American Poem and Short Stories | ENGLISH LINGUISTICS AND LITERATURE (K40) | Đại học Khoa học Xã hội và Nhân văn, Đại học Quốc gia Thành phố HCM

lOMoAR cPSD| 40190299
American Poem and Short Stories
ENGLISH LINGUISTICS AND LITERATURE (Đại học Khoa học Xã hội và Nhân văn,
Đại học Quốc gia Thành phố Hồ Chí Minh) lOMoAR cPSD| 40190299
American Poem and Short Stories Prayers of Steel (Carl Sandburg - 1878-1967) Lay me on an anvil, O God.
Beat me and hammer me into a crowbar. Let me pry loose old walls.
Let me lift and loosen old foundations. Lay me on an anvil, O God.
Beat me and hammer me into a steel spike.
Drive me into the girders that hold a skyscraper together.
Take red-hot rivets and fasten me into the central girders.
Let me be the great nail holding a skyscraper through blue nights into white stars. I - Background information 1. Author
- Carl August Sandburg, an American poet, biographer, journalist, and editor.
- Some main characteristics of Carl Sandburg’s works: religious, patriotic, almost about middle-class life and society.
+ His poetry has a prevalent view of middle-class life and society
+ Captured the hardships, struggles, and perseverance of The People
+ Delve into these social issues: poverty, war, etc. 2. Poem’s introduction
- Published: 1985, featured in Cornhuskers, published in 1918
- Structure: 09 short lines organized into 02 stanzas
- Rhyme scheme: No rhyme or rhyme scheme
- Meter: No pattern, uses free verse II - Analysis 1. Speaker
- The Steel itself: non-human, hard concrete => the author made it alive and has feelings.
- The Steel is given the human power to speak to and utter prayers to God.
- Steel also symbol for industrialized evolution
- He wants to become a better version, not a crowbar or spike.
=> Hard-working, flexible, patriotic, passionate, earnest, brave (to be beaten, to be transformed), ambitious (to be
something important and useful), devoted, religious (“O God”) => working class (African Americans). 2. Settings
a. Time: Industrialization period (19th C) b. Place (the anvil)
- The anvil: this large, heavy block of iron on which shapeless metal is hammered into shape, this foundation on which a
formless thing is beaten into form — is the starting point of the transformation of steel into an artifact - the starting point
of the transformation of steel into an artifact.
=> In the construction site: where people are working hard. 3. Imagery Anvil
- Instrument used in transforming the steel
- Foundation on which a formless thing is beaten into form – is the starting point of the transformation of steel into an artifact.
- Aspire to the infinite and the eternal, transcending its materialism and reaching immortality, for the anvil has become a
platform from which wild wishes and prayers are launched into the infinite.
=> Ambition, want to last forever,
infinite Imagery of construction lOMoAR cPSD| 40190299
- Metaphor for the work of the soul, the process of creating a “new me”, a better version of oneself
- The current state: ‘old wall’, ‘old foundations’
- The desire state: ‘a crowbar’, ‘girders’, ‘a neat nail’
=> To be better, one has to endure hardship.
- Transform into a better version => process of transformation, not easy, very painful, have to endure hardship to be more useful. Blue nights into white stars
- The last destination of the transformation process
- Symbolizes indeterminacy, cannot be, measured
- Shows that the steel wants to be something that lasts forever 4. Figurative language a. Personification
- ‘Steel’: given the human power to speak and utter prayers, imbues something non-human with human characteristics.
The steel asks God for specific forms throughout the poem.
- The steel wants to be part of something bigger than themselves and to play a role in creating something great.
Moreover, it wants to be a part of something that will last and endure through time. This can be interpreted as a
metaphor for how we as humans must strive to create something that will endure through time and that will be
remembered long after we are gone. b. Repetition
- ‘Let me’: want to be something other than the old version, in a soft way => urge to be different, to be transformed => earnest, passionate
- This repetitive pattern is even more foregrounded when we become aware of the repetition of the pronoun ‘me’ in
subordinate position to the verb ‘lay’, ‘harmer’, ‘beat’, ‘let’, which as already mentioned, carry the stress by their position
at the beginning of each line or idea, and also by the fact that they are in the imperative mood.
c. Alliteration (/l/ in ‘let’, ‘lift’, ‘loosen’) and Assonance (‘old’, ‘walls’)
- Remind us again of the hardness of metal, in the same way but the short monosyllables suggest the incisiveness of a steel spike.
d. Metaphor (blue night and white star)
- Temper is quicker, the last line is the longest -
No romance until the last line: blue night
+ “blue night”: poverty, dark African period => blue-collar worker)
+ white star: future, they have to overcome prejudice toward working class, white-collar
worker => Symbolism for American flag
- Without blue night, the stars cannot shine => Hard transformation to
shine - Both blue and white-collar worker: all classes Additional analysis
- Metaphor of the process “through blue nights into white stars”: this can be interpreted as how we as humans must be
broken down and reshaped in order to make progress in our lives. The persona is asking to be transformed into
something that can help to remove the barriers that are holding them back.
