Katie &+Isabelle

= Carl Sandburg =



About Carl Sandburg
Carl Sandburg was born on January 6th 1878, in Galesburg, Illinois. At the age of 13, Carl dropped out of school to support his family. He had many odd jobs to help raise money for his family. For example, he was a milk delivery boy, a barber shop porter, a fireman, a truck operator, an apprentice house painter, a reporter, a dishwasher, a bricklayer, and a writer for the __Chicago Daily Times__. At the age of 17, Carl traveled to Kansas as a hobo to try and find work. After that, he served for 8 months in Puerto Rico during the Spanish-American War. After his return from the war, Carl went back to school, at Lombard College. While he never graduated from college, Carl was awarded honorary degrees from Lombard, Knox, and Northwestern College. Carl married Lillian Steichen, a sister of a photographer at the newspaper where Carl worked. Carl became known for his free-verse poetry, and wrote many books including: Reckless Ecstasy (1904), Chicago Poems (’16), Cornhuskers (’18), Smoke and Steel (’20), The American Songbag and The New American Songbag (’50), Complete Poems (’50), Harvest Poems 1910-1960 (’60), and Honey & Salt (’63). Carl won two Pulitzer Prizes, one for his book, Abraham Lincoln: The War Years (’39), and one for the book, Complete Poems (’50). Carl Sandburg died in 1967.

**Carl Sandburg's Influences and Styles**
Carl Sandburg started writing poetry after entering Lombard College at age 21. He chose to study Literature, and his professuer, Philip Green Wright pushed him to write poetry, and so he did. Carl Sandburg came from a poor family and wasn’t well exposed to poetry prior to entering college, so he wasn’t greatly influenced by many poets. (Though some people say that his writing was influenced by Walt Whitman.) Carl Sandburg wrote mostly in free verse or “in his own words”, but occasionally he wrote ballads and folklore. Many of his poems were about the American lifestyle, or American History! He was so intrigued by American History, especially Abraham Lincoln, that he eventually wrote a book about President Lincoln. Carl Sandburg’s free verse poetry was a little ahead of his time, some loved his poetry while others claimed their 6-year old children could write better poetry. One admirer, H.L. Mencken, called Carl Sandburg “a true original, his own man.” Carl Sandburg had a unique quality to his writing and often in turn broke the poetry rules.

Poems by Carl Sandburg:
Sea-Wash

  The sea-wash repeats, repeats.  Only old songs? Is that all the sea knows?  Only the old strong songs?  Is that all?  The sea-wash repeats, repeats. || Fog  The fog comes on little cat feet.
 *  The sea-wash never ends.

It sits looking over harbor and city on silent haunches and then moves on.

Our Poems
<span style="display: block; font-family: 'Comic Sans MS',cursive; line-height: 200%; text-align: center;">**__The Ocean__** <span style="font-family: 'Comic Sans MS',cursive; line-height: 200%;"> I’ve always wondered about the ocean How many fish? What causes commotion?

If a shark swims up and eats it’s prey Are other fish scared? Do they let him continue on his way?

What other kinds of fish are swimming around? Is there a king fish? Was he just crowned?

As waves roll and crash onto the sand It’s almost as if they’re by command

As I watch, the ocean sparkles and gleams I see that it stores many dreams. __Below The Prairie’s Gold__ Below Lay I I Lay Below Below the prairie’s gold

I sit and wait Day by Day To nourish the prairie’s gold

The golden the emerald The beauty the life I bring to the prairie’s gold

Though I myself seem as nothing I am not I the mother of the prairie’s gold

Though I may not Seem to have riches Or jewels of any kind

I am the rich soil The pioneer heart and soul Living for the prairie’s gold     <span style="background-color: #ffffff; color: #000000; display: block; font-family: 'Times New Roman',Times; font-size: 12pt; height: 100%; line-height: 24pt; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; width: 100%;"> Bibliography <span style="display: block; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 3em; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; padding: 0px; text-indent: -3em;">Poetry Foundation. "Carl Sandburg : The Poetry Foundation." // Poetry Foundation //. Web. 10 May 2011. <http://www.poetryfoundation.org/bio/carl-sandburg>.Poets.org. "Carl Sandburg." // Poets.org - Poetry, Poems, Bios & More //. Academy of American Poets, 1997. Web. 10 May 2011. <http://www.poets.org/poet.php/prmPID/28>.