GUNS,
Long, steel guns,
Pointed from the war ships
In the name of the war god.
Straight, shining, polished guns,
Clambered over with jackies in white blouses,
Glory of tan faces, tousled hair, white teeth,
Laughing lithe jackies in white blouses,
Sitting on the guns singing war songs, war chanties.
Glory of tan faces, tousled hair, white teeth,
Laughing lithe jackies in white blouses,
Sitting on the guns singing war songs, war chanties.
Shovels,
Broad, iron shovels,
Scooping out oblong vaults,
Loosening turf and leveling sod.
I ask you
To witness—
The shovel is brother to the gun.
(“Iron” by Carl Sandburg, Chicago Poems, Henry Holt, 1916)
1. “Guns / Long, steel guns / Pointed from the war ships” (lines 1-3). What type of
gun is Sandburg describing here?
It was the cannons used on warships.
2. “Laughing lithe jackies in white blouses, / Sitting on the guns singing war songs,
war chanties” (lines 8-9). Who are the “jackies” in these lines, and why would
they be singing “war chanties”?
These jackies referred to the sailors. They sang war chanties to boost their morale, so that they have more chance of winning the war.
3. “The shovel is brother to the gun” (line 16). Explain what Sandburg means by
this statement.
Build up the cities.
Set up the walls again.
Put together once more the factories and cathedrals, warehouses and homes
Into buildings for life and labor:
You are workmen and citizens all: We command you.
4. What is the significance of the poem’s title, “And They Obey”?
It shows us that when a country is taken over, its citizens are like slaves, they have no rights and say, so they could only follow what their enemy said.
5. What is the effect of the contrasting actions between stanzas 1 and 2 (smash/
build, knock/set up, break/put together)? What is the persona’s attitude toward
the soldiers and citizens in the poem?
Passage C
IN the old wars drum of hoofs and the beat of shod feet.
In the new wars hum of motors and the tread of rubber tires.
In the wars to come silent wheels and whirr of rods not yet dreamed out in the heads of men.
In the old wars clutches of short swords and jabs into faces with spears.
In the new wars long range guns and smashed walls, guns running a spit of metal and men falling in tens and twenties.
In the wars to come new silent deaths, new silent hurlers not yet dreamed out in the heads of men.
In the old wars kings quarreling and thousands of men following.
In the new wars kings quarreling and millions of men following.
In the wars to come kings kicked under the dust and millions of men following great causes not yet dreamed out in the heads of men.
7. Explain the progression of onomatopoeia in the first stanza. What do you
imagine the sounds of the future wars represent?
2. “Laughing lithe jackies in white blouses, / Sitting on the guns singing war songs,
war chanties” (lines 8-9). Who are the “jackies” in these lines, and why would
they be singing “war chanties”?
These jackies referred to the sailors. They sang war chanties to boost their morale, so that they have more chance of winning the war.
3. “The shovel is brother to the gun” (line 16). Explain what Sandburg means by
this statement.
Both guns and irons are made up of the same material, iron. In war times, shovels are melted to make guns, which kills. After the war, the guns are melted to make into shovels, which are used to dig graves. Therefore, guns and shovels are "brothers", because they are actually the same thing which exist as different forms, and that once a person is killed by a gun, a shovel will come.
Passage B
SMASH down the cities.
Knock the walls to pieces.
Break the factories and cathedrals, warehouses and homes
Into loose piles of stone and lumber and black burnt wood:
You are the soldiers and we command you.
Passage B
SMASH down the cities.
Knock the walls to pieces.
Break the factories and cathedrals, warehouses and homes
Into loose piles of stone and lumber and black burnt wood:
You are the soldiers and we command you.
Build up the cities.
Set up the walls again.
Put together once more the factories and cathedrals, warehouses and homes
Into buildings for life and labor:
You are workmen and citizens all: We command you.
4. What is the significance of the poem’s title, “And They Obey”?
It shows us that when a country is taken over, its citizens are like slaves, they have no rights and say, so they could only follow what their enemy said.
5. What is the effect of the contrasting actions between stanzas 1 and 2 (smash/
build, knock/set up, break/put together)? What is the persona’s attitude toward
the soldiers and citizens in the poem?
In stanza 1, it showed how much destruction was caused by the soldiers. However, in stanza 2, it showed that it was also the soldiers that forced the citizens to rebuild the nation. This shows the irony of how soldiers function, and also shows how useless wars are, as after many deaths, everything was back to square one. The persona was angry about how soldiers function the as he describes soldiers as extremely inefficient. However, he felt that the citizens were hopeless as he suggests that the citizens were slaves of the soldiers, and could only follow the soldiers' commands.
6. In your view, is it harder to tear a society down, or to build it back up again? Use examples from current events to support your answer.
6. In your view, is it harder to tear a society down, or to build it back up again? Use examples from current events to support your answer.
I feel that it is harder to build a society back up. In order to destroy an entire society and leaving it inhospitable for years, we just need a nuclear bomb. However, in order to rebuild a society, we need to start with the clearing of rubble, then can we move on to building of buildings and infrastructure. We need to build the buildings through layers of foundation, and brick by brick, build up an entire city from scratch. This process might take many years, but the destruction can occur in less than a minute.
Passage C
IN the old wars drum of hoofs and the beat of shod feet.
In the new wars hum of motors and the tread of rubber tires.
In the wars to come silent wheels and whirr of rods not yet dreamed out in the heads of men.
In the old wars clutches of short swords and jabs into faces with spears.
In the new wars long range guns and smashed walls, guns running a spit of metal and men falling in tens and twenties.
In the wars to come new silent deaths, new silent hurlers not yet dreamed out in the heads of men.
In the old wars kings quarreling and thousands of men following.
In the new wars kings quarreling and millions of men following.
In the wars to come kings kicked under the dust and millions of men following great causes not yet dreamed out in the heads of men.
7. Explain the progression of onomatopoeia in the first stanza. What do you
imagine the sounds of the future wars represent?
People in the past most likely ride on horses in battle, with the movement of horses causing "drum of hoofs". In the wars at present, the war was filled with "hum of motors and the tread of rubber tires", suggesting that all the war involved was machines, with the sounds of the engines and the rubber tires moving present at all times. In the wars of the future, wars are filled with silent, suggesting that technology has made it possible for a war with no physical contact. In may be a war filled with technology so advance, that the attacks vaporizes everything in their path, causing not even the slightest sound.
8. “In the wars to come kings kicked under the dust” (line 9). Taking an example
from current events, discuss one “king” that has been “kicked under the dust” in
recent times.
from current events, discuss one “king” that has been “kicked under the dust” in
recent times.
I think that a king “kicked under the dust” will be the Muammar Gaddafi of libya. He was removed from office as he used his power to control the citizens and deprive them of the freedom to express themselves.
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