4HEß.
EWß0OETRY
Focus and Motivate
TEKS Focus
! ß 2EFLECTß
READING 3 Understand the structure and elements
of poetry. 7 Draw conclusions about how an
author’s sensory language creates imagery in
literary text. RC-11(A) Reflect on understanding to
monitor comprehension.
about the poet
After students read the biography, have
them identify details in Sandburg’s life
that allowed him to become “the voice of
America.” Possible answer: Sandburg could
speak for America because he experienced
poverty and was self-made, he worked at many
jobs, he traveled widely around the country,
and he was active in politics.
notable quote
“Nothing happens unless first a dream.”
—Carl Sandburg
Ask students how following a dream might
have helped Sandburg rise from poverty to
fame.

Selection Resources
Print resources are on the Teacher One Stop DVD-ROM and on thinkcentral.com.
RESOURCE MANAGER UNIT 5
Plan and Teach, pp. 111–118
Literary Analysis and Reading
Skill, pp. 119–122†*
DIAGNOSTIC AND SELECTION
TESTS
Selection Tests, pp. 245–248
* Resources for Differentiation † Also in Spanish
2%!$).'ßß 5NDERSTANDßTHEß
STRUCTUREßANDßELEMENTSßOFß
POETRYßß ß $RAWßCONCLUSIONSß
ABOUTßHOWßANßAUTHOR´SßSENSORYß
LANGUAGEßCREATESßIMAGERYßINß
LITERARYßTEXTß 2#
ONßUNDERSTANDINGßTOßMONITORß
COMPREHENSION
DIDßYOUßKNOWß
#ARLß3ANDBURGßßß
ß CONSIDEREDßRUNNINGß
FORßPRESIDENTßOFßTHEß
5NITEDß3TATES
ß WORKEDßASßAßWARß
CORRESPONDENTßDURINGß
7ORLDß7ARß)
ß WROTEßBOOKSßFORßCHILDREN
ß SPOKEßBEFOREß#ONGRESSß
ABOUTß!BRAHAMß,INCOLN

