City or Country

 

Chicago – Carl Sandburg page 770

 

  1. Carl Sandburg describes Chicago as a pretty negative place, but it comes across interesting. Sandburg answers the negative descriptions with lines 10-17. What is he saying in these lines?

 

  1. Chicago is described as being a place of young people, “…laughing…under the terrible burden of destiny…” So what does that mean? Are you scared about your future? Or are you enjoying the scenery as you live you life now?)

 

  1. Line 20 is interesting. “Laughing even as an ignorant fighter laughs who has never lost a battle,”.  Would losing a battle make the fighter less “ignorant?”

 

  1. Line 20 obviously is referring to youth. Are most young people so light-hearted because they haven’t lost many “battles” in their lives and have been beaten down?

 

  1. If you could pick a city to live in for awhile, which one would it be? Why?

 

Birches – Robert Frost page 804

 

  1. In Birches, Robert Frost describes a country setting where a lonely boy bends trees down for his sport. What is the relationship of the boy to the narrator? (Hint: look at line 41).

 

  1. Lines 48-49 are interesting. “I’d like to get away from earth awhile/ And then come back to it and begin over.”  Can you think of any other story or movie where a person could have a second chance?

 

  1. I’ve read several stories where characters were given a second chance to come back and be a better person. (If you couldn’t think of something for #7, how about A Christmas Carol?) The narrator in Birches seems to be saying he’d like another chance in lines 48-49. Does he change? (Look at lines 54-59).

 

  1. Sometimes your life’s work kind-of forces you where you end up living. Assuming you end up with your dream job doing your life’s work AND you could live anywhere in the world doing this, where would you like to end up as you engage in your life’s work? (Are you a city or country person.)

 

  1. Let’s remember the Uncle Sam Trial that’s coming up. Think about your life, your life’s work to come, your dream job, and your home. What is the responsibility of the government to you in your pursuit of happiness? 

 

  1. If the government does something that infringes upon other people’s happiness, to increase your happiness, is that okay?