Beloved Poet, Shel Silverstein

Shel Silverstein is an accomplished poet, cartoonist, songwriter, and playwright that has made an impact on children’s literature in ways that one could never imagine. Silverstein’s quirky writing style and fun black and white cartoons attached to his poems, drew many kids to enjoy his poetry even though they did not have happy endings. Many young children thrive on the notion of happy endings always being the end result, but Silverstein was able to create literature without this ¨perfect¨ ending while still being widely popular in the 20th century and continued into the 21st century. The reasoning behind Silverstein’s lack of a utopian environment and atmosphere is due to the experiences he has encountered, therefore, causing him to destroy

They were running up the road to a barn and I followed them to a little grassy patch. They all went to a shady spot under a tree and laid down under the trees shade. I slowly walked up to them they looked hungry and lost so I went to find some hay, luckily there was a patch of hay nearby. So she went and pulled a patch out of the ground and went back to the horses. The horses were still there laying under the cool shade. I slowly came to the first one. It was small with a white dot around its eye and other white dots on its sides. I started to put the hay down the horse got up and started

The vivid imagery incorporated throughout “The Gift” is characteristic of Li-Young Lee’s writing style. Li-Young Lee specifically portrays vivid imagery through the use of metaphors. For instance, in the poem, Li-Young Lee states that his father’s voice was “a well of dark water, a prayer.” This metaphor used by Li-Young Lee allows readers to vividly picture the type of man his father was. By comparing his father’s voice to “dark water,” the poet illustrates the gentleness of his father. This is because the sound of water tends to bring peace and comfort to those who listen. Similar to water, the sound of his father’s voice radiated with

“If you are a dreamer, come in, if you are a dreamer, a wisher, a liar, a hope-er, a pray-er, a magic bean buyer…” It’s in these words that Shel Silverstein’s poem “Invitation” opens a reader’s mind to a whole new world. One with flying children, animals that can fall in love and all sorts of outrageous things that have made Silverstein the multi-threat artist that the world has fallen in love with. His ability to compose, write, sing and illustrate are unparalleled to any poet of his time. Whether it be creating comics for soldiers, becoming a regular cartoonist for Playboy, or creating children’s poetry books for the whole world to love, it was clear Shel Silverstein was in

However, there are some hidden themes, some think, that promote some extreme subjects that no child should ever read. For example, some claim that, just because of his earlier career with Playboy, his illustrations in his poem books are ‘suggestive’ to sexual desires and the like. Some psychologists claim the book The Giving Tree suggests a “vicious, one-sided abusive relationship” between the tree and the boy where the tree was the selfless giver and the boy the greedy person who takes but never gives. Finally, an elementary school in Mukwonago, Wisconsin claimed that the themes that were in Where the Sidewalk Ends promoted “drug use, suicide, death, Satan, and cannibalism”.On the contrary, many people praised Silverstein for his nature of writing, going beyond people that, at the time, had not dared to write about. He wrote that people can have their own opinions and that, if we could stop having hate in the world, maybe, just maybe, we could have a “great big hug over the world, full of

Unlike other forms of literature, poetry can be so complex that everyone who reads it may see something different. Two poets who are world renowned for their ability to transform reader’s perceptions with the mere use of words, are TS Eliot and Walt Whitman. “The love song of J Alfred Prufrock” by TS Eliot, tells the story of a man who is in love and contemplating confessing his emotions, but his debilitating fear of rejection stops him from going through with it. This poem skews the reader’s expectations of a love song and takes a critical perspective of love while showing all the damaging emotions that come with it. “Song of myself”, by Walt Whitman provokes a different emotion, one of joy and self-discovery. This poem focuses more on the soul and how it relates to the body. “Song of myself” and “The love song of J Alfred Prufrock” both explore the common theme of how the different perceptions of the soul and body can affect the way the speaker views themselves, others, and the world around them.

“Anything can happen child. Anything can be”, Silverstein was an amazing children’s poet. The majority of his poems are very positive, happy and uplifting. His poems have been read by multiple generations and they will continue to be passed by for many more years to come. His poems are relatable for children, teens, and even adults. Silverstein loved his career and was very good at it as well. Although he’s mainly known for his children’s poems or children’s books this wasn’t his original plan, however it turned to be a great path for him take and made for a successful, happy life.

