Poems by Shel Silverstein

The Little Boy and the Old Man

1.What is the underlying message that is being conveyed in this poem?

Ans: Even though there is a huge age difference between the young boy and the old man, both of them still do the same things.

For example:" Said the little boy," Sometimes I drop my spoon."

Said the old man:" I do that too."

2. Has Shel Silverstein used any particular poetic technique that brings out this message more clearly?

Ans: Shel Silverstein used repetition of the words " I do that too" to bring out the message that the little boy and the old man have much a common.

Messy Room

1. Can you say that the poem is humorous? If so how?

Ans: This poem is humorous. At the beginning of the poem, the poet describe the room to be very messy. He described that everything was strewn across the room, also saying that the owner of the room should be ashamed. However, he did not know that the room was in fact his.

2. What aspect of the human character has been highlighted in this poem?

Ans: The human character that has been highlighted was that people tend to only point a accusing finger at others but instead not at themselves. The poet accused the owner of the room to be untidy and messy, but he did not even realise that he was actually talking about himself.

Cloony the Clown

1. Explain the irony in this poem.

Ans: When Cloony the Clown was trying to be funny, he wasn't at all funny to his audiences. Ironically, when Cloony was trying to be serious and tell people about his troubles, the people laughed non-stop.

2. Does Shel Silverstein manage to convey some harsh realities in this poem?

Ans: Shel Silverstein managed to convey some harsh realities in his poem. Cloony the Clown told everyone about his worries and troubles, but nobody seems to care or understand him. Everyone just continued to laugh.

3. What poetic devices has the poet used to effectively convey his message?

Ans: The poet used repetition to convey his message effectively.

For example:" And every time he did a trick... And every time he told a joke... And every time he lost a shoe..." and the word laughed was repeated many times from lines 33-37.

4. Which of the above can you identify the most? Write down your thoughts on your blog...

Ans: I could identify the most with Cloony the Clown. The poet used a lot of repetition and there was also irony. The entire poem is filled with repetition of what Cloony and his audiences did.