American poets express the ideals of America and desires of Americans through the imagery of their poetry. Imagery is defined as “language that evokes one or all of the five senses: seeing, hearing, tasting, smelling, touching.” (http://www.tnellen.com/cybereng/lit_term... This site, by the way, is another great resource for literary terms.
Carl Sandburg was an American poet who wrote what he saw, heard, and felt. His poetry captivates the pulse of the American people. The following poem exemplifies American spirit unified.
This poem and other poems by Carl Sandburg can be found at
http://www.english.uiuc.edu/maps/poets/s...
additionalpoems.htm.
I AM THE PEOPLE, THE MOB
I am the people--the mob--the crowd--the mass.
Do you know that all the great work of the world is.
done through me?
I am the workingman, the inventor, the maker of the.
world's food and clothes.
I am the audience that witnesses history. The Napoleons
come from me and the Lincolns. They die. And
then I send forth more Napoleons and Lincolns.
I am the seed ground. I am a prairie that will stand
for much plowing. Terrible storms pass over me.
I forget. The best of me is sucked out and wasted.
I forget. Everything but Death comes to me and
makes me work and give up what I have. And I
forget.
Sometimes I growl, shake myself and spatter a few red
drops for history to remember. Then--I forget.
When I, the People, learn to remember, when I, the
People, use the lessons of yesterday and no longer
forget who robbed me last year, who played me for
a fool--then there will be no speaker in all the world
say the name: "The People," with any fleck of a
sneer in his voice or any far-off smile of derision.
The mob--the crowd--the mass--will arrive then.
After reading the poem, one image that conjures in my mind is of unity. It reminds me of the unity which Americans share today. The poem also suggests that unity is not just exemplified on national soil, but there is a unity of people around the world.
Check out article 5 as the series continues on Poets and Patriotism.
Of course, discussion is welcome, so please respond!
Go To Page: 1
