“How many slams in an old screen door? Depends how loud you shut it. How many slices in a loaf of bread? Depends how thin you cut it. How much good is inside a day? Depends how good you live’em. How much love inside a friend? Depends how much you give’em. ” (etsy.com) This quote is by Shel Silverstein. To truly understand Silverstein’s individual style, it is necessary to delve further into his personal background, analyze the components of his poetry, and articulate an organized response to his work. Shel was born September 25, 1930 in Chicago, Illinois, to Helen and Nathan Silverstein. He grew up in a Jewish home. Shel had a sister, Peggy, and they “grew up in the immigrant community of Logan Square in Chicago, Illinois.” (Super) When he was a little older, he dreamed of becoming a player for the Chicago White Sox, which was his favorite team, so he devoted most of his childhood trying to concentrate on becoming a baseball player. When he wasn’t practicing baseball, he was drawing. But he soon figured out that any kind of athletics was not his “cup of tea”, so he stuck to drawing. Shel also figured out at a young age, that girls didn’t really care for him. He thought they would like him for his drawings, since he didn’t have any role models to “copy” from, so it was his own style of drawings. But he obviously thought wrong. He went to school at Roosevelt High School. This is where he found out he had a girl problem. After Shel had graduated from Roosevelt High School, he attended the University of Illinois, to study art. That didn’t last long though. Since he had such poor grades, he was expelled from the University. Shortly after that incident, he then transferred to the Chicago of Fine Arts. This too only lasted a year. She... ... middle of paper ... ... and careful to let it blossom into something beautiful. But if you hurry that flower and rip open then petals, it can end in a disaster, because you can ruin the flower. Just like you can ruin a relationship if you make things move too fast. I also learned a while ago the relationships are supposed to be meant to get ready for marriage. I don’t know about you, but at the rightful age of 18, the last thing I want to worry about is marriage! I’m more focused on what college I am going to attend, and family matters. In my opinion, every teen and young adult needs to read this short story, because it can teach them a lot. Maybe they can reread it several times to make sure they really soak it in. The reader can conclude that relationships have their own pace, but you need to keep things slow. Because if you don’t, then it could end up with you being sad and alone.
"If you were a genius in mathematics, I would understand. If you were a genius in writing, I would also understand. If you were a genius in Gemorra, I would certainly understand. But a genius in drawing is foolishness, and I will not let it interfere with our lives. Do you understand me, Asher?" (Potok 136). The struggle begins for young Asher Lev, a talented artist who tries to convince his father and the rest of his family of his artistic ability, when his father refuses to recognize his talent. Set in a tightly knitted Jewish community in Brooklyn, Chaim Potok successfully depicted a young boy torn between his orthodox Jewish tradition and his passion for art in his best seller My Name is Asher Lev. Asher Lev knew from a young age that he was destined to draw. Unfortunately, his friends and family simply discarded his gift as foolishness or mere childishness. His struggles were so great that he became a virtual outcast. The cost of being an artist was so immense as to affect the life of Asher Lev in profound ways.
I would recommend this story to anyone who enjoys stories centered on the maturation of youth during their teenage years. I felt that the climax of this story was not as exciting as it could have been. However, the storyline was very interesting as well as entertaining. I look forward to reading other stories by this author!
Michael Gray’s analysis of Dylan’s lyrics being a contrast between hackneyed expressions and “beautifully done” are exemplified in the song “Just Like a Woman.” Dylan’s lyrics “she aches just like a woman but she breaks just like a little girl” is given the harsh description of “maudlin platitude” and deemed to be a “non-statement.” If Dylan’s lyrics cannot uphold against meaningful music of the same category, how can they be expected to stand against literature written for a different field. John Lennon had his own critiques of Dylan’s works, calling out how the abstract nature of his lyrics, having loose definition, never achieved an actual point. Lennon’s definition of “poetry” referred to “stick[ing] a few images together” and “thread[ing] them” in order to create something meaningful. It once again boils down to the fact that Dylan’s music that was written and intended to be received as a live performance. The acknowledgement that “…you have to hear Dylan doing it” is a recognition of his composition’s failure to come across as a normal literary work. It’s all part of a “good game.” This in itself should disqualify Dylan as a possible candidate for the Nobel Prize.
In today’s modern view, poetry has become more than just paragraphs that rhyme at the end of each sentence. If the reader has an open mind and the ability to read in between the lines, they discover more than they have bargained for. Some poems might have stories of suffering or abuse, while others contain happy times and great joy. Regardless of what the poems contains, all poems display an expression. That very moment when the writer begins his mental journey with that pen and paper is where all feelings are let out. As poetry is continues to be written, the reader begins to see patterns within each poem. On the other hand, poems have nothing at all in common with one another. A good example of this is in two poems by a famous writer by the name of Langston Hughes. A well-known writer that still gets credit today for pomes like “ Theme for English B” and “Let American be American Again.”
The tone of Listening to grownups quarreling, has a completely different impact. When reading this poem, the reader has a more sad outlook on the thoughts of this author’s memories. Whitman uses ...
