Grass

Carl Sandburg (1878-1967)

PILE the bodies high at Austerlitz and Waterloo.
Shovel them under and let me work-
I am the grass; I cover all

And pile them high at Gettysburg
And pile them high at Ypres and Verdun.
Shovel them under and let me work.
Two years, ten years, and the passengers ask the conductor:
What place is this?
Where are we now?

I am the grass.
Let me work.

T-title: From the title only, I pictured a field of grass. Fresh grass, but it isn't in a perfect condition.

P-paraphrase: Bones of our ancesters who faught for freedom for us. It even fertilizes the grass which helps grass to grow richer and faster. As time passes, grass covering up the bodies of men represents that it moves on and it never stops growing. Therefore even when the most pernicious things happen, life still goes on like grass. So get over it, deal with it, and keep on moving.

C-connotation: Some of the worst and the bloodiest wars which took places around the whole world are Austerlitz, Waterloo, Gettysburg, Ypres, and Verdun. The first word of the poem, PILE represents that the height of the dead bodies PILED up doesn't even matter, because grass will grow on it and sooner or later it covers all. Two years, ten years, and the passengers ask the conductor: What place is this? Where are we now?
meaning that nobody will know what happened at the place even when they're right there, because the grass covered all. (Grass moves on)

A-attitude: The author is speaking as if he is the grass. Maybe he is saying that he is a person who knows how to move on even when the worst things happen in life. He is also trying to teach us to be that way.

S-shifts: I think the tone and the rhythm changes when the passengers ask the conductor: What place is this? Where are we now? All through out the poem before when the question is asked, the tone is very firm and serious. The questions being asked suddenly makes the poem a bit mysterious. Also the repititions at the end helps the poem to be firm and serious again.

T-title: In this poem, grass isn't just an ordinary type of grass. It actually teaches us a lesson

T-theme: to never stop growing like grass even when the worst things happen in life. Get over it and move on.