=> People from America are made of many people like the steel. 4. Diction
- Steel: whatever steel wishes to have accomplished in "his" prayers, will demand strength and hard work, active: knows
exactly what he wants to become in the future, no hesitation
- End-stop in each line: the series of completed wishes expressed in each line
- All sentences are command sentences => prayers to God, God has some plans, the steel has changed the position from
passive to active => determination, enthusiasm, excited, he tell God what to do, how he will contribute to the society => patriotic
+ “anvil”, “crowbar”: indefinite article
+ “wall” and “foundations”: indeterminate
1st prayer: from the formless state of steel to a formal state in “crowbar”, but still indeterminate enough to be
simply “a” crowbar, any crowbar used as tool in demolishing old walls and foundations, which are again without
identification, for they are going to be removed and have lost their specificity
2nd prayer: from indeterminacy to determinacy, for steel becomes “a” steel spike – as it has become “a crowbar”
– to then become “the” great nail holding a skyscraper through blue nights into white stars, the lack of articles in lOMoAR cPSD| 40190299
“blue nights” and “white stars” emphasizing the uniqueness of this great nail, in relation to “a” skyscraper and to
the plurality and indeterminacy of “blue nights” and “white stars”
“Let beat me”: asserts again the end of this activity or this creative process, steel having reached a state of
unchangeability and form – the boldest wish expressed in the poem
From kinesis to stasis, for red-hot suggests a burning state while blue and white suggest, besides distance, also
coldness and stasis, if compared to the nearness and immediacy of the “red-hot rivets”
- From group’s metaphor analysis:
- Metaphor of the process: if you want to be something, you have to give the barriers back, which are: “old wall” and “foundations”
+ “old wall” and “foundations”: barrier, discrimination (toward working class, African American)
+ “old foundations”: mindset that keeps people believe that they are better than other people, old/outdated mindset,
wrong belief, stereotype => separate people around the world
+ “girder”: want to be something important, to play a vital role => unite with other people to become something important to the society
+ “central girder”: they want to be noticed, want to be central
+ “the great nail”: great, endure, the changing process that never stop or end 5. Tone
- The tone is passionate and pleading
- The speaker, the steel, wants God to transform it into a form that can be useful and important
=> Help to convey the speaker’s feeling of earnestness to reach new heights, to dedicate, to be helpful and the urge to live its life to the fullest. 6. Mood - Earnest, eager, passionate 7. Theme
- “Don’t just throw your life away, seek out a life that’s worthwhile and meaningful.”
- Serving meaningful roles in life
- Aspiration of becoming something helpful for life - Changing and refining - What are we living for?
- To what purpose do we serve?
- How to make life the fullest it can be?
- Aren’t we supposed to be full of dreams and hope to live a meaningful life?
8. Analysis of the title Prayers of Steel
- Don't want to be just steel but a steel spike, a better version
- The desire to destroy old things that are longer useful or prevent the development from outside to the deepest core. I, too (Langston Hughes) I, too, sing America. I am the darker brother.
They send me to eat in the kitchen When company comes, But I laugh, And eat well, And grow strong. Tomorrow, I’ll be at the table cool and calm When company comes. Nobody’ll dare Say to me, “Eat in the kitchen,” Then. proud, certainty, powerful lOMoAR cPSD| 40190299 Besides,
They’ll see how beautiful I am And be ashamed—
I, too, am America. Patriotic, undeniable contribution to America I – Background information 1. Author - Literary works:
+ Movement/Style: Harlem Renaissance
+ Notable works: “Dream Variation”, “Fine Clothes to the Jew”, “Harlem”, “The Negro Speaks of Rivers”, “The Weary Blues”, etc.
