# The Word of an Engineer explained — Poetry

> Chapter companion for Poetry by James Weldon Johnson.

## What happens

This chapter celebrates the power and reliability of human engineering, contrasting the faith placed in man-made structures like ships and trains with traditional faith in God. The engineer's word is portrayed as a source of calm and trust amidst nature's dangers.

## Themes in this chapter

### Resilience and Hope

The speaker's calm sleep and faith in the engineer's word amidst the tempest and Ice Wolf exemplify resilience and hope in human ingenuity.

### Faith and Spirituality

The poem contrasts faith in God with faith in the engineer, suggesting a secularized spirituality rooted in technological progress.

## Key lines

> Man never had / The faith in God / That he has in an engineer!

People place more trust in the skill of an engineer than they do in divine power.

_This line encapsulates the chapter's central theme of secular faith in human achievement._

> But calm I sleep, / And faith I keep / In the word of an engineer.

I rest peacefully, trusting completely in the engineer's promise of safety.

_Highlights the speaker's unwavering confidence in engineering over natural or supernatural forces._

## Links

- HTML: https://www.betterreads.online/discover/poetry_13_se/chapters/the-word-of-an-engineer
- Book: https://www.betterreads.online/discover/poetry_13_se
- All chapters: https://www.betterreads.online/discover/poetry_13_se/chapters