19 pages • 38 minutes read
Carl SandburgI Am the People, the Mob
Fiction | Poem | Adult | Published in 1916A modern alternative to SparkNotes and CliffsNotes, SuperSummary offers high-quality Study Guides with detailed chapter summaries and analysis of major themes, characters, and more.
Further Reading & Resources
Related Poems
“To the States“ by Walt Whitman (1892)
“To the States” has undergone some revisions in the various editions of Walt Whitman’s Leaves of Grass. However, this 1892 version demonstrates an early working class disenchantment with the political system. Whitman’s poem is also indicative of the developing American Realist style of poetry that abandoned stiff structure and antiquated poetic language in favor of free verse forms and familiar words. The structure of “To the States,” in fact, shares a lot of similarities with Sandburg’s later poem. Most notably, the lines are structured as complete thoughts, almost as if they were lines of prose.
“The Gift Outright” by Robert Frost (1923)
Robert Frost’s “The Gift Outright” shares many ideas and concerns with Sandburg’s poem—particularly in its emphasis on a collective American identity and its relationship to land. Instead of foreshadowing a revolution, however, Frost’s poem looks back to the problematic origins of America and land ownership. It is important to note that Frost’s poem makes no mention of the indigenous peoples of America, and is perhaps less sensitive to the plight of the oppressed than Sandburg’s work. Frost’s “The Gift Outright” is nonetheless indicative of an American identity—so much so that Frost read it at John F. Kennedy’s 1961 inauguration; Frost was 86 at the time.
“The Long Shadow of Lincoln: A Litany” by Carl Sandburg (1950)
The longer poem “The Long Shadow of Lincoln” is an exemplar of Sandburg’s later work and his fascination with Abraham Lincoln. Though still in free verse, “The Long Shadow of Lincoln” evokes more traditionally poetic tone and diction. Formally, this poem in contrast with “I Am the People, the Mob,” demonstrates Sandburg’s breadth as a poet. Contextually, Sandburg’s longer poem on Lincoln gives a glimpse at a lot of the nuance and deep reflections undergirding his earlier, more straightforward works.
“Poem in the American Manner“ by Dorothy Parker (2001)
“Poem in the American Manner,” originally written in the 1930s but not published until the 2001 collection Not Much Fun: The Lost Poems of Dorothy Parker, provides an interesting alternative perspective on many of the themes and ideas present in “I Am the People, the Mob.” Dorothy Parker, born to a well-off, East-coast family, uses an exaggerated working class American vernacular to comment on contemporary vernacular poetry and its concerns. Though Parker’s poem may appear to mock and critique the working class, her masterful satire resists a straightforward interpretation.
Further Literary Resources
The Chicago Race Riots, July, 1919 by Carl Sandburg (1919)
Sandburg was a prolific writer and wrote on a variety of topics. One of his more prescient pieces is his write-up of the 1919 Chicago race riots. The summer of 1919 is often called the “Red Summer” because of a number of race-related riots throughout the United States during that period that induced labor violence and fatalities. The riots in Chicago were among the worst of the “Red Summer.” Sandburg’s account of the events adds nuance and empathy to his bold depiction of the laboring collective in “I Am the People, the Mob” and demonstrates some of the real dangers and mistreatments the poem struggles with.
“Two Chicagos” by Garrett Caples (2014)
In this article published by The Poetry Foundation, Caples uses the 100th anniversary of the publication of Sandburg’s poem “Chicago” to revisit it and other works which make up his 1916 Chicago Poems. Caples’s discussion of the contemporary literary environment at the time of the work’s publication is particularly of note, as is his interpretation of how the poems may be received today.
“Milwaukee's Long and Vibrant History of Socialism” by Daniel Simmons (2019)
Socialism has long been a contentious topic in American politics, but certain areas of the country have nonetheless embraced socialist ideas and policy. Sandburg’s Milwaukee was one of those areas, and his time there shaped both his career and his poetry. This article by Daniel Simmons provides an outline of Milwaukee’s socialist political history and gives an idea of how working under Emil Seidel—Milwaukee’s first socialist mayor—helped to shape Sandburg’s poetry.
Listen to Poem
2016 Voices in Poetry bilingual, award-winning reader Marie Foolchand provides a powerful and expressive reading of Sandburg’s poem. Foolchand does a wonderful job of embodying the spirit of Sandburg’s mob through her use of dramatic pauses and facial expressions. Note, in particular, how she manages the work’s anaphoric openings.
Related Titles
By Carl Sandburg