BEST PRACTICES TOOLKIT
Visualizing, p. A11
‡ In Haitian Creole and Vietnamese
#HICAGOß
'RASSß
0OETRYßBYß#ARLß3ANDBURG
-EETßTHEß!UTHOR
#ARLß3ANDBURGß ¯
When Carl Sandburg died in 1967,
President Lyndon Johnson was among the
first to sing his praises. “Carl Sandburg,”
the president declared, “was more than the
voice of America, more than the poet of
its strength and genius. He was America.”
Johnson’s feelings were not unique.
Americans everywhere cherished Sandburg,
believing his verse celebrated their spirit and
speech as well as championed their cause.
!ß(OBOßATß(EARTß Sandburg grew up in
America’s heartland in Galesburg, Illinois.
From his Swedish immigrant parents,
August and Clara Sandburg, he learned
to value hard work and education. His
family’s poverty, however, forced Sandburg
to curtail his schooling at 13 in order to
go to work. He labored at various jobs,
ranging from shining shoes to delivering
milk. When he turned 19, he left home to
explore the American West, becoming one
of the many hoboes who hopped freight
trains in order to travel free.
3OCIALß!CTIVISTß When the Spanish-
American War erupted in 1898,
Sandburg served for eight months
in Puerto Rico. After his return,
he studied at Lombard College
but left without receiving a
diploma. Overtaken once again by
wanderlust, he rambled about the
country, soaking up America’s
sights and songs. When
TECHNOLOGY
Teacher One Stop DVD-ROM
Student One Stop DVD-ROM
Audio Anthology CD
ExamView Test Generator
on the Teacher One Stop
he ran out of money, he returned to
the Midwest, writing for journals in
Chicago and joining the lecture circuit.
His skill as an orator eventually earned
him a job in Milwaukee as an organizer
for the Wisconsin Social-Democratic
Party. While living there, he married
Lillian Steichen, who, like Sandburg, was
committed to fighting social injustice.
,ITERARYß#ELEBRITYß In 1912, the couple
moved to Chicago, where Sandburg
became a reporter, editorial writer, and
columnist for the Chicago Daily News.
Two years later, his verse began to appear
in Poetry, a prominent literary magazine.
With the publication of his poetry
collections Chicago Poems, Cornhuskers,
and Smoke and Steel, Sandburg gained
a reputation as the poet of the common
people. The poetry readings he gave
further heightened his popularity.
Interspersing poetry with commentary
and folk songs sung in his melodious
baritone, Sandburg enthralled audiences
wherever he went.
Sandburg won a number of awards
and honors, including the 1951 Pulitzer
Prize for poetry for Complete Poems and
the 1939 Pulitzer Prize for history for
Abraham Lincoln: The War Years, the
last volume in a six-volume biography.
6ji]dgDca^cZ
'OßTOßTHINKCENTRALCOMßß+%97/2$ß(-,
 literary analysis: tone and diction Teach
Some poems exhibit a subtle tone that is difficult to perceive
and nearly impossible to describe. Others practically break
forth with trumpets in the first stanza. Whether gently or
Would you
Would you rather live
boldly, poets generally convey tone, or attitude toward the
rather live in the CITY or the
in the city
subject, through diction (word choice and syntax) and choice
of details. In the first lines of “Chicago,” Carl Sandburg’s
diction creates a tone of admiration for a hard-working city:
COUNTRY?
Ask the question and elicit students’ choices
Hog Butcher for the World, or the
country?
Tool Maker, Stacker of Wheat,
about the place they would like to live through
Player with Railroads and the Nation’s Freight Handler; a show of hands. Pause for discussion after
Stormy, husky, brawling, the Colton quotation and to allow students to
City of the Big Shoulders. . . . “If you would be known, and not know, list benefits and drawbacks of city and country
Read these two poems by Sandburg aloud to help you identify vegetate in a village; if you would know, life. Have them refer to their lists as they com-
the tone of each. If you read with emotion, your tone of voice and not be known, live in a city,” wrote plete the QUICKWRITE.
may provide you with clues to the poem’s tone. the poet Reverend Charles Caleb Colton.
What benefits and drawbacks do you
Review: Personification associate with city living? with country
living? What kind of place inspires you
TEKS Focus
reading skill: synthesize details the most? In the poems that follow,
In “Chicago,” Sandburg presents a long list, or catalog, of L I T E R A R Y A N A LY S I S TEKS 3, 7
Carl Sandburg explores different
qualities, images, and statements about the city. Collectively, settings that have affected him.
this sensory language helps create vivid imagery of the city. Model the Skill: tone and
As you read, pay close attention to the sensory language that QUICKWRITE Think about a city or a
place in the country where you would
diction
Sandburg employs, and note how he uses it to create imagery.
After you read the poem, you’ll be asked to synthesize like to live. What aspects of this setting To examine an example of Sandburg’s dic-
numerous details into a single, coherent impression. particularly appeal to you? How might tion, read aloud the “Chicago” excerpt on
living there enrich your life? Spend page 929. Then read aloud these lines from
a few minutes writing in response to
“Grass,” another Sandburg poem:
Complete the activities in your Reader/Writer Notebook. these questions.
What place is this?
Where are we now?
Point out that the lines from “Grass” are
simpler in diction and quieter in tone.
GUIDED PRACTICE Have students cite
examples of word choice, syntax, and
detail choice that convey tone in the two
examples.

