Poetry Explication

[LiLRiceBoi]

OK I suck at this stuff. Wanna help me out w/ this poem by Carl Sandburg:

Everybodyloved Chick Lorimer in our town.
Far off
Everybody loved her.
So we all love a wild girl keeping a hold
On a dream she wants.
Nobody knows now where Chick Lorimer went.
Nobody knows why she packed her trunk .. a few old things
And is gone,
Gone with her little chin
Thrust ahead of her
And her soft hair blowing careless
From under a wide hat,
Dancer, singer, a laughing passionate lover.

Were there ten men or a hundred hunting Chick?
Were there five men or fifty with aching hearts?
Everybody loved Chick Lorimer.
Nobody knows where she’s gone.

THANKS

[vass0922]

what do you need with it?
not that I can help! but others will probably ask too so just saving ya time

[Lemon[H]ead]

I assume you have to write an essay on it, right? Well if you do then you might want to do the following (just what i see after a quick read).
mention the repetition of the word "nobody" on lines 6-7, not sure of the importance.
also repetition of the "were there"
try to find any significance of the repetition - does it emphasise anything?

Also have an opinion on it. Mention how easy\difficult it was to understand any part of it (metaphors, similes etc). Say if you like the kind of poem it is, or if you prefer a different kind.

Note the nice image - "Gone with her little chin
thrust ahead of her
and her soft hair blowing careless"
there are no negative images, the viewpoint the speaker takes is a fond, adoring viewpoint. But remember the poet isnt necessarily the person speaking.

Note the lack of obvious rhyme or half rhyme scheme - point out that this may be to make the reader concentrate on the content) rather than the rhyme.

If you need any more help then i'll look closer at the poem. I know how hard it is to know what to write about poems. But theres a few things to concentrate on.


also point out that man is being referred to as the hunter, and the lady being prey.

[LiLRiceBoi]

I know its about love and stuff, but I need a theme too.

And yes, i need to write an essay on it. Thanks for the help so far Lemo[H]ead

[Knothead]

Nice post, Lemon[H]ead!

Sandburg could get pretty yeasty, stirring up love's lost yearnings, that's what made him so great. It shows how the heart of a poet works.

This poem is a pastiche of memories about a woman who got away, and a man, lovesick, asking that never-ending question, "WHY?"

She had her own self-determinism, but was she ever aware of how dear she was to the speaker?

Perhaps this is the point of it...do we ever know how much we are regarded by others?

Or maybe...he regrets his foolishness in his hesitation...and now she is gone.

Either way, a powerful evocation of love's labors lost.

[vass0922]

<--- wishes he knew Knot when he was in college lol

[Angela]

The first thing I noticed were the second and third lines,

Far off
Everybody loved her.

Could it be that if she were still in town, feelings would be different?

[LiLRiceBoi]

WOW now i have a bunch of different opionions. this helps a lot. thanks

[LiLRiceBoi]

also point out that man is being referred to as the hunter, and the lady being prey.

hmm, thats interesting. can you explain what you interpret this to mean?

Thanks again