Carl Sandburg was born in Galesburg, Illinois, the second child of what would later be seven. He dropped out of school at age 13 to get more money, giving him the experience of dozens of different odd jobs, including such things as Newsboy, bottle washer, potter’s assistant, icehouse worker, painters apprentice, and even traveling as a hobo. The latter brought him to such places as Kansas and Colorado. He continued these jobs until in 1898 the Maine was sunk and the Spanish American war began. Sandburg freely enlisted in the Army and came quite close to combat. Once the war was over Sandburg returned to his hometown where a veteran status gave him free admission to Lombard College, where he became editor-in-chief of the school ne

Chicago’s major theme is a celebration of American vitality and pride. There is the sense that not everything is right in city life, but yet there is a love of life that all Americans share. The other theme is referred to in the poem as destiny (Sandburg). This destiny is death, as the inhabitants of the city will all eventually die, and the glory the city holds may fade. The poem states that the despite this inevitable destiny, people must laugh, above else (Chicago Essay Review).

Although Sandburg left Lombard before he graduated, he had begun on the career that would last the rest of his life. He moved to Milwaukee, where he became a member of the Wisconsin Socialist Democratic Party, and published his first book: Restless Ecstasy, which included 22 poems and the style Sandburg would be known for. He published several more collections before he married Lillian Steichen, sister of the well-known photographer Edward Steichen, and moved to Chicago (Carl Sandburg: Author Biography).

A poem about the common people, this book is filled with Americans, famous ones, anonymous ones, and ones of legends. It gives examples like George Eastman, the “Kodak king,” who committed suicide to avoid helplessness; and the Wright brothers, who “wanted to fly for the sake of flying.” The anonymous people are those who first said things like “wedlock is a padlock.” Sandburg also gives many examples of the types of people that he hates, like liars who do not care as long as they make a profit, corrupt lawyers, judges who can be bought and those who buy them. He also states that the people he hates most over anything else are those who see the common people as the scum of the earth, very consistent with the ideals of the common people that Sandburg dedicates his work to (The People, Yes Essay Review).

Another one of Sandburg’s well known poems was also written in Chicago. The People, Yes was written during the great depression, but it did not describe the unemployed masses of the time. Instead, like Chicago, it was a celebration of the vitality of the common American people. It shows that Sandburg did not write this poem out of a sense of duty, but rather a sense of love for the common people (Chicago Essay Review).

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