READING SKILL TEKS RC-11(A)

Model the Skill: synthesize

TX_L11PE-u05s22-brChi.indd 929
differentiated instruction
for struggling readers
Concept Support: Synthesize Details Tell
students that synthesizing means putting
different parts together to form a new whole.
Compare the process to putting ingredients
together to cook a recipe, or putting pieces
of a jigsaw puzzle together to make a picture
appear. Similarly, when a reader synthesizes
details in a poem, the reader looks at each
detail individually, forms a mental picture of
it, and then combines the separate details to
929
9/8/09
form a larger mental picture that unifies the
whole poem and expresses its overall feeling
or meaning. For practice, have students
mention details in the words of “The Star-
Spangled Banner” or another song of their
choosing. Then have them describe the over-
all picture they synthesize from the details.
synthe
details
Tell students that imagery created by a
poet through sensory details can be taken
10:28:19 AM in as an overall impression. Reread the
lines from “Chicago” on page 929 and point
out that the lines give the impression of a
strong and capable city. The city is personi-
fied with occupations such as “Butcher,”
“Maker,” and “Handler.”
GUIDED PRACTICE Ask students to name
other details that back the impression.
They may name “Stormy, husky, brawling,”
and “Big Shoulders.”
RESOURCE MANAGER—Copy Master
Synthesize Details p. 121
chicago / gr ass 929
Practice and Apply
summary
This free verse poem describes the city of
Chicago as Sandburg knew it in the early

Chicago
1900s. The speaker personifies the city and
praises its hard-working energy, while also
noticing its crime, corruption, and poverty.

