Research the work of other contemporary poets who write about politics. How do their approaches and styles compare to or differ from Rich's?

Explore the phenomenon of the "Baby Boomer" generation, which was very involved in radical politics in the 1960s but has now moved away from political concerns and has embraced a more consumer-oriented social attitude. In what ways, if any, does this phenomenon connect to Rich's poem?

Compare Rich's "city" in "Rusted Legacy" to other imaginary political cities that have been described in the Western tradition, for example the cities in Plato's Republic and Thomas More's Utopia. Are there any similarities in the descriptions of these political cities?

The "city" Rich describes might be a figurative and not a literal one. If it is figurative, what might it represent?