Shel Silverstein Essay

	Few writers of the twentieth century have made nearly the same impact on the literary society than Sheldon Allan Silverstein. His writing encompasses a broad range of styles, from adult to children’s, comical to unusual. One of his most common styles was that of fantasy: actions and events that cannot logically happen. This style was evident in his works, the Loser, Thumb Face, Warning, Squishy Touch, and Skin Stealer. Through the description of these absurd circumstances, Silverstein was able to entertain readers of all ages.

At first, the puppy light-heartedly explains an average day to display his playfulness with “[b]alls and sticks” (Doty 1). By starting the poem as a description of a simple day, Doty exceeds the normal phrasing of a sonnet which surprisingly alters normality to display the truth of a dog’s mindset. The puppy’s thoughts highlight his short attention span when he sees a moving object or “squirrel” (Doty 3). Since the poem begins as a light-hearted portrayal of a day in the life of a dog, the shift to an unsettling conclusion comes as a surprise which illuminates the intellectual capacity for dogs to offer insight to humans. This pup experiences the jubilation when he realizes the squirrel he chases is “—oh/ joy—actually scared”

In this essay we will be analyzing Shel Silverstein and a few pieces of his work. Shel Silverstein was a poet, his high-spirited poems gave him the reputation of being a children's poet, his reputation of words, eccentric stories, and buoyant personality made kids fall in love with Silverstein's poems . The first element I will be analyzing is his use of personification, An example of personification is in the poem “ Dancing Pants” it states “ And now for the Dancing Pants, Doing their fabulous dance.” and “They will bounce to the beat, with no legs inside then and no feet beneath.

My English Literature major has helped me to achieve an outstanding level of appreciation, enjoyment, and knowledge of both American and British Literature. As a high school AP English student, I struggled through great works like Hamlet and To the Lighthouse. My teacher’s daily lectures (there was no such thing as class discussion) taught me merely to interpret the works as critics had in the past. I did not enjoy the reading or writing process. As a freshman at Loras, I was enrolled in the Critical Writing: Poetry class. For the first time since grade school, my writing ability was praised and the sharing of my ideas was encouraged by an enthusiastic and nurturing professor. Despite the difficulty of poetry, I enjoyed reading it.

Billy Collins uses dark rooms, oceans, hives, color slides and mouse mazes to describe his poem “Introduction to Poetry”, but also a way to analyze poetry in general. Growing up, students are advised by teachers how to analyze poetry. The speaker of Introduction to Poetry, Billy Collins, attempts to guide the readers by teaching them a unique and appropriate way to analyze poetry. The use of personification and imagery, by the author, gives the readers a new perspective to interpret and find the significance in poetry. In this particular poem, the speaker does not want the reader to listen to the teachers of the reader’s past, “tie the poem to a chair with rope and torture a

Laughter is a crucial thing in our everyday lives and is something you will inevitably do when you are reading Shel Silverstein's poems. Have you ever wondered what would happen if Uncle Ben found a mouse in the house or what a woman in a mink coat fought for? In all of his poems Shel Silverstein uses humor to make a connection with the reader. Shel Silverstein was a jack of all trades, not only was he a fantastic author, but he was also a musician! Although in Shel Silverstein's work he does not have a deeper meaning or connection to his life, often times his poems have a moral. In all of Shel Silverstein’s poems, you can see his creative and humorous sides.

Shel Silverstein was born in Chicago, Illinois 1932 and died May 10, 1999 from a heart attack. Shel Silverstein was a well know and well liked author/poet. Silverstein noticed his talents when he was twelve years old. When most boys are playing sports and chasing girls, Shel was at home writing and drawing original pieces. His talents were well –developed by the time he served in the US Armed Forces during the 1950's. While in the military he was a cartoonist for the Pacific Edition of the military newspaper Stars and Stripes. After his time spent in the military he became a cartoonist for Playboy in 1956. Those works for Playboy were then published into collections named " A Playboy's Teevee Jeebies" and "More Playboy's Teevee Jeebies

Dissolved oxygen is oxygen that is trapped in a fluid, such as water. Since many living organism requires oxygen to survive, it is a necessary component of water systems such as streams, lakes and rivers in order to support aquatic life. The dissolved oxygen is measured in units of parts per million (ppm). Examine the data in Table 4 showing the amount of dissolved oxygen present and the number of fish observed in the body of water the sample was taken from; finally, answer the questions below.