#ARLß3ANDBURG
read with a purpose
Help students set a purpose for reading. Tell
Hog Butcher for the World,
them to read the poems to find what Chicago Tool Maker, Stacker of Wheat,
and grass want to do and why. Player with Railroads and the Nation’s Freight Handler;
Stormy, husky, brawling,
5 City of the Big Shoulders: A A 39.4(%3):%ß$%4!),3
READING SKILLS TEKS RC-11(A) 4HEßBRIEFßDESCRIPTIVEß
PHRASESßINßLINES߯ßALSOß
They tell me you are wicked and I believe them, for I
a Model the Skill: have seen your painted women under the gas lamps
KNOWNßASßEPITHETSßAREß
ALMOSTßLIKEßNICKNAMESßINß
synthesize details
Read aloud lines 1–5. Tell students the
epithets give you the impression that
Chicago was a national railroad hub, the
center of meatpacking and grain shipping.
Possible answer: They convey that the
city’s economy and industry were booming.
IF STUDENTS NEED HELP . . . Help them jot
notes on the meaning of each epithet in a
Two-Column Chart like this one:
Epithet What It Means
Hog Butcher for Makes pork sold
the World around the world
BEST PRACTICES TOOLKIT—Transparency
Two-Column Chart p. A25
L I T E R A R Y A N A LY S I S TEKS 3, 7
b Model the Skill:
tone and diction
Read aloud lines 6–10, emphasizing both
the harshness and, in lines 9–10, the poet’s
rebuke to the city’s critics.
Possible answer: The phrase “my city”
(line 9) suggests the speaker’s affection
for Chicago. The image of Chicago “with
lifted head singing so proud to be alive”
(line 10) reveals his pride in it. He also dis-
misses critics who “sneer” at the city
(line 9).
930 unit 5
luring the farm boys. FACTßSOMEßOFßTHEMßHAVEß
And they tell me you are crooked and I answer: Yes, it COMEßINTOßCOMMONßUSEßß
is true I have seen the gunman kill and go free to 7HATßDOßTHEYßTELLßYOUß
ABOUTßTHEßCITY´SßECONOMYß
kill again. ANDßINDUSTRY
And they tell me you are brutal and my reply is: On the
faces of women and children I have seen the marks
of wanton1 hunger.
And having answered so I turn once more to those who
sneer at this my city, and I give them back the sneer
and say to them:
10 Come and show me another city with lifted head singing
so proud to be alive and coarse and strong and cunning. B B 4/.%ß!.$ß$)#4)/.
Flinging magnetic curses amid the toil of piling job on ,INES߯ßCONTAINßHARSHß
WORDSßSUCHßASßWICKEDß
job, here is a tall bold slugger set vivid against the
ANDßBRUTALßß)DENTIFYß
little soft cities;
THEßLANGUAGEßINßLINESß
Fierce as a dog with tongue lapping for action, cunning ¯ßTHATßCOUNTERSßTHISß
as a savage pitted against the wilderness, HARSHNESSßß7HATßDOESßITß
Bareheaded, REVEALßABOUTß3ANDBURG´Sß
FEELINGSßTOWARDßTHEßCITYß
Shoveling,
ASßWELLßASßITSßCRITICSß
ß ß WANTONßWITHOUTßLIMITATION
 unit 5: the harlem renaissance and modernism
differentiated instruction
for english language learners for struggling readers
Vocabulary: Suffixes [mixed-readiness Options for Reading: Audio Recording
pairs] Many descriptive words in “Chicago” • Have students listen to the poems on the
end in the suffixes -er (“Butcher,” “Maker”) Audio Anthology CD (also recommended for
or -ing (“singing,” “bragging,” “laughing”). English language learners) while they read
Review the meanings of the suffixes with along in their books. Have students listen
students. Write the root words on the board for the tones in which the two poems are
and ask for their meanings. Then ask groups read.
to figure out the meanings of the words with • Suggest that students note when the
the suffixes added. reader pauses or changes reading volume.
Explain that pace, volume, and pauses can
provide clues to the poem’s tone.
 tiered discussion prompts
In lines 18–22, use these prompts to help
students understand the personification of
Chicago in the poem:
Connect What mental pictures does this
description bring to your mind? Would you
like to know this person? Why or why not?
Students’ responses should be consistent with
the text description and should convey a
personal response.
Interpret In what ways is the description
positive? In what ways is it negative?
Possible answer: It is positive in its depiction
of strength and enjoyment, and negative in
using the words “ignorant” and “bragging.”
Evaluate Is the person described here an
appropriate symbol for a great Ameri-
can city? Why or why not? Possible an-
swers: Yes, because he displays a city’s
strength and energy and hard work. No,
South of the Loop (1936), Charles Turzak. Color woodcut, Image 102/3˝ × 113/4˝, sheet 111/4˝ × 15˝. Mary and Leigh Block Museum of Art, Northwestern University, 1992.73
© Joan Turzak Van Hees.
because a city is composed of many kinds
of people of both genders.
15 Wrecking, Analyze Visuals
Planning, 7HATßQUALITIESßOFßTHEß
Analyze Visuals
CITYßAREßEMPHASIZEDß TEKS 12
Building, breaking, rebuilding,
BYßBOTHßTHEßHORIZONTALß
Possible answer: The vertical lines emphasize
Under the smoke, dust all over his mouth, laughing with ANDßTHEßVERTICALßLINESßINß
white teeth, THISßWOODCUTßß2EFERßTOß the height in the buildings; the horizontal
SPECIFICßAREASßOFßTHEßPRINTß lines of the train tracks emphasize the city’s
Under the terrible burden of destiny laughing as a young WHENßGIVINGßYOURßANSWER
man laughs, geographical extent. Both kinds of lines also
20 Laughing even as an ignorant fighter laughs who has emphasize the city’s size and power.
never lost a battle,
Bragging and laughing that under his wrist is the pulse, and About the Art This woodcut by Charles Turzak
under his ribs the heart of the people, (1899–1986) shows the artist’s facility with
Laughing! color woodcut engraving. Turzak created a
Laughing the stormy, husky, brawling laughter of number of woodcuts which feature the city of
Youth, half-naked, sweating, proud to be Hog Chicago. This engraving hangs in the museum
25 Butcher, Tool Maker, Stacker of Wheat, Player with at Northwestern University. Northwestern
Railroads and Freight Handler to the Nation.
is also the subject of a number of a series of
chicago  Turzak prints.

for struggling readers for advanced learners/ap

Develop Reading Fluency Remind students Evaluate Tone Although Carl Sandburg has
that in addition to the repetition of words been an extremely popular American poet
and phrases and patterns of stressed syl- for almost a century, some readers consider
lables, a poem’s rhythm can be created by his work sentimental. Invite students to
punctuation. Read aloud lines 18–26, empha- evaluate the tone of “Chicago” and decide if
sizing the commas. Then ask students to read the poem portrays the city sentimentally or
the lines chorally. realistically—or both. Have students provide
specific details as examples as they share
their responses.

