Silly poems and deep, dark truths are the world of Shel Silverstein. The lights in the attic always seem to be on; however, if one takes a hard look at Silverstein’s work, one must look beyond the lights in the attic to delve through the rest of the house to come up with a whole picture of who Shel Silverstein was. As with most authors, the face put forward in public for consumption rarely matches the behind-the-scenes person who keeps personal secrets away from society. All understand this concept because everyone holds “secrets” close, never to be revealed to the world at large. As one reads Silverstein’s books, his Chicago upbringing becomes apparent. Not only are his poems timeless; his poetry delves into the world of what was important …show more content…
They assumed that he was just to emotionally unstable, they were right and wrong. When Silverstein came out with this book he made a statement saying I’m back and better than before. He used all the built up emotions while grieving his daughter, to work. He used it a inspiration. That’s when Silverstein becomes not so private with his emotions, he bluntly showed the world how angry and sad he really was. Silverstein grieved with the world and the world grieved back. People felt sorrow and some knew how he felt exactly. This just made the readers more engrossed and captured when reading “A light in the Attic”. Readers can feel the sadness through the words and pictures. There is a poem that is about a young kid and everything he touches, turns to jello, seems insistent, but that's not what it seem to be. “I tried to comb my wavy hair (slush). I took a dive into the sea (glush)- would you like to shake hands with me (sklush)”(53)?He wants the jello so swallow him up, he's got nothing left to live for, his family is gone and he can't live a normal life because when he touches you, you turn jello. If you relate this to Silverstein you can tell that he is depressed and confused with life. As for his parenting it reflects back on how he was raised. He doesn't know if there's anything left in the world for Shel Silverstein. It was tragic and so pitiful that God took his …show more content…
He lived life to the fullest and had some ups and some downs. He succeed and he failed but when he failed he learned. There are still secrets that are never to be seen but for now we know that the silly poems and deep dark truths are all true. Silverstein has more than one meaning in his work it just depends on who's reading it to truly understand what it's telling you. Everything that happened in his life affected him in his writing. Him lacking parental guidance affected him because he wanted love and nobody gave it. That’s why he resorted to his writing for care. He knew that if he needed something to count on, it was his writing. All of his achievements and failures affected him. When he failed at something he realized that he's not just gonna get stuff handed to him. He’s gonna have to work for it and get it himself. When he succeeded he learned that when you put in the work you get what you want in return. Him always being alone as a child made him want to be alone as an adult. It affected him because he wanted ninety percent of his personal life in his life not the whole worlds. This made him pull back in his writing, he wasn't writing to his full potential. He didn't want people to know his ocean deep secrets that he has sleepless nights trying to forget about. He writes about what he finds important, therefore even if he
he used real life situations to relate what was happening to the reader. “It gave him,to the very depth of his kind heart ,to observe how the children fled from his approach.”(Hawthorne,Pg,109) To this day people still have to deal with situations similar to this, therefore he could relate to some of the readers. “Such was the effect of this simple piece of crape” He used an outdated style so some of the readers might not of been able to get the full picture if was trying to present.
What can be said about a novel of such luminance as Snow Falling on Cedars that has not already been said? Certainly it is a work of much vision and insight and speaks volumes about prejudice and race. The wordplay of Guterson creates a world of vivid reality-it surrounds the reader with sights, smells and a clearly defined sense of touch. Perhaps lost amidst the smells of the strawberry fields, the cold of the winter storm, and the deep social statements about the nature and quirkiness of prejudice is the fact that this beautifully crafted story of immense complexity is in reality a very simple story about the identity of one man. Guterson himself says, "Post-modernism is dead because it didn't address human needs. The conventional story endures because it does. I'm interested in themes that endure from generation to generation" (qtd. in Kanner). This book is a conventional story, a simple story about the internal battle of Ishmael Chambers as he struggles with himself. This is made evident in the subtle and not too subtle comparisons made between Ishmael and other characters. Taking all of this into account reveals that the true theme of the book centers on the transformation of Ishmael from weak to strong.
Anyone with genuine interest in literature, has heard about the recent leakage of Three Stories, a collection of three short stories written by famous American writer, J. D. Salinger. While I do not support the fact, that those are now known to general public despite author’s wishes for the stories not to be published until 50 years after his death, I cannot say, that I wasn’t thrilled when I heard they leaked. I will only focus on one of the three stories here, namely The Ocean Full of Bowling Balls, precursor to the famed The Catcher in the Rye, taking place on the day of Allie’s death. More specifically I will be dealing with the meaning and symbolism behind the phrase “bowling ball” in the text.