+ Some main characteristics of Langston Hughes’s works:
o The use of simple and familiar language;
o The use of the politically essential language;
o The use of the radical and protest tone;
o The employment of various themes: black pride, the history of the transportation of the blacks, etc. II - Analysis 1. Speaker
- Subject and time period: could be seen either as slave-owning America or early 20th-century ("Jim Crow era") America
→ the speaker could be from either of these times & a kind of “representative” of all African Americans - Can be an American servant
- The speaker could be a black domestic servant - BUT the one who ambitions, plans, and is powerful, patient
- He’s showing hope for the inevitable and near future ⇒ The speaker is a dreamer
- Ambitious, strong, powerful, don’t afraid of anything
- He believes of better day when he can sit and eat in the kitchen
- Confident, passionate (not a dreamer), hopeful
- Optimistic, believes in the future 2. Settings a. Time
- Don’t have a precise setting
- Subject and time period: could be seen either as slave-owning America or early 20th-century (Jim Crow era) America =>
the speaker could be from either of these times and a kind of “representative” of all African Americans. b. Place
- A big house owned by a white family, big enough that the household includes slaves or black
servants - Specifically, in a kitchen 3. Imagery
- Eat in the kitchen: speaker being treated badly, being banished from polite company
+ “eat well”, “grow strong”: nurture himself, grow up
+ “at the table” (to eat and discuss important things) >< “in the kitchen” (where servant eat)=> metaphor 4. Symbolism
- This poem doesn’t have symbol
- Analysis from the group’s images:
+ health is a symbol for determination – growing in the face of adversity + food becomes a savior
+ company: symbolizes white society
+ table: symbolizes respect, equality, opportunity and participating in American life; from kitchen => dining room =>
racial equality => hypocrisy of white community
+ The speaker is no longer “in the kitchen” - “They send me to eat in the kitchen”,
He's moved into the dining room, and is a symbol for racial equality.
+ kitchen: symbolizes the unequal treatment faced by black Americans and segregation in
racism => It highlights the hypocrisy of white communities. lOMoAR cPSD| 40190299
+ sing America: anthem, not yet part of American can sing anthem
+ am America (not American): land of hope, freedom, opportunities, equality,
future => No longer only sing the anthem but the identity, is an American 5. Diction
- “beautiful”: they’re proud of their skin, their color, their potential, talent, personality, ability to achieve what the white
can do, have to be admire, be successful “But I laugh, And eat well, And grow strong.”
+ Despite the hardship, they still can overcome, remind of the movement of black people, despite they’re treated
unfairly, they still fight, they still grow for their sake (physical activity)
+ Symbol for determination, growing in the face of adversity; food becomes a savior; belief of being recognized, positive
- “laugh”: positive, confident, sarcasm, they laugh because they will be better tomorrow, laugh of hope, things can be different from now
- “darker brother”: he isn’t the servant, he’s a family member - “tomorrow”: near future 6. Tone - 1st line: patriotic
- The next 3 lines: hopeful, not too serious, optimistic
- The next 3 lines: warning and optimistic
- The next three lines: cool and calm
- The next seven lines: proud and powerful - Last tine: patriotic => Joyful, cheerful 7. Mood
- Joy and celebration: optimistic and positive attitude in every hard-treated situation
- Confidence and passion: gleam of hope and strong wish to the American’s recognition of the Black’s existence and contribution 8. Themes
- Racism should be abolished. Don’t judge the book by its cover.
- African Americans should be proud of their identity and be given equal rights to enjoy the opportunities.
- It’s good to remain optimistic about life for good things lie ahead. 9. Further analysis
- " I, too, sing America": African Americans also want to sing American anthem
- "darker": discrimination because of skin color
- "eat in the kitchen": sign of racial segregation
- "brother": a member of American family, so need treating equally
- "laugh, eat well, grow strong": positive thoughts, confidence and belief of being recognized
- "Tomorrow": optimistic mindset about the future
- "Nobody'll dare": declaration of the Black's position
- "how beautiful, be ashamed": the contrast of feeling between African Americans vs. Americans will be
- "I, too, am America.": emphasis on their existence and undeniable contribution to America
Compare the two poems “Prayers of Steel” and “I, too” 1. Speaker
- Personification inanimate object >< Human being
- Represent marginalized class (African Americans)
+ "Let me pry loose old walls.
Let me lift and loosen old foundations." + "I am the darker brother.
They send me to eat in the kitchen" 2. Patriotic - “I, too, sing America. I, too, am America.” lOMoAR cPSD| 40190299
- Take red-hot rivets and fasten me into the central girders.
