Thursday, January 28, 2010

Explication of "Chicago"

Chicago is poem about the town of chicago.
The first few lines name a few of the atrocities of the city such as its brutality, and wickedness. Each line presents a new idea about the city. However, in line 9 and on the author starts to speak more of how in the face of all of its wrong doings, there is no city prouder then chicago.
The word choice by the author is very masculine. He uses words like savage and bald headed and he speaks of things that are masculine(in the dirty, hard sense) like shootings, and prostitutes. The actions that he lists are all words of harsh or violent action.
The formation of the words is another key. WHen he lists actions, he stacks them like theskyscrapers of Chicago and of their standing pride. However, his regular lines are sprawling like the cities sprawled nature. It is a city of motion.
The final few lines really profess the power and pride of Chicagoers. it says " Proud to be a hog butcher...player with railroads....to the nation" This represents how, even though they are inglorious jobs that hold their centers in Chicago, they are proud and happy to do them because it gives them a pride in their town and nation.

1 comment:

  1. In your first paragraph you need to give specific examples of the atrocities. Your 2nd and 3rd paragraphs are well done, but try to use literary terms: word choice = diction; "formation of the words" = line or stanza formation.

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