Where The Sidewalk Ends By Shel Silverstein

Children’s literature is the precedent for the development of all children. Children’s literature varies from poetry to children’s picture books. Every aspect of children’s literature gives an ability to grow a child mentally and develop their ideas and imagination. In early literature, children were romanized to be perfect and well behaved. Author Maurice Sendak counters the idea of a perfect child in his book “Where The Wild Things Are”. Sendak uses his picture book to illustrate a child’s ability to have feelings of anger, resentment, and frustration. The interviewer, Patrick F. Roughen of Red Feather Journal states that“Where the Wild Things Are (1963) contains some of the earliest attempts in children’s literature to represent the intrapsychic challenges of the lives of children. Anger, frustration, and the complexities of parent-child relationships can be found throughout its pages”. “Where the Wild Things Are” reinforces the idea that children are capable of emotions that one would imagine are only depicted in the adult world.

Books are said to be the foundation of our knowledge, the fruit of our innovation and the life of our values. Today, we can read Fifty-Shades of Grey publicly without a sanction and is viewed as normal. Although among children’s books it has not always been that way. In China, Green Eggs and Ham written by Dr. Seuss was banned by the Chinese Government from 1965-1991 due to its supposed display of early Marxism and in California due to its assume sexual nature. The world of tolerance pertaining to books has expanded from sneaking in to reading online to now also the difference within education systems like China and among the state of California. In California, Green Eggs and Ham was banned by officials at a California School in the early 1990’s due to the assumption that the book gave homosexual seduction in which they thought the eggs and ham tempted Sam in a sexual nature while in China, the book was ban because the Chinese

“Stop letting people walk all over you. You 're not a sidewalk.” This is a quote that applies to the life of Paul Fisher. Paul Fisher is a 13-year-old character played in the novel, Tangerine by Edward Bloor. Paul, who moved from Texas to Tangerine County located in Florida was disabled. His disability of being legally blind has been the shadow of his life. Paul has an older brother named Erik Fisher, a mother named Mrs. Fisher, and a father Mr. Fisher. Erik is the star kicker for Tangerine High School. All of Paul’s life, Erik had been the fearful, scary older brother to Paul. In Edward Bloor’s novel Tangerine, Paul’s brother Erik, has a negative impact on Paul throughout the novel, but will his fear for Erik change throughout the novel?

America’s answer for dealing with crime prevention is locking up adult offenders in correctional facilities with little rehabilitation for reentry into society. American response for crime prevention for juvenile’s offenders is the same strategy used against adult offenders taken juvenile offenders miles away from their environment and placed in adult like prisons.

“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.

In the article “The End of Men,” Hanna Rosin offers several examples of women overpowering men. The inequality between men and women has become a critical issue in today’s society. According to Rosin, women are slowly surging ahead in the workforce and family life while men are left behind struggling to meet expectations. Rosin argues that this role reversal is taking place because women are simply better suited for postindustrial society.

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)").

The Poetic Analysis of “Where The Sidewalk Ends” by: Shel Silverstein “Where The Sidewalk Ends” is a tercet poem as well as a book of poems by Shel Silverstein. He is known for his humorous and wacky childrens poems, as well as his trippy black and white sketches. Some of his most famous work include “A Light in The Attic” and “The Giving Tree”. According to booksource.com, the poem was published in 1974, and geared towards entertaining and engaging children. Silverstein’s poem also has a deeper meaning for adults.

For this paper, I decided to look at a poem instead of a song. The poem I decided to analyze is a narrative called The Butter Battle Book, written by Dr. Seuss. But Tristan, Dr. Seuss is a children's author, what is there to analyze. Well, if you have read this poem, then you would know that while it is marketed to kids, there is a very mature adult message, so hear me out. The Butter Battle Book is one of the more obscure Dr. Seuss titles, so odds are you didn't grow up reading this. If you have read this, then you would know why this is not a house hold classic, like Horton Hears a Who or The Lorax.