“I would hope that people, no matter what age, would find something to identify with my books…,” Shel Silverstein. (Ward 13) Throughout Shel Silverstein’s books he writes things that seem like a simple poem, but when the poems are deciphered they reveal a much deeper meaning. A situation may seem like a silly story about magic, but in reality it is a situation that encourages people to reach their full potential and take all they can from life. This also alludes to the fact that individuals can change the world by simply being themselves and portraying a positive image about themselves to the world. Furthermore, Shel Silverstein’s books encourage people to be themselves and to not let others influence how they think of themselves. Through Silverstein’s various works he has encouraged all age groups to embrace their individuality and he has taught people various life lessons through a more understandable medium.

Burt Franklin & Co., 1974. Rpt. in Poetry for Students. Ed. Mary Ruby. Vol. 6. Detroit:

“Anteater” by Shel Silverstein is about a child who was told by a salesperson at a pet store that he was buying “a genuine anteater” (Silverstein 1). Regrettably, the anteater was actually an “aunt eater” (Silverstein 3) causing his uncle’s anger. Using the word “genuine” (Silverstein 1) or other such words like authentic, purebred, fresh, all natural, amazing, or valuable are all sales tactics experienced in the real word. Sales Representatives want to give consumers an urge to buy specifically from them. This poem points out the misrepresentation of using the word “ant eater” (Silverstein 1) and “aunt eater” (Silverstein 3). Aunt, the way some people pronounce it, is a homophone of ant, meaning the words sound alike with different meanings.

Shel Silverstein’s poem, Peanut-Butter Sandwich, revolves around a king and his insatiatable greed for a peanut butter sandwich. Slowly, the king succumbs to his favorite food and his jaws become stuck from the thick peanut butter. The whole town is called and through many different attempts, finally manages to pull the king’s jaws apart. When initially searching for a poem to imitate, I immediately looked to Silverstein. He is very famous and creates jovial poems which easily bring smiles to readers everywhere. Silverstein’s use of rhymes, tone, and organization all lead to a poem that creates a sense of nostalgia in the reader, reminding them of happy thoughts of childhood. I chose to imitate Peanut-Butter Sandwich so I could reproduce those feelings in my audience.

Shel Silverstein, the author of, “Where the Sidewalk Ends”, was a musician and poet known for writing children books such as, “The Giving Tree” (Shel Silverstein). He was born on September 25, 1930 and died on May 8, 1999 (Shel Silverstein). Throughout his life Mr.Silverstein, worked in many diverse occupations ranging from the military to becoming an author (Shel Silverstein). Because majority of his books and poems were for children, they (the books and poems) often incorporated positive imagery, metaphors, etc. In the poem, “Where The Sidewalk Ends”, Shel Silverstein uses imagery, shift, and personal pronouns to identify that adults must forget about the materialistic things in their lives to achieve a greater sense of happiness and joy.

Edward Hirsch studied at Grinnell College and the University of Pennsylvania receiving a PhD in folklore. He went on to teach at Wayne State University and the University of Houston. After teaching for seventeen years at the University of Houston, Edward Hirsch left to focus on his writing which he began prose writing. He wrote four books which taught the reader how to read, appreciate, and how he wrote poetry. His first two books written in 1999 are Responsive Reading and How to Read a Poem and Fall in Love with Poetry. The later of the two was a national bestseller and “’ a product of a lifetime of passionate reflection’” (Edward Hirsch poets.org 1) by the poet Garrett Hongo. Hirsch’s third book, The Demon and the Angel: Searching for the Source of Artistic Inspiration, was written in 2002, and Poet’s Choice, a collection of two years worth of his weekly writings for the Washington Post Book World was published in 2007. Hirsch’s books are literary criticisms of poetry but in a new way. Literary criticism before had been very academic and jargon-filled which frustrated him, “’At a certain point I decided- because I was frustrated by criticism and a little appalled by the way that poets had turned over the craft to literary theorists without advocating on

We first must analyze the decision process and execution of Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center (BIDMC) to hire Paul Levy as CEO. The hospital was in desperate need of a competent leader who possessed the qualities that would turn around and save the not-for-profit company. In comparing the situation faced by BIDMC with Groysberg’s “Are Leaders Portable?” article, it becomes clear Levy possesses many “portable” qualities. Through the political frame we can see Levy has many political ties within the Boston area which making him a well respected and recognizable figure. The numerous connections he has within the area along with being familiar with Boston