The City Planners
Cruising these residential Sunday
streets in dry August sunlight:
what offends us is
the sanities:
the houses in pedantic rows, the planted
sanitary trees, assert
levelness of the surface like a rebuke
to the dent in our car door.
No shouting here, or
shatter of glass; nothing more abrupt
than the rational whine of a power however
cutting a straight swath in the discouraged grass.
But though the driveways neatly
sidestep hysteria
by being even, the roofs all display
the same slant of avoidance to the hot sky,
certain things:
the smell of split oil a faint
sickness lingering in the garages,
a splash of paint on brick surprising as a bruise,
a plastic hose poised in a vicious
coil; even the too-fixed stare of the wide windows
give momentary access to
the landscape behind or under
the future cracks in the plaster
when the houses capsized, will slide
obliquely into the clay seas, gradual as glaciers
that right now nobody notices
That is where the City Planners
with the insane faces of political conspirators
are scattered all over unsurveyed
territories, concealed from each other,
each in his own private blizzard;
guessing directions, they sketch
transitory lines rigid as wooden borders
on a wall in the white vanishing air
tracing the panic of suburb
order in a bland madness of snows.
streets in dry August sunlight:
what offends us is
the sanities:
the houses in pedantic rows, the planted
sanitary trees, assert
levelness of the surface like a rebuke
to the dent in our car door.
No shouting here, or
shatter of glass; nothing more abrupt
than the rational whine of a power however
cutting a straight swath in the discouraged grass.
But though the driveways neatly
sidestep hysteria
by being even, the roofs all display
the same slant of avoidance to the hot sky,
certain things:
the smell of split oil a faint
sickness lingering in the garages,
a splash of paint on brick surprising as a bruise,
a plastic hose poised in a vicious
coil; even the too-fixed stare of the wide windows
give momentary access to
the landscape behind or under
the future cracks in the plaster
when the houses capsized, will slide
obliquely into the clay seas, gradual as glaciers
that right now nobody notices
That is where the City Planners
with the insane faces of political conspirators
are scattered all over unsurveyed
territories, concealed from each other,
each in his own private blizzard;
guessing directions, they sketch
transitory lines rigid as wooden borders
on a wall in the white vanishing air
tracing the panic of suburb
order in a bland madness of snows.
Summary
The poem ‘The City Planners’ discusses the temporary defeat of nature and its replacement with order and perfection using the location of a dehumanizing city. The poem is about the nature of human civilization and its potential future.
The poem ‘The City Planners’ discusses the temporary defeat of nature and its replacement with order and perfection using the location of a dehumanizing city. The poem is about the nature of human civilization and its potential future.
First stanza
A sinister feeling is created in the first two lines through the use of sibilance. The repetition of the ’s’ sound shows how repetitive the streets are. The juxtaposition between ‘offends’ and ‘sanities’ shows how unnaturally sanitary and perfect the city is, and the fact that the speaker is offended by this shows that he feels that there is a sense of forced nature.
The fact that the houses are arranged pedantically in rows shows that they all look the same and enforces the fake feeling of perfection that is being created. The “planted sanitary trees” convey the artificiality of the environment. These trees are said to assert dominance over a “dent in [their] car door”. The use of diction, specifically the word “rebuke”, shows that the environment is more aggressive than previously implied. The dent in the car door is also the first sign of imperfection.
The lack of “shouting here”, combined with the “rational whine of a power mower” makes the environment seem desolate and abandoned with nothing more than a distant whine in the background.
A sinister feeling is created in the first two lines through the use of sibilance. The repetition of the ’s’ sound shows how repetitive the streets are. The juxtaposition between ‘offends’ and ‘sanities’ shows how unnaturally sanitary and perfect the city is, and the fact that the speaker is offended by this shows that he feels that there is a sense of forced nature.
The fact that the houses are arranged pedantically in rows shows that they all look the same and enforces the fake feeling of perfection that is being created. The “planted sanitary trees” convey the artificiality of the environment. These trees are said to assert dominance over a “dent in [their] car door”. The use of diction, specifically the word “rebuke”, shows that the environment is more aggressive than previously implied. The dent in the car door is also the first sign of imperfection.
