Back Yard Analysis

Shine on, O moon of summer.
Shine to the leaves of grass, catalpa and oak,
All silver under your rain to-night.

An Italian boy is sending songs to you to-night from an
     accordion.
A Polish boy is out with his best girl; they marry next
     month; to-night they are throwing you kisses.

An old man next door is dreaming over a sheen that sits
     in a cherry tree in his back yard.

The clocks say I must go--I stay here sitting on the
     back porch drinking white thoughts you rain down.

          Shine on, O moon,
Shake out more and more silver changes.

.: :.

Backyard-Unseen poem
Carl Sandburg
The first noticeable thing about this poem is the title. The title “Backyard” sharply opposes the general idea of the poem. The poem is written for the moon almost as a homage, but the title backyard has a very condensed and domestic feeling to it, whereas the moon spreads itself over a wide area. The domestic side to it shows that there is a connection between the moon and everyone and how everyone in the world experiences its brilliance
There are a number of central themes running through this poem, the first being love and youth. The poet writes about “an Italian boy sending songs to you tonight from an accordion” and “a polish boy with his best girl, throwing you kisses” almost as if the poet is explaining his love for the moon .These two subjects have specified nationalities which further emphasises the moons universality and how it is a global phenomenon. The idea of a homage to the moon is also further intensified by the images of “songs from an accordion” and “throwing you kisses” these images are depicting the boys going out to live their lives.
The second major theme is death and old age which sharply contrasts with the theme of love .Death appears in the 3rd stanza when the poet describes an old man in his backyard alone with the beauty of the silver of the moon as it illuminates the “cherry trees” .The poet uses the line “the clocks say I must go-I stay here on the back porch” taking one final opportunity to show his respect and absorb the peace that the moon casts over his simple backyard .The poet describes the man as being old which, again, contrasts the 2nd and 3rd stanzas when the poet uses the words boys. The man is “drinking white thoughts you rain down” which describes him reminiscing about his life when he was young. This depicts the poets concept of the transition of time.
The poem is also very cleverly structured. It is laid out as two sections with 6 lines per section, the first with 3 lines per stanza the second with two. Having this divide emphasises and prioritises certain lines, for example, hr indents the last line of the 2nd and 3rd stanza to the sum up the preceding lines. “Tonight they are throwing you kisses” “drinking white thoughts you rain down”
The opening of the poem is very effective in describing the majesty and peacefulness of the setting and how the moon can bring changes in scenery. The poet uses this notion of change to further stress the changes in people. He also sums up the poem by using many of techniques he uses throughout the rest of the poem. By using the images of the three trees he reiterates this thought of change and by using three different trees he is outlining the universality of the change.
There are many key words, phrases, and images in this poem. Sandberg repeatedly uses the words shine, sheen, and silver to describe the colour of the moon. He thoroughly develops his idea of time and contrast between the young and old in his poem the 2nd and 3rd stanza contrast and the 1st and last are connected this gives an overall roundness to the poem and encapsulates it well.
Sandberg also makes excellent use of sound in the poem the poem is willed with the S and SH sound from Shine, Sheen and silver and the poem has and overall broad vowel sound to most words these O sound run right and couple together the beginning and end of the poem. This also gives an almost spooky and eerie undertone to it which contrasts the general idea of awe over the moon and with the “Cherry tree” and the “accordion”

| Posted on 2009-11-09 | by a guest