chicago 931
 Grass
summary #ARLß3ANDBURG
The grass growing over battlefields speaks of
its role in healing the wounds of war.
Pile the bodies high at Austerlitz and Waterloo.1
Shovel them under and let me work—
I am the grass; I cover all. C C 0%23/.)&)#!4)/.
L I T E R A R Y A N A L Y S I S : Review 2EREADßLINES߯ßß3ANDBURGß
USESßPERSONIFICATIONßINß
And pile them high at Gettysburg
c personification 5 And pile them high at Ypres and Verdun.2
ESTABLISHINGßTHEßSPEAKERß
FORßTHISßPOEMßß7HOßISßTHEß
Possible answer: The speaker is the grass Shovel them under and let me work. SPEAKERßANDßWHATßISßITSß
growing on the battlefields. Its role is to Two years, ten years, and passengers ask the conductor: ROLEßINßTHESEßSCENES
What place is this?
replace death and loss with new growth. D 4/.%ß!.$ß$)#4)/.ß
Where are we now?
)DENTIFYßSEVERALßEXAMPLESß
IF STUDENTS NEED HELP . . . Have them OFßREPETITIONßINßTHISßPOEMß
use a Visualizing organizer to translate the 10 I am the grass. 7HATßTONEßISßESTABLISHEDß
Let me work. D BYßTHEßREPETITIONßOFßTHESEß
poem’s imagery into mental pictures. WORDSßANDORßPHRASES

BEST PRACTICES TOOLKIT—Transparency ß ß !USTERLITZßE`a:_"Y<a`FßANDß7ATERLOOßSITESßOFßSIGNIFICANTßBATTLESßDURINGßTHEß

.APOLEONICß7ARS߯ 
Visualizing p. A11
ß ß 9PRESß8E]_:ßANDß6ERDUNßc:_"QD[EßSITESßOFßSIGNIFICANTßBATTLESßDURINGß7ORLDß7ARß)

L I T E R A R Y A N A LY S I S TEKS 3, 7

d tone and diction

Possible answer: “And pile them high”
(lines 4-5), “shovel them under and let me
work” (lines 2, 6), “I am the grass (lines 3,
10). The tone is serious and calm. Words like
“pile” and “shovel“ denote industriousness.

Analyze Visuals TEKS 12

Activity Ask students what point of the

process described by the poem this painting
illustrates. Possible answer: The painting
shows an empty, devastated battleground, Le Plateau de Bolante (1917), Félix Vallotton. Oil on canvas. Musée d’Histoire Contemporaine,
waiting for the healing power of the grass. Paris. © Musée d’Histoire Contemporaine-BDIC.

About the Art This stark painting by Swiss

 unit 5: the harlem renaissance and modernism
painter Félix Vallotton (1865–1925) portrays the
image that World War I soldiers saw—unend-
ing devastated earth.
differentiated instruction
selection wrap–up for struggling readers for advanced learners/ap
Clarify Meaning Make sure that students Analyze Author’s Style and Theme Point
READ WITH A PURPOSE Now that students
understand lines 7–9. Restate line 7 this out that “Chicago” and “Grass” are quite
have read the poems, ask them what task is
way: “In two years and in ten years, pas- different in subject matter, tone, and
specified for each of the personified subjects.
sengers will ask train conductors . . .” Clarify diction. Ask students what makes both
They may say both Chicago and grass need to
that the questions in lines 8–9 imply that poems recognizable as works by Carl
keep working and producing.
the places will look so ordinary that passen- Sandburg. Invite them to consider both
gers will ask the conductor what is special style and theme in their analyses. Have
about these places. students share their ideas with the class.

