In a Back Alley
In a Back Alley - context Summary
From Chicago Poems
This short poem, from Sandburg's Chicago Poems, contrasts official commemoration with gritty urban life. A coin bearing a celebrated man's face is used by newsboys pitching pennies, turning public remembrance into street play. The closing line sharply undercuts reverence by naming the dead figure a "lover of boys," forcing readers to question who is honored and how memory is repurposed in the city.
Read Complete AnalysesRemembrance for a great man is this. The newsies are pitching pennies. And on the copper disk is the man's face. Dead lover of boys, what do you ask for now?
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