Shel Silverstein: A Brief Biography

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Shel Silverstein Shel Silverstein once said, “If the track is tough and the hill is rough, THINKING you can just ain’t enough!” Shel Silverstein was a great American poet, cartoonist, screenwriter, singer, songwriter, and author of childrens books. He also had a remarkable life, an interesting style, and a long-lasting effect on the world of the arts today. The life of Sheldon Allan “Shel” Silverstein started on September 25, 1930 in Chicago, Illinois. He lived there for a while where he attended Roosevelt High School, then went to and got expelled from the University of Illinois and then went to the Chicago Academy of Fine Arts. While he was attending here, he left to serve in the United States Army. In addition to poetry, Shel wrote multiple …show more content…

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. From all this, you can see that Shel Silverstein had an eventful life, an uncommon style, and a lasting impact on the modern day. I hope you’ve enjoyed the set of poems I’ve added and other features in this essay. Maybe next time you’re looking for some poems or stories to read, you will consider books by Shel

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