932 unit 5
!FTERß2EADING
Practice and Apply
#OMPREHENSION
ß ß 2ECALLß 7HATßNEGATIVEßASPECTSßOFß#HICAGOßAREßPRESENTEDßINßLINES߯ 2%!$).'ßß 5NDERSTANDßTHEß
For preliminary support of post-reading
ß ß #LARIFYß 7HATßSCENESßAREßREFERREDßTOßINß±'RASS² STRUCTUREßANDßELEMENTSßOFß
POETRYßß ß $RAWßCONCLUSIONSßABOUTß
questions, use these copy masters:
HOWßANßAUTHOR´SßSENSORYßLANGUAGEß
,ITERARYß!NALYSIS CREATESßIMAGERYßINßLITERARYßTEXTß 2#
! ß 2EFLECTßONßUNDERSTANDINGßTOß
RESOURCE MANAGER—Copy Masters
MONITORßCOMPREHENSION Tone and Diction p. 119
ß ß 3YNTHESIZEß$ETAILSß 4HINKßABOUTßTHEßLITANYßORßLISTßOFßIMAGESßANDßIDEASßINß
±#HICAGO²ßß"ASEDßONßTHEßACCUMULATIONßOFßDETAILßINßTHISßPOEMßWHATßGENERALßß
Question Support p. 123
STATEMENTßCANßYOUßMAKEßABOUTßTHEßPEOPLEßWHOßLIVEßANDßWORKßINßTHEßCITYß Additional selection questions are
ß ß #OMPAREß4ONEßANDß$ICTIONß )DENTIFYßTHEßTONEßOFßEACHßPOEMßß!REßTHEßTONESßSIMILARß provided for teachers on page 115.
ORßDIFFERENTßß#ITEßATßLEASTßTHREEßEXAMPLESßOFßDICTIONßTHATßREVEALßTONEßINßEACHßPOEM
ß ß %VALUATEß0ERSONIFICATIONß 3ANDBURGßUSESßPERSONIFICATIONßINß±#HICAGO²ßASß
answers TEKS 3, 7, RC-11(A)

WELLßASßINß±'RASS²ßGIVINGßHUMANßCHARACTERISTICSßTOßOBJECTSßANIMALSßORßIDEASßß ti aspects of crime,