Shel Silverstein is highly regarded as one of the best poets and authors of the 20th century. As a child, Silverstein had no poetic role model, hence he created his own form of writing; Free Verse. Although, he had no basic knowledge of poetry and his foundation was based purely on free verse, he later quickly became an outstanding poet and even a song composer. “Silverstein grew up in Chicago, and began writing and drawing at a young age” (poets.org). During his military career, Mr. Silverstein began making cartoons for the military’s magazine: Stars and stripes. Later on his early life, Shel Silverstein began to work for Playboy, where his poetry career started to blossom (Shel Silverstein: Biography). Mr. Silverstein made many poems and then was introduced to children’s writing. Here Silverstein’s popularity grew and became well recognized. The Giving Tree was an outstanding innovation of his and is still one of the best books to this day (Biography Channel). His creativity didn’t stop there, he began to compose songs. One exquisite song of Shel Silverstein is The Boy Named Sue. Silverstein even got Johnny Cash to sing it (Shel Silverstein: Biography). Even to an old age, Shel Silverstein continued to write poems and songs; increasing his popularity. Since Shel Silverstein was was a master of free verse, he made poems that equated to most people and became a favorite poet to America and to the World. Though a master of free verse, Silverstein’s diverse talents are evident is his expertise in writing poems, such as the poem, “Where the Sidewalk Ends”
Hennessy, Denis. Dictionary of Literary Biography, Volume 218: American Short-Story Writers Since World War II, Second Series. A Bruccoli Clark Layman Book. Edited by Patrick Meanor, State University of New York at Oneonta, and Gwen Crane, State University of New York at Oneonta. Gale Group, 1999. pp. 70-77.
In her essay, Pamela Steinle asserts that The Catcher in the Rye is a mundane novel and is confused as to how it gained a great deal of popularity, both positive and negative. She argues that, “[i]t is this fear of nuclear holocaust,... that I believe is at the
In an interview with the Paris Review, Amy Hempel compares writing short fiction with journalism, stating that, “you have to grab readers instantly and keep them.” She refers to “In the Cemetery Where Al Jolson is Buried,” remarking “The opener contains the whole story: ‘Tell me things I won’t mind forgetting’” (Hempel, 39).
Words can have a profound, meaningful impact that may alter, shift, and even end lives. In “Create Dangerously”, Edwidge Danticat reveals how words crafted her reality and identity as a woman who lived through a dictatorship. “Create Dangerously” is a nonfiction essay and memoir that focuses on the impact of literature not only in dire times, but in everyday life. Through the use of detail, allusions, and vivid recounting of the past in her writing, Danticat reveals importance and valor of creating art in times where art is a death sentence, and how this belief shaped her identity.
Baym, Nina, and Robert S. Levine. The Norton Anthology of American Literature. New York London: W. W. Norton & Company, 2012. Print.
	In Sely Friday’s reference to a biography, Shel Silverstein was quoted as saying, " . . . I would much rather have been a good baseball player or a hit with the girls. But I couldn't play ball, I couldn't dance. Luckily, the girls didn't want me; not much I could do about that. So, I started to draw and to write." Because of his rejection by some of his peers, he found his own hobby: entertaining others. During the 1950’s, Silverstein even served as a member of the United States Armed Forces. While in this position, he was employed as a cartoonist to help cheer up the troops during the Korean War. In 1956, the writer worked again as a cartoonist, but this time for a little-known magazine called Playboy. Despite this wide range of literary audiences, Silverstein’s main purpose was to entertain.
Heller, Joseph. The Chelsea House Library of Literary Criticism. Twentieth-Century American Literature Vol. 3. New York. Chelsea House Publishers, 1986.
Work Cited PageCentury, Douglas. Toni Morrison: Author New York: Chelsea Publishing, 1994Childress, Alice. "Conversations with Toni Morrison" "Conversation with Alice Childress and Toni Morrison" Black Creation Annual. New York: Library of Congress, 1994. Pages 3-9Harris, Trudier. Fiction and Folklore: The Novels of Toni Morrison Knoxville: The university of Tennessee press, 1991Morrison, Toni. Sula. New York: Plume, 1973Morrison, Toni. The Bluest Eye. New York: Plume, 1970Stepto, Robert. "Conversations with Toni Morrison" Intimate Things in Place: A conversation with Toni Morrison. Massachusetts Review. New York: Library of Congress, 1991. Pages 10- 29.
... read and his beautiful and descriptive style allow me to say with absolute certainty that Steinbeck has developed into being my favorite author over the past few months. Yet, as I bring this paper to a close, I know that I have barely skimmed the surface of who this man was and why he wrote what he did the way he did.
John B. Updike is a novelist, poet, short story author, playwright, children’s book author, literary critic, art critic, and essayist. Updike is one of the world’s most versatile, serious, and prolific writers. Though his writing style and subjects vary greatly, he is committed to addressing the moral, social, and cultural conditions of his generation. Updike was born on March 18, 1932 and raised in a small town by the name of Shillington, Pennsylvania, right outside of Reading. He lived there as an only child, until the age of thirteen. As he grew older, he attended Harvard University, where he majored in English and contributed to and later edited the Harvard Lampoon. In 1955 he married his first wife Mary Pennington, with whom he had his four children. After the first marriage was dissolved, he married Martha Bernhard in 1977. They were happily married and lived in Beverly Farms, Massachusetts, until his death on January 27, 2009, from lung cancer. Throughout his life he wrote more than 50 books and short stories, one being “Trust Me.” “Trust Me” was written in 1987 and was one of John Updike’s primary works.
Belasco, Susan, and Linck Johnson, eds. The Bedford Anthology of American Literature. Vol. 1, 2nd Ed., Boston: Bedford/St. Martin's, 2014. 1190-1203. Print.