According to The Village Blacksmith: The Reality of a Poem Web site, "The Village Blacksmith" appears to celebrate the work ethic of the common working man who is the icon of every rural community of that time.
But what do you think the poem is really saying?
Was Longfellow celebrating the common man's political awakening or was he lamenting the lose of responsible role models like the blacksmith?
Could Longfellow see the coming changes in America's economic system?
Who would be the common working man icon of the American communities today?