When I first read some of Carl SandburgÃÂs poetry, I could appreciate the poems but only at face value. It was not until after I learned more about him and about the state of the world during the time that these poems were first published did I learn to appreciate them for their deeper meaning. My maternal great-grandparents were both immigrants from Ireland and once they came to the United States, they chose to live in Chicago, Illinois. My family still has very strong ties with the city and the culture that brings it to life. Carl Sandburg has a strong connection to the culture of the city of Chicago as well. He was the son of Swedish immigrants and held many low paying jobs after he dropped out of school at the age of thirteen. The historical and cultural context also gives his writing a greater meaning and allows the reader to give in to their emotions and connect not only to the words and to the author but also to the people that he so passionately writes about.
Carl Sanburg's house where he lived while he wrote...
Carl Sandburg, American poet
Carl Sandburg's HomeDuring the early 1900ÃÂs, many European immigrants came to the city of Chicago and this rapid growth in population and diversity helped to shape the city that we know today. Carl SandburgÃÂs poems, ÃÂAnna ImrothÃÂ and ÃÂWorking GirlsÃÂ, show a different side of the industrial workers and focus more on the female workers and the harsh conditions that surrounded them. Many immigrants that came to America lived in large industrial cities because farming equipment was very expensive and agriculture was very different from what they were used to. Sandburg like many Americans worked odd jobs from laying bricks to dishwashing to help his family make ends meet. He even served eight months in Puerto Rico during the...