Shel Silverstein Facts

Throughout the poem, the Kathy J. describes the oak tree in many different ways. “Stand tall, oh mighty oak, for all the world

The diction in the excerpt is an essential component to the dramatization of the plot’s central incident. Jewett uses rich language to intensify the simple nature of the main character Sylvia’s journey up a “great pine-tree.” For example, in describing the tree, the narrator uses personification as he mentions the “huge tree asleep yet in the paling moonlight.” The use of personification harkens back to those universal moments in childhood in which everything alive had human feelings, and creates an emotional attachment between the reader and the tree. Jewett also uses other figurative language, like similes, to relate the grandeur of the tree to the audience. She writes, “It [the tree] was like a great main-mast to the voyaging earth…” In comparing the tree to the great mast of a ship, the author invokes feelings of awe at its size.

The tree would love to play with the boy. From page 5 through 10 it shows how much the boy and the tree would play together. It shows all the things they would do when the boy was younger. "...he would gather her leaves and make them into crowns and play king of the forest. He would climb up her trunk and swing from her branches and eat apples. And they would play hide-and-go-seek." It is like how a mother and son play a lot together when he is young. All the things the boy and the tree would do, the mother and son do also. A mother also takes care of her child.

The literal language used in the beginning of the free verse does not imply the tree having any symbolic meaning to the speaker and her mother. It is casually said- “My mother and I debate, we could sell the black walnut tree…[to] pay off the mortgage” - which defines that in these lines the tree has not yet been introduced with its symbolic purpose. Initially, the tree is viewed as a property they are willing to sell. They rationalize the idea by noting that there are “roots in the

Now what were the real things that help him start his journey? What were the things that made Shel Silverstein into the author that he was by the end of his life and how many things impacted Shel Silverstein’s writing life? When he was young he dreamed to be a good baseball player, so that he can be popular with the girls. But when he tried to play baseball he was very bad, and no girls wanted to be with him because nothing is worse than someone who is bad at something and tries too hard to try to look good at it. Because of that, Shel started his career in writing, and illustrating pictures. By the time the girls were interested in him due to the fact he was better with his words other than his physical

Shel Silverstein’s life and its relations to Children’s Poetry Shel Silverstein is one of those poets where everyone reads their work as a child. From “The Giving Tree,” to “Where the Sidewalk Ends,” and lastly “A light in the attic.” Shel’s work will forever live on.

The Life of Shel Silverstein, in a Nutshell As a well known author, Shel Silverstein has written over two-hundred poems, that are loved and read all around the world. Having many talents and careers, Silverstein has won multiple awards and honors throughout his life, including a few Grammys, and many book awards(Shel Silverstein's Biography). Silverstein’s unique sense of humor, is shown amongst his writings. “If you want to find out what a writer or a cartoonist really feels, look at his work.

Shel Silverstein is known for his much loved children's books written with humor and unique illustrations (“Shel Silverstein,” 2000, Encyclopedia). Shel Silverstein showed people a new type of children's poems with his four best selling books The Giving Tree, A light in the Attic, Where the Sidewalk Ends, and Falling Up (“Shel Silverstein,” 2001). Together those four books have sold over eighteen million copies in twenty languages around the globe (“Shel Silverstein,” 2001). Shel Silverstein also won tons of awards because of how he illuminated the world. One of the awards Shel Silverstein won is the William Allen White Children's Book Award in 1984 for A Light in the Attic (“Shel Silverstein,”2000, Newsmakers).

Writing was the only place he could get away from everything and just write and try to express him and his story through fictional ways, which he did a great job

Though Silverstein spent his early life serving in the U.S. Army during the 1950’s in Japan and Korea, he wrote for the Stars and Stripes throughout his time-serving (“Shel Silverstein Biography: Author, Illustrator, Poet, Songwriter (1930-1999)”). For example, during this time he wrote: “Hug O' WAR” (“Shel Silverstein Quotes”). After his service in the Army, Silverstein was a cartoonist for many magazines, and when he joined Playboy he started his career of writing poems and songs (“Silverstein, Shel”). More importantly, Silverstein was introduced to the distinguished book editor at Harper and Brothers, Ursula Nordstrom, who convinced him he could write for children ("Shel Silverstein Biography: Author, Illustrator, Poet, Songwriter (1930-1999)").Though he never intended to write or draw for children he ended up writing some best seller children’s books in the world ("Shel Silverstein Biography: Author, Illustrator, Poet, Songwriter (1930-1999)"). Silverstein was not afraid to delve into new adventures as noted, “you can't fall if you don't climb but there's no joy in living your whole life on the ground” ("Shel Silverstein Biography: Author, Illustrator, Poet, Songwriter (1930-1999)").

Growing up, my dad had a book by a very interesting man named Shel Silverstein. Thesis: Shel Silverstein's poetry is like coming up for a breath of fresh air. In a fun, light-hearted way his poem “A language forgotten" expresses how we have lost our imagination and should learn to be childlike once more. Research question 1: How is he similar/different from other poets?

The tree wants the boy to be happy so the tree does everything it could to see the boy happy. This paragraph is about selfishness 2 The boy takes from the tree every time he visits the tree and never gives back to the tree. He hasn’t came back to the tree without asking the tree for something.

Consequently the apple tree that was sought out to be assured had died and has penetrated to the speaker with deep regret. This regret runs deeply and plagues the poet and soaks him with despondency. Through the use of reading this poem it is gathered that the author wants the audience to understand that you have to give something in order to get something in return. It was reflected in the poem that speaker did not give much to the tree and the result of that was that the tree barely gave him something in return. Even Though the tree did give something in return it did die shortly after as it started to wither.

Within the text is the dialogue, “‘Come, Boy, climb up my trunk and swing from my branches and be happy’” (Silverstein 42-43). The tree constantly asks the boy whether he would like to play with her, and every time the boy refuses. This situation occurs three times and every single time the situation plays out in a similar way where boy refuses to play, but asks for something instead. This shows the love of the tree and the neglect of the boy.

As the tree is speaking “to humankind,” it makes what the tree is saying important and relatable as the listeners of this poem are all humans. The tree is telling humankind to join the tree beside the river. Since the tree is beside the river, they must be connected the same way the present is connected to the future. Trees cannot thrive without water, nor can there be a future without the present. In the next line, the speaker uses imagery as well as repetition to better communicate this by saying, “Plant yourself beside me, here beside the river.”