Joy

Joy - context Summary

Published in 1918

This brief poem, published in Carl Sandburg’s 1918 collection Cornhuskers, urges an emphatic embrace of joy. Using energetic, blunt imagery it contrasts ecstatic living with timid restraint, urging readers to seize pleasure even at risk. The tone favors exuberance and bodily immediacy, reflecting Sandburg’s populist, free-verse style of the period and the collection’s focus on everyday American life.