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Literature About Chicago - HW
Literature About Chicago - HW
b
they realized that they were on their way to
Shoveling,
the home of it—that they had traveled all
Wrecking,
the way from Lithuania to it. It was now no
Planning,
longer something far off and faint, that you
Building, breaking, rebuilding,
caught in whiffs; you could literally taste it,
Under the smoke, dust all over his mouth, laughing with
as well as smell it—you could take hold of
white teeth,
it, almost, and examine it at your leisure.
Under the terrible burden of destiny laughing as a young
They were divided in their opinions about
man laughs,
it. It was an elemental odor, raw and crude;
Laughing even as an ignorant fighter laughs who has never
it was rich, almost rancid, sensual, and
lost a battle,
strong. There were some who drank it in as
Bragging and laughing that under his wrist is the pulse, and
if it were an intoxicant; there were others
under his ribs the heart of the people, Laughing!
who put their handkerchiefs to their faces.
Laughing the stormy, husky, brawling laughter of Youth, half-
The new emigrants were still tasting it, lost
naked, sweating, proud to be Hog Butcher, Tool Maker, Stacker
in wonder, when suddenly the car came to
of Wheat, Player with Railroads and Freight Handler to
a halt, and the door was flung open, and a
the Nation.
voice shouted—”Stockyards!”
Compare the two passages above. Which one do you think gives the most interesting image of
Chicago? Does the genre (prose or poetry) make it more interesting? If so, why?
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