Carl essay

  Carl Sandburg once said, "Poetry is the opening and closing of a door, leaving those who look through to guess about what is seen during a moment." Through his poems, "Chicago" and "Wilderness," and the photographs shown of Chicago itself, we can get a clear view of what he means.

In "Wilderness," you read from the perspective of someone describing themself as having many spirits of nature within them; a wolf, fox, hog, fish, baboon, eagle, and a mockingbird, as well as a man-child heart and a woman-child heart. Though we see only a glimpse into the narrator's life, there is already so much to speculate on, and pick apart. Do they mean that they are so close to nature that it's as if there are all these wild animals within them? Or are they nature itself? What do they mean when they say a "man-child" and "woman-child" heart? Already there are so many questions to ask, and yet most go unanswered as the reader is allowed only a peek inside this world Sandburg has created.

This line of thinking does not only apply to poetry, however. In the photo gallery "Sandburg's Chicago," we see pictures from all over the city, through all walks of life. From the vast railroads to the endless, bustling streets, from the congregation of Chicago's most wealthy, to a murder scene, to a small impoverished family just trying to scrape by, there is a lot to be taken from these photographs, and yet much left unsaid. How did this poor family get in this spot? Who was murdered and why? For what reason are all these businessmen gathered around, hundreds crowded in such a small area? Photography, too, allows only a glimpse into the lives of those it captures, and refuses to spell out its meanings.

In many, many cases, art does not directly hand you its full, true meaning on a silver platter. It suggests ideas, and allows you a peek at the storyline it creates, but often, it will not show its full intent on its surface. Sandburg hit the proverbial nail on the head with his quotation, because the reader's feelings and thoughts, their ability to interpret art in so many different ways, is a huge part of what makes art, art.