- Let me be the great nail holding a skyscraper through blue nights into white stars. 3. Message
- The hope and believe in one’s assertion his place in the community and his legitimate yearning for a meaningful life. 4. Tone and mood
a. Pleading and eager to change
- Uses the vocabulary of the industrial field to express the theme of the poem, which gives the readers a stiff and serious mood
b. More joyful and optimistic, hopeful for a brighter future
=> Both expect for a change, a transformation that leaves the old behind and creates a new future where it is better and more worthy to live. 5. Rhyme scheme - Do not have rhythm scheme
- Do not follow the traditional poetic rules
=> The speakers want to express themselves, speak up their wish and focus on the message.
Some keep the Sabbath going to Church Emily Dickinson (1830-1886) I – Background information 1. Author - Literary works:
+ Some famous masterpieces: “wild nights – wild nights!”, “I’m Nobody! Who are you?”, “it’s a love for death” and many more.
+ Her work is famous for themes of death and mortality, as well as short lines, no titles, slant rhyme, and unconventional punctuation.
+ Only 10 of Emily Dickinson’s nearly 1,800 poems are known to have been published in her lifetime. 2. Poem
+ First published in March 1864 in the paper The Round Table
+ Central Message: Faith is everywhere
+ Themes: Religion, Spirituality + Speaker: Emily Dickinson + Poetic Form: Quatrain + Time Period: 19th Century II – Analysis Historical background:
- To mention the period of time that the poem was created.
+ In 1845, a protestant religious revival took place in Amherst. It resulted in 46 confessions of faith among the peers of
Dickinson. According to her, she felt perfect peace and happiness during that spiritual revival. It appeared to her as if she
had found her Savior. Later she remarked it was her “greatest pleasure to commune alone with the great God & to feel
that he would listen to my prayers.”
➔ In a letter to a friend, Dickinson expresses the attitude toward faith in the poem: “I feel that the world holds a
predominant place in my affections. I do not feel that I could give up all for Christ, were I called to die.”
+ It was written in the nineteenth century slightly post the beginning of metaphysical poetry.
➔ It celebrates being in the company of oneself and enjoying the same by doing something one loves. Along with her own
point, the poet nowhere demeans the practice of visiting the church or believing in a superior physical entity.
+ Those years had also been harsh for the world with all its haphazard war developments (Civil War 1961 - 1965) .
➔ The poet emphasizes the importance of spending time with oneself and being comfortable with it. To find the peace
within is the poet’s main intention and central idea. 1. Settings lOMoAR cPSD| 40190299 a. Time
- While reading the content of the poem, we can’t not exactly find out the time mentioned in the poem but it may happen on
the weekend – when people gather at the church to have a Sabbath (Holy day observed by going to the church).
➔ Because when you read through the poem, you will see the narrator choose to stay at home instead of going to the church to keep Sabbath.
- Transcendentalism (19th C): with your effort, you can do whatever you want => The speaker thinks that she can
transcend her soul and speak directly to God.
+ They have been chosen for God to be successful => Capitalism b. Place
- This poem creates the physical picture in our mind in the speaker’s house where she can hear the sound of birds, the
Sextons' sounds, which can be compared to doing the Sabbath as same as in the Church.
Fact : The title of Dickinson’s poem ‘Some keep the Sabbath going to church –’is the very first line of the first stanza.
Readers are aware of the fact that most of her poems are written without a title. The editors later included
the title while publishing Emily Dickinson’s poems after her death. They also struggled to find apt titles. Therefore
using the first line as the title was preferred to keeping the poems untitled. 2. Speaker
- The speaker is someone who follows Christians because of the provided information in the poem. Besides, many readers
can consider the speaker in this poem is the woman because she use many images relating to nature such as Bobolink – a
bird, or especially she compares the surplice – a specific clothes for God service to her own wings which can be
understood her informal clothes at home to do religious rituals.
- There are many layers of the meaning inside the text through the speaker’s voice. At a surface level, it seems that the
poem is the poet’s belief concerning the way to communicate to God. But, after getting to the core, it can be found that it
is not a subjective idea of spirituality. It’s a fact that true spirituality never encompasses the customary rituals observed
during a religious ceremony. It’s much more than that. And in this poem, Dickinson throws light on this concept.
3. Imagery/Symbolism/Diction o Line 1 - 2:
“Some keep the Sabbath going to church
– I keep it, staying at Home –”
- The Sabbath day, it is mentioned in the ten commandments, the seventh day is a Sabbath day. This is because after six
days of creation God kept the seventh day for rest. Thus, on the seventh day, people go to church.
+ A service day, memorial day of the create of God
- Home and church are capitalized here because the author has the habit of capitalizing words.
- The speaker is telling us that you don’t need to go to church in order to show your faith. => Independence, freedom o Line 3:
“With a Bobolink for a Chorister – ”
- The use of auditory imagery – a Bobolink.
