Tired eyes and exhausted exhales are the results of a night spent being trampled on by whatifs. Shel Silverstein’s poem entitled “Whatif” is narrated by a young boy who is being kept awake at night by endless whatifs. Some of the whatifs are childish and absurd, but many are whatifs that adults have to fight off every night. Silverstein wrote “Whatif” to emphasize that some whatifs do not only plague children. Whatifs regarding growing tall and shrinking heads do not keep adults awake at night
the Academy Award in 1991, only eight years before his death. Through his decades, he accumulated an outstanding writing resume, including scripts, musical compositions, books, cartoons, and poetry, for which he is best admired (Humanities, no p). Shel Silverstein intensely respected blunt honesty, originality, and unpredictable stories. Although unnerving at times, the works of Silverstein have an illimitable and ageless appeal and include many reoccurring themes such as never compromise oneself
Kurt Chambers says it best, “ The innocence of children is what makes them stand out as a shining example of mankind”. Shel Silverstein’s childlike poem, “ Where the Sidewalk Ends” teaches us an important lesson about youth, where innocence and the imagination was plentiful. The author uses imagery and metaphors to show us how industrialization forces us to grow up. Children are part of this dream world where their imagination runs wild. “ And there the moonbird rests from his flight, to cool in
Born on September 25, 1930 in Chicago, Illinois, Shel Silverstein was one of the most unique poet of his time. His life was full of struggles and accomplishments which made a great impact on his career. Ironically, he didn’t like children literature but Ursula Nordstrom, an editor at Harper and Brothers, convinced him to write something for the younger generation. By using clever rhymes, edgy humor, and silly drawings, he achieved the impossible. Silverstein connected the worlds of adult and children
In “The Giving Tree” by Shel Silverstein, one is able to take a Marxist approach by making the contentious argument that economic and ideological circumstances are present throughout the story. Marxism challenges class relations through documenting the prevalence of power struggle within society. “The Giving Tree” includes characteristics that are thus deemed problematic by those who approach literature with a Marxist critical ‘lens’. In this short story, the idea that happiness is formed through