compare a object or a person with something else to clarify the meaning. For example, "Fierce as a dog with tongue licking for action, cunning as a savage facing the desert."
Apostrophe: An apostrophe is a device used to call someone or something from afar. the poet used an apostrophe to call the city a wonderful place: "City of the Great Shoulders" that expresses happiness and pride.
Enjambment: It is defined as a thought in verse that does not end in a line break; instead, go to the next line. For example,
“And they tell me that you are brutal and my answer is: On the faces of women and children I have seen the marks of rampant hunger”.

Anaphora: Refers to the repetition of a word or expression in the first part of some verses. For example, "and they tell me" is repeated in the second stanza to emphasize the point;
Analysis of the poetic devices used in "Chicago
The poetic and literary devices are the same, but a few are used only in poetry. Here is the analysis of some of the poetic devices used in this rhyme.

Estanza: A stanza is a poetic form of some verses. There are thirty-four stanzas in this poem, each varying in length.
Free Verse: Free verse is a type of poetry that does not contain rhyme or meter patterns. This is a free verse poem with no rhyme or strict meter.
Quotes to use
The lines below are useful as a quote for people who never give up.

“Under the smoke, dust all over the mouth, giggling with teeth whites,
Under the terrible weight of fate laughing as a young man laughs,
Laughing as an ignorant fighter laughs who has never lost a battle.

“Hope” is the Thing with Feathers The Root