- Bobolink is a small blackbird that is known for its unique call. So the name of the bird is onomatopoetic. Besides, it is also
known as the “Rice Bird,” found mainly near paddy fields during harvest season.
- Dickinson likes the call of the bird more than the devotional song sung by a chorister (a member of a choir).
➔ The speaker likes Bobolink’s song as it sings without any intention. While a chorister sings with a purpose. For this
reason, the bird’s song seems purer than the chorister’s song.
- In this line, readers can find two symbols. The bird represents nature. It explores the idea of finding God in nature. While
the “Chorister” is a symbol of orthodox religion. o Line 4:
“And an Orchard, for a Dome – ”
- Orchard is an area of land where fruit trees are grown – refers to a collection of trees. - Dome is a rounded roof on a
building – refers to a structure.
- Dickinson presents a difference between romanticism and orthodoxy. -
An orchard is the best place to contemplate God and his creation.
- The “Dome” signifies rigidity. Besides, it hints at the institution of religion.
➔ There is a lack of flexibility and it hinders one’s free-flowing thoughts. The speaker thinks the openness of nature
expands her heart. She can think peacefully when she is close to nature.
➔ She can find her God, her faith – it should not have to be in a building. lOMoAR cPSD| 40190299 o Line 5 – 6:
“Some keep the Sabbath in Surplice - I, just wear my Wings – ”
- In those lines, Emily talks about the custom to go to the church – Surplice.
- Surplice is a loose white linen vestment varying from hip-length to calf-length. It is worn over a cassock by clergymen
and choristers at church services. Wearing a surplice is mandatory for attending the church services.
➔ The speaker compares a priest wearing the official garment to speak to God but she just wears the “wings” which can
infer as angel’s wings that God will give her.
- The word “Wings” is a metaphor. Like the wings of a bird helps it to soar higher in the sky. It keeps the body warm
during winter and helps it to protect its inner parts. Likewise, the personal thoughts of the poet protect her soul. Those
ideas help her to stay apart from the crowd and reach heaven. Wings
- “I, just wear my Wings”: she doesn’t have to wear formal clothes, she’s informal and stays at home to speak to Church
- Wings – the symbol of the poem
+ represent an angel => she considers herself as an angel, she is already in heaven (her home) => rebellious + devotion of God
+ purity, sincerity, the speaker’s soul
+ imagination: she is able to talk to God, she imagines her home at Church
➔ So the “Wings” is a symbol of freedom of thoughts and individualism as well. o Line 7 – 8:
“And instead of tolling the Bell, for church,
Our little Sexton – sings.”
- Sexton – is a person in charge of maintaining the church and acting as a bell – ringer.
- In an actual church, there is a sexton to ring the bell to mark the time of prayer or other things. But in the speaker’s
church, there is no such sexton. Here, the bird sings in such a manner that it feels like it is tolling the bell. Again, this
implies she finds the beauty of God in nature, in her surroundings. o Line 9 – 10:
“God preaches, a noted Clergyman
– And the sermon is never long,”
- Clergyman is a male priest, minister or religious leader, especially in the Christian church.
- According to her, “God preaches.” It means she follows what is dictated by the supreme creator. What is preached in
churches by the clergymen holds little value to her.
➔ God is “a noted Clergyman”
- Readers can see throughout the poem, Dickinson uses capital letters in front of the important words. Likewise, she uses
the term “Clergyman” as a proper noun. As one has to write the first letter of “God” in capital letters, the same goes for the word “Clergyman”.
➔ The reason is the poet uses a metaphor here and compares God to a clergyman.
- Sermon is a part of a Christian church ceremony in which a priest gives a talk on a religious or moral subject, often based
on something written in the Bible.
➔ The sermons preached by those worldly saints are always lengthy and boring. It never attracts the speaker. Whereas
the sermon of God is short, apt, and interesting o Line 11 – 12
“So instead of getting to Heaven, at last
– I’m going, all along.”
Some >< I: she is in contrast with the other people in the society, she is independent but she isn’t afraid of being different from the society
- While the others are waiting to Heaven, she goes alone
=> She can be fragile inside, outside, strong, independent
- Heaven is in some religions, the place, sometimes imagined to be in the sky, where God or the gods live and where good
people are believed to go after they die, so that they can enjoy perfect happiness.
- She is making fun of those who feel they have to go to the church to get to heaven and pray only in the “Dome” through
the priests while she is always going to heaven because she has found her God in her home and all surroundings.
=> Heaven is a journey to her