The lack of “shouting here”, combined with the “rational whine of a power mower” makes the environment seem desolate and abandoned with nothing more than a distant whine in the background.
Second stanza
The second stanza portrays how the speaker notices imperfections hidden within the seemingly perfect façade of the city, which show how chaotic the city is if you look closer. The fact that “the driveways neatly sidestep hysteria” shows that they are attempting to avoid any emotions.
The personification of the roofs shows that they are avoiding the sky, which represents nature.
All the things listed earlier that were perfect all become seemingly imperfect. The “sickness lingering” shows that the area is sickeningly empty of life.
The “bruise” of paint on the brick suggests a bruise on the body of the seemingly perfect city.
The “plastic hose poised in a vicious coil” suggests that like the water in the hose, all the imperfections of the city are building up until they burst out of control.
The second stanza portrays how the speaker notices imperfections hidden within the seemingly perfect façade of the city, which show how chaotic the city is if you look closer. The fact that “the driveways neatly sidestep hysteria” shows that they are attempting to avoid any emotions.
The personification of the roofs shows that they are avoiding the sky, which represents nature.
All the things listed earlier that were perfect all become seemingly imperfect. The “sickness lingering” shows that the area is sickeningly empty of life.
The “bruise” of paint on the brick suggests a bruise on the body of the seemingly perfect city.
The “plastic hose poised in a vicious coil” suggests that like the water in the hose, all the imperfections of the city are building up until they burst out of control.
Third stanza
The fact that you can be given “momentary access to the landscape behind or under the future cracks” shows that the perfection is a façade that hides the imperfections underneath.
The personification of the “houses, capsized” shows that you cannot control nature and it will strike back. The fact that the houses “will slide obliquely into the clay seas” suggests that the imperfections of nature will swallow the maintained perfection of the city.
The fact that you can be given “momentary access to the landscape behind or under the future cracks” shows that the perfection is a façade that hides the imperfections underneath.
The personification of the “houses, capsized” shows that you cannot control nature and it will strike back. The fact that the houses “will slide obliquely into the clay seas” suggests that the imperfections of nature will swallow the maintained perfection of the city.
Fourth stanza
The City Planners are named and shamed for the first time at the start of the fourth stanza. Their “insane faces of political conspirators” shows how controlling they are, and the fact that they are each in their “own private blizzard” shows that they may be competing economically, searching for new ideas in uncharted places. The fact that a “blizzard” is mentioned is a metaphor for disaster.
The City Planners are named and shamed for the first time at the start of the fourth stanza. Their “insane faces of political conspirators” shows how controlling they are, and the fact that they are each in their “own private blizzard” shows that they may be competing economically, searching for new ideas in uncharted places. The fact that a “blizzard” is mentioned is a metaphor for disaster.
Fifth stanza
The “sketch[ing]” of the City Planners suggests urban sprawl. This is enforced by the fact that the lines that they are sketching are “transitory”, which suggests that the City Planners are rushing without really thinking.
The use of diction, specifically the word “vanishing”, foreshadows that the City Planners’ creations are not going to last.
The “sketch[ing]” of the City Planners suggests urban sprawl. This is enforced by the fact that the lines that they are sketching are “transitory”, which suggests that the City Planners are rushing without really thinking.
The use of diction, specifically the word “vanishing”, foreshadows that the City Planners’ creations are not going to last.
Sixth stanza
The juxtaposition of “panic” and “order” shows that one will eventually overrule the other.
The grammatical error in the last line (i.e. “snows” as opposed to the grammatically correct “snow”) shows rebellion.
The “bland madness” shows that all the planning that the City Planners think is permanent will simply sink back into the earth.
The juxtaposition of “panic” and “order” shows that one will eventually overrule the other.
The grammatical error in the last line (i.e. “snows” as opposed to the grammatically correct “snow”) shows rebellion.
The “bland madness” shows that all the planning that the City Planners think is permanent will simply sink back into the earth.