Sheldon Allan Silverstein was not always the literature icon he quickly became in the mid 20th century. Born on September 25, 1930 in Chicago, Illinois during the Great Depression. He was not a very sociable child. His hobbies included drawing cartoons and writing. As a result, his professional drawing and writing career began with cartooning and writing for Playboy Magazine, in 1952. He was also not popular with girls during his teenage year, which motivated him to write more mature poetry in the future about love. Silverstein wanted to reach out to all age groups and express that his talent was not only used for the entertainment of children, but for everyone. Silverstein didn’t write to impress others “… he did “hope that people no matter what age, would find something to identify… and experience a personal sense of discovery”.” in his poetry (Shel Silverstein 1999). Silverstein was divorced and had one daughter, who died in her childhood. He served in the armed forces during the 1950’s, and

The Giving Tree by Shel Silverstein is a short story that depicts the childhood of a boy who spent most of his time with a giving tree that showed him nothing but love, however after reading this short story one may have second thoughts on what their definition of true friendship is. In the start of the short story, a young boy and a tree meet and become close. Yet as the boy becomes older he visits the tree not to reminisce about the old days or have fun but to instead take from her. Through a Marxist lens, one can witness how the boy takes advantage of the trees natural resources to further his own economic status. While also being made to look like a part of the upper class while the tree associated with the lower and working class.

Theodor Seuss Giesel was one of the best poets who seldom received the credit he deserved because he was geared toward an audience of children. Our experiences as a child lay the foundation for the rest of our lives, and Dr. Seuss gets children excited about reading. Although he is known for writing and illustrating children’s books, the stories themselves are poems.

The word pleasant has never been used to describe Charles Bukowski, with his traumatic upbringing being the primary cause. His father was a tyrant, physically beating him for even the smallest offenses, and he was the victim of constant bullying throughout his school years. These events shaped Bukowski into the cold and desensitized writer the public has come to know and appreciate for his blatant honesty. Though violent imagery and vulgar diction are typically what characterize Bukowski, his work, specifically in poems like “The Crunch,” reveal a deeper portrait of the author, one that depicts the truths of urban life and the American Dream, as well as the shift that occurred in his works in relation to his impending death.

With the release of Leaves of Grass, a new form of poetry is born. This form defies convention in presentation and subject matter. The compilation of poems did not get the immediate attention and recognition Whitman had hoped for due this defiance. Although it was championed by several famous poets, especially Ralph Waldo Emerson, it would take many years for the works to become successful. The explicit sexual theme in Whitman’s works is the chief source of the delayed recognition Leaves of Grass eventually receives. “Leaves of Grass was probably more notorious for its sexual explicitness than admired for its poetic qualities” (Nathanson 400). Whitman initially incorporated the sexual theme into two articles for the Brooklyn paper. Whitman was forced to resign “because of the indignation of some of his readers” (Asselineau 107). This fueled his desire to teach the general population that sex is universal and should be embraced without fear and anxiety. “The body, he teaches, is beautiful. Sex is also beautiful” (Whitman 208).

Harlan Coben, an American writer of thrillers and mystery novels once said, “Make no mistake, adolescence is a war. No one gets out unscathed.” The term adolescence typically describes the years between ages thirteen and nineteen. Some experience more hardship during this time period than others. No matter the experience, everyone is bound to take something with them from that stage in their lives. American poet and educator, Ai , author and teacher, Gwendolyn Brooks, and emmy award winning poet Kwame Dawes have all contributed works of literature dealing with this time era of one’s life. Ai’s “The Kid” tells a gruesome story about a young boy and his family. The world around the young boy is moving in perfect harmony. However, he is not. He begins to kill off his family members one by one in an unsympathetic context. Gwendolyn Brooks “We Real Cool” is a poem about seven young pool players. They drop out of school and live careless lifestyles. These careless lifestyles would soon lead them to an early death. This poem was written in 1959. During this time the racial tension within communities was at an all time high. Civil Rights leaders were constantly pushing for the rights that African Americans deserved. The time period it was written in fits in well with the context of the poem. At a time when the quality of life for people of color was constantly degraded, young males such as the ones in the poem had nothing to lose. Kwame Dawes “Tornado Kid” tells a story about a