When I was in elementary school, I loved to read. I was a total nerd back then ... okay maybe I still am, but one thing has changed. Now I don't so much like reading. My favorite poet was Shel Silverstein, who wrote "Where the Sidewalk Ends." He seemed like he was a total hippie, but that's cool because I like hippies. My grandma is a recovering hippie. I like her too. Anyway, Shel Silverstein wrote about the coolest things. He wrote about magical erasers, eating whales and a boy with long hair flying away from people who were taunting him. He captured all of the things that I loved without knowing that I actually loved them. Now you may ask, how does this hippie relate to our graduation? Well, he wrote a poem entitled "Traffic Light" and this is how it goes:
In my mind this particular short story has a very interesting meaning behind it. This meaning is one that many younger people such as myself would benefit most from. I think that the whole point of the story is that you shouldn't just rush along and always be in such a hurry.
Shel Silverstein was not always the poetry icon he quickly became in the mid-20th century. He was born on September 25, 1930 in Chicago, Illinois during the Great Depression. Silverstein was not a very sociable child. His hobbies included drawing cartoons and writing. Silverstein used to trace cartoons of Al Capp, as a boy. 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 did not write to impress others “… he did “hope that people no matter what age, would find something to identify… and experience
Shel Silverstein is one of the highest selling children's authors (10 interesting facts about Shel Silverstein). Silverstein was best known for his works as a poet, songwriter and singer, cartoonist, and musician (Shel Silverstein Biography Bio.com). Sheldon Allan Silverstein was born to Nathan and Helen Silverstein (Shel Silverstein Life & Timeline). He was married one time which later ended in a divorce (Shel Silverstein Life & Timeline). Within that marriage he had a daughter, however, his daughter later passed away at the age of 11 (Shel Silverstein Life & Timeline). Another thing about Shel Silverstein is he didn’t originally began writing children's books (Shel Silverstein Biography Bio.com). In, short Shel Silverstein is a high selling
First of all, he influenced music because he wrote a song that Johnny Cash, a very very influential singer in the 20th century, called “A Boy Named Sue”. He also made it into the Nashville Songwriter's Hall of Fame and won two Grammies. In addition to his musical success and impact, Shel had a huge impact on children’s books, becoming one of the most well-known children’s books authors, along with to Judy Blume and Dr. Suess. Some of his most famous literary works are The Giving Tree and Where the Sidewalk Ends. One can see Silverstein’s works in many different schools where you will often find his books in classroom and school libraries. Throughout these schools, you can also spot students sharing and laughing at Shel’s poems and stories. I particularly have very much enjoyed the poems of Shel Silverstein. As a young child, I appreciated Shel’s poems and they gave me a little bit of a delight in poetry and children’s book-writing. Even now, I have a dream of writing my own children’s books and novels.
In Pound’s early life, he was known to jump frequently from one project to the next, always having to excel at everything he set his mind to. He always thought of himself as “the only student who was making any attempt to understand” (Levenson) in school. He “was an enthusiastic popularizer as well as a savant” (Alexander), qualities that are both revealed in his work. Just as lightning strikes, Ezra Pound’s words are gone in an instant. The length of this poem is extremely significant in the message Pound is trying to convey. It is short and fast, just as the subway moves, with the rapid opening and closing of the sliding doors, only giving fleeting images of the beautiful faces inside. His seemingly simplistic two-line poem holds a complex meaning underneath the surface. In a Station of the Metro in Paris, Ezra Pound spots “one beautiful face, then another, and another”, (Pavlovski) leaving him momentarily at a loss for words. The faces blend together before him, like the colors of a painting. Each face represents a different thing Pound has wished to pursue, there are so many that they begin to blur together. He describes these beautiful faces as mesmerizing “petals on a wet, black bough” (408-2). Just like a child that goes flower picking, he desires to pick the most alluring one. Caught in his line of sight is the art of poetry. He is centered in the midst of this tornado of faces, and as if time has slowed, he comes to the realization that he must write about this experience. This poem is the beginning of his era, with him writing of “a language in color” (Pavlovski). With this, he crafts a whole new way to communicate with his
Shel Silverstein, though shaded from the public eye, was a well known author, poet, illustrator, songwriter, photographer and musician. His poems told the story of incredible people, places and animals from around the world of the imagination. He had a following of millions, yet was very secretive about his life. He had many tragedies take place in a short while, not affecting his professional life enough to hinder him from still creating some of the most unusual and wild poems and stories ever told. He is still recognized as one of America’s best poets and was honored by many awards. Shel Silverstein overcame a lot of struggles and still seemed to touch the lives of millions of children and adults all over the world. Shel Silverstein always encouraged his readers to make their own magic, though he was always making enough for all of us to share.
Shel Silverstein was a cartoonist for the military newspaper during the Korean War. After the war he went on to write well known songs for popular artist like Johnny cash and Loretta Lynn. After writing music for a while Shel met a woman named Ursula Nordstrom, a book editor, who convinced him to start writing children’s books. He later created books know across the world such as The Giving Tree and Where the Sidewalk Ends. In his poem “Sick”, the theme Innocence is shown by the contribution of hyperboles, Imagery, and rhyme scheme found in his poem.
This poem has captured a moment in time of a dynamic, tentative, and uncomfortable relationship as it is evolving. The author, having shared her thoughts, concerns, and opinion of the other party's unchanging definition of the relationship, must surely have gone on to somehow reconcile the situation to her own satisfaction. She relishes the work entailed in changing either of them, perhaps.
asserted that “poetry makes nothing happen.” He went on: “it survives / In the valley of