Shel Silverstein created songs, witty children's poem, illustrated children's poems, and even wrote screenplays. Shel Silverstein had a unique style of writing and accompanying black and white creative illustrations (“Shel Silverstein,” 1999, Encyclopedia). There is so much symbolism in Shel Silverstein’s work and his poem can be seen as amusing and fun or can be viewed as deeper and cruel (“Shel Silverstein,” 1999, Encyclopedia). Shel silverstein is most known for the children poems that he wrote. The most

Some authors decide to create a utopian universe using the power of words. Other authors write novels which portray an exceedingly tragic civilization. But, a few distinct authors chose to show readers the sickly sweet truth of reality. John Steinbeck was one of those unique authors. He was born in 1902, attended Stanford University for six years, and even won a Nobel Peace Prize in 1962. This great American author died six years after he won the award. Two of the many books he wrote are two novellas: The Pearl and Of Mice and Men. Steinbeck’s naturalistic writing style shines brightly in these two short stories making them naturalistic. and does not go unnoticed.

A child’s future is usually determined by how their parent’s raise them. Their characteristics reflect how life at home was like, if it had an impeccable effect or destroyed the child’s entire outlook on life. Usually, authors of any type of literature use their experiences in life to help inspire their writing and develop emotion to their works. Poetry is a type of literary work in which there is an intensity given to the expression of feelings and ideas by the use of distinct styles and rhythm. These distinct styles include different types of poems such as sonnets, villanelles, free verse, imagist poems, and many more. And these distinct styles are accentuated with the use of literary devices such as metaphors, similes, imagery, personification, rhyme, meter, and more. As a whole, a poem depicts emotions the author and reader’s can relate to. In the poem’s “Those Winter Sundays,” by Robert Hayden, and “My Papa’s Waltz,” by Theodore Roethke, we read about two different parent and child relationships. These two poems help portray the flaws and strength’s parents exhibit and how their children follow their actions and use it as a take away in their grown up lives.

Like any other eight year old boy, Hirsch loved sports, but he also fell in love with poetry. He found and read a copy of Emily Brontë’s “Spellbound” and loved it. As a child, he did not read a lot or really enjoy it, but through his mother’s coaxing with books about sports, he read. Hirsch’s grandfather helped develop his poetic skills. His grandfather wrote poetry but his was very unconventional because he wrote in Hebrew from

The relationship between a parent and child is potentially one of the most influential in a child’s life. A positive interaction often yields admiration, love or a sense of support. A negative relationship may yield distrust, animosity or a sense of solitude. Theodore Roethke’s poem, “My Papa’s Waltz,” describes the admiration of his hardworking father. The speaker, a young boy, depicts roughhousing with his father in the form of a waltz; expressing his desire to stay up and spend more time together though their relationship is detached. Seamus Heaney’s “Digging,” instills a sense of respect, pride, and a slight affliction for the speaker’s choice of the pen over the spade. The speaker has chosen a different path in life than that of his father and grandfather. Although written at different stages in life, both Roethke and Heaney write a poem about their families utilizing vivid imagery to demonstrate the love and pride they felt for these men.

Walt Whitman is considered one of the most important writers in the history of American Literature. The people of his own time called him a radical, a madman, and a pornographer. These days he is greatly appreciated and entitled as a fearless prophet of a new stage of human development. Sometimes Whitman would be in a slump and he felt that he needed to deflect the people who inquired too directly. This even meant using examples of homosexual elements in his work, as well as unbelievable stories of him having affairs with numerous women and fathering many children, unknown to him. Throughout these sorts of times W. Whitman has gone through both resentment and flattery, nevertheless showing us

Poetry like so many other things in life is complicated and easily misunderstood, similar to the poem entitled “Poetry” by Marianne Moore. Through her unique way of writing Moore uses literary devices imagery and personification to make the readers question why it is she has come to “dislike”(line 1) poetry. In particular, her word choice leaves a lot of room to wonder exactly why she has chosen to write it this way. A main theme that is represented in this poem is conformity and whether or not it is something to be followed.

Limerick (Ireland) is a cold, humid city. Days in Limerick are gray. Always rains there. A continuous drizzle falls day after day. You need to watch out where you are walking, try to avoid the mud on your shoes. It is always wet and muddy. You need also to be careful, people throw their waste into the streets. The odor, as you can imagine, is unbearable. This city is poor and miserable. Macondo (Colombia) is a hot, humid little town lost somewhere in the Colombian coast. Macondo has a delicious fruity aroma due to the guava tress that you could see there. However, you do not want to be outside at noon, the sun at that time is brutal. That is the reason why the majority of people living in Macondo prefer to take