1. Lines 6–8 present negative
$ESCRIBEßTHEßFIGUREßWHOßPERSONIFIESß#HICAGOßß7HATßWORDSßANDßPHRASESß corruption, and poverty.
CAPTUREßHISßMOSTßIMPORTANTßTRAITS
2. “Grass” refers to battlefields of the Napole-
ß ß !NALYZEß3TYLEß 7HATßPOETICßORßOTHERßSTYLISTICßDEVICESßUNDERSCOREß3ANDBURG´Sß
CHARACTERIZATIONßOFß#HICAGOßASßAßBRASHßBRAWLINGßVIBRANTßCITYßß#ONSIDERßSUCHß
onic Wars, the Civil War, and World War I.
ELEMENTSßASßLINEßANDßSTANZAßSHAPEßRHYTHMßANDßOTHERßFORMALßCONVENTIONSßß Possible answers:
"EßSPECIFICßCITINGßEXAMPLESßFROMßTHEßTEXT
3. teks focus Synthesize Details
ß ß )NTERPRETß3ETTINGßANDß4HEMEß "OTHß±#HICAGO²ßANDß±'RASS²ßDEPICTßAßSTRONGß
The people of Chicago are hardworking,
SENSEßOFßPLACEßEACHßCONTAININGßSOMEßCONTRADICTIONßß&ORßEACHßPOEMßIDENTIFYß
THISßCONTRADICTIONßANDßUSEßITßTOßHELPßYOUßFORMULATEßAßTHEMEßSTATEMENTßß'IVEß optimistic laborers.
EVIDENCEßTOßSUPPORTßYOURßANSWERS 4. teks focus Tone and Diction
ß ß #OMPAREßANDß#ONTRASTß7RITERSß #ARLß3ANDBURGßWASßGREATLYßINFLUENCEDßBYßTHEß The tone of “Chicago” is loud, dramatic,
POETRYßOFß7ALTß7HITMANßSEEßPAGEß ßß#OMPAREßANDßCONTRASTßTHEßTWOßPOETSß and boisterous, with long lines and lists
INßTERMSßOFßTHEßFOLLOWINGßPOINTSßCITINGßSPECIFICßLINESßFROMßTHEIRßWORKß#ANßYOUß of epithets, while that of “Grass” is quiet,
SEEß7HITMAN´SßINFLUENCEßINß3ANDBURG´SßPOEMSßß%XPLAINßWHYßORßWHYßNOT solemn, and elegiac, with shorter lines and
ß USEßOFßCATALOGßORßLITANYß ß ß TONEßANDßDICTION calm repetition.
ß USEßOFßREPETITIONßANDßPARALLELISMß ß IDEASßABOUTß!MERICA 5. The person who personifies Chicago is a
young, pugnacious, optimistic laborer. His
,ITERARYß#RITICISM
most important traits are described in lines
ß ß #RITICALß)NTERPRETATIONSß )MAGISTßPOETß7ILLIAMß#ARLOSß7ILLIAMSßONCEßCRITICIZEDß
18–19 and 21, which show the city’s vitality.
3ANDBURG´SßPOETRYßASß±FORMLESS²ßß%VENßSOMEßOFß3ANDBURG´SßSUPPORTERSß
CONCEDEDßTHATßTHISßWASßTRUEßß$OßYOUßAGREEßORßDISAGREEßß#ITEßEVIDENCEßTOß 6. The long, flowing, rhythmic lines demon-
SUPPORTßYOURßRESPONSEßALSOßEXPLAININGßWHETHERßYOUßWOULDßCOUNTßYOURSELFß strate Chicago’s uncontainable energy.
AMONGßHISßSUPPORTERSßORßHISßCRITICSßANDßWHY The fact that the poem also contains
short lines shows the city’s variety and
Would you rather live in the city or the country? unpredictability.
)NßHISßPOEMSß±#HICAGO²ßANDß±'RASS²ß#ARLß3ANDBURGßUSESßVIVIDßIMAGERYßTOßMAKEß
SURPRISINGßSTATEMENTSßABOUTßTHEßCITYßANDßTHEßCOUNTRYß)FßYOUßWEREßGOINGßTOßWRITEß
AßPOEMßABOUTßTHEßCITYßORßTHEßCOUNTRYßWHATßIMAGERYßWOULDßYOUßUSEß%XPLAINß
7. “Chicago”: The speaker loves the city
despite its negative aspects, suggesting a
theme that people can love flaws. “Grass”:
Death and life appear in the same place.
8. Whitman’s influence is seen in Sandburg’s
use of cataloging, litany, repetition, and
parallelism. Both poets use grandiose
tones and the diction of their times. Both
love American cities, the working class,
and democracy. Students may observe
that both poets revere an animated nature
and could compare and contrast line 3 in
“Grass” (“I am the grass, I cover all.”) with
Assess and Reteach
chicago / grass 
Assess
DIAGNOSTIC AND SELECTION TESTS
line 41 in “Song of Myself” (“The smallest Selection Test A pp. 245–246
sprout shows there really is no death.”). Selection Test B/C pp. 247–248
9. Students may say that Sandburg’s poetry Interactive Selection Test on thinkcentral.com
has an organic form, such as the unifying
effect of repetition and litany at the Reteach
beginning and end of “Chicago.” Level Up Online Tutorials on thinkcentral.com
Reteaching Worksheets on thinkcentral.com
Would you rather live in the CITY Literature Lesson 29: Personification
or the COUNTRY? Students’ Literature Lesson 40: Word Choice
answers will vary but should reflect and Diction
careful consideration of the chosen place. Literature Lesson 43: Tone
Reading Lesson 14: Synthesizing
Information
chicago / gr ass 933