What do people do with the forgotten things in their life? In this century, people buy many things, play or use them for a short period of time, and when they stop using them they are forgotten. In "Someone Has To," Shel Silverstein writes about the forgotten things. The theme of this poem is people need to appreciate their belongings that are long forgotten and neglected.
In the first line of the poem, the speaker makes it seem as if the poem is about work when in fact you need to go beyond that. Symbolism and repetition appear and play a big role in this poem. "Somebody has to go polish the stars," is repeated a few times. At first glance this line seems like someone is forcing another to do the work. The next line, "They're looking a bit dull," goes with the first line. The stars represent forgotten, neglected things that are not well cared for. Stars are usually bright where as in this poem they are portrayed as dull. This symbolizes that people need to appreciate their possessions enough to be taken care of properly. If not these things are left and as a result go dull.
…show more content…
In the middle of the poem more symbolism appears but personification, connecting ands, and 3(rhyme) also appear.
The tone of the poem is mostly created by the lines in the middle section of the poem. Lines such as, "have all been complaining they're tarnished and worn," makes it feel as if a person was tired or needing rest. "Have all been complaining," suggests a sense of lack of control a person has over a situation. There are three birds mentioned: eagles, starlings, and gulls. All symbolize people who have power and influence over others. These people are aware of the current state of the dull stars but they still don't do anything to solve or help the situation hence the line, "they say they want new ones we cannot
afford". At the end of the poem is the solution the "eagles, starlings, and gulls" have come up with. Symbolism is still used in the last part of the poem. "So please get your rags and your polishing jars," signify people who are financially unstable. Being called rags sends the message they are not highly thought of and the people being asked to polish the stars are not the wealthiest of people. "So please get your rags," makes the reader feel like they have no control over a situation just like the line "have all been complaining" in the middle of the poem makes the reader feel. In the end, Shel Silverstein's poem is a lesson to learn from. People need to appreciate their belongings that are long forgotten and neglected. The poem starts off with the stars, object that are forgotten, and how they have not been treated correctly. It goes on to talk about the two types of people in the world: those who have power, sees the problem, but does nothing and those who are poor who have to polish the stars. The message was to not forget about things you own and if they are forgotten, take care of them or else they become dull.
The poet begins by describing the scene to paint a picture in the reader’s mind and elaborates on how the sky and the ground work in harmony. This is almost a story like layout with a beginning a complication and an ending. Thus the poem has a story like feel to it. At first it may not be clear why the poem is broken up into three- five line stanzas. The poet deliberately used this line stanzas as the most appropriate way to separate scenes and emotions to create a story like format.
This gives the effect that although there is mass devastation, there is always a light at the end of the tunnel, in this case for the eagle, the leftover remains of a carcass. However, as seen throughout the poem this isn’t the case for everyone and everything as the dead or dying clearly outnumber those prospering from the drought. This further adds to the miserable and discouraging mood of the poem. Other poetic devices are also used during the course of the
“If you are a dreamer, come in” (Silverstein 9). The opening line in Where the Sidewalk Ends, the first book in his popular trilogy, Shel Silverstein offers the reader a seat by his fire and a few tales to hear. He sets out his theme, for this book and others, of adventure, imagination and creativity. Silverstein’s style of poetry is often referred to as peculiar or unconventional. Each of his poems, though off the wall, has an underlying message or advice on life, love, school, family and many other topics. Shel Silverstein teaches his readers life lessons through his quirky and eccentric poems.
Coleridge and Poe are both known for writing incredible horror stories. There most famous stories are The Raven, Poe, and The Rime of the Ancient Mariner, Coleridge. Both stories were the first of their kind and were written around the same time. These poems have many things in common and many other things not in common. The main focus here is the symbolism of the birds in the poem. The poems are in fact based around the birds and their meanings. There are three main points to compare between the symbolism of the birds, they are; the birds both being an omen, the birds giving a feeling of remorse or prosperity, and the birds creating a false hope.
“Skimming slightly, wheeling still, the swallows fly low over the field in clouded days,” The birds (swallows, to be exact) are mentioned twice, at the beginning and end of the poem. They seem to be the introduction and closing. They are solemn and peaceful, yet are also reminders of the battle. Or are they peaceful? The clouds could represent the clouded confusion of the battle and aftermath, and the sad and melancholy tones of the area
“If you want to find out what a writer or a cartoonist really feels, look at his work. That's enough.”(BrainyQuote.com). Shel Silverstein believed that an artist’s work was an embodiment of their beliefs and experiences. Silverstein was an artist in many ways, one of them being poetry. The work Silverstein did in multiple art forms along with his honest way of writing allowed for great popularity .
For example, in the middle of the poem it states that “Robins will wear their feathery fire, Whistling their whims on a low fence-wire”(lines 5-6). This demonstrates again that nature will live on and there is no sympathy for the end of humans. It sticks in the readers mind since the words stick out because of the rhyming. Furthermore, rhyming is also shown through the lines “Not one would mind, neither bird nor tree, If mankind perished utterly;” (lines 9-10). Adding in rhymes helps the poem from straying away from being dull. It also emphasizes the theme by making the statement stick with you even after the poem is
The effect that the literary device makes on the poem is that it makes it seem as if the narrator is mad talking to a bird and also it uses pathos when he says “leave my loneliness unbroken!” he doesn’t want help from anyone he divested because of the girl he loved died. The rhyme scheme and repetition are to affect the reader by making it more interesting and so they would understand what he what’s when he repeats the words over and over again.
The tone of "The Weary Blues" is quite dark and melancholy. This matches the sorrowful theme of the poem. Sound patterns play a key role in this poem. They enhance the already somber mood by way of consonance, assonance, onomatopoeia, and rhyme patterns. Consonance is found within the first line of the poem. "Droning a drowsy?" brings a hard 'd' sound to...
To briefly summarize this poem, I believe that the poem could be separated into three parts: The first part is composed in the first and second letters, which stress on the negative emotions towards the miserable pains, illnesses that the parents are baring, and also their hatred of the birds. The second part, I believe will be the third and fourth letters, which talks about the birds’ fights and the visiting lady from the church. And the last part, starts from the fifth letters to the rest of them, which mainly describe the harmonious life between the parents and those birds.
“Smart” by Shel Silverstein is told by the perspective of a son that was given a one-dollar bill from his father because, according to him, he is his “smartest son” (Silverstein 2). As the story progresses the narrator continues to trade his money for lesser amounts because he is gaining the physical number of his currency. First, he trades his dollar for two quarters, then those two quarters to three dimes, those three dimes to four nickels, and lastly the four nickels for five pennies. Readers quickly understand that the speaker doesn’t quite grasp the concept of money and does not invest as intelligently as he originally had thought. Foreshadowing of the poem is caught in line 2 when we hear his lackadaisical accent saying “‘Cause” (Silverstein 2) instead of the full pronunciation of “because” or further
The diction that the author chooses to use also emphasizes the meaning of the poem. The structure of the poem is one long running stanza, rather than it being broken into multiple stanzas. The poem also does not contain any sort of rhyme scheme either. This could indicate an underlying meaning of what work is and what it is like trying to find work. Especially for people who work full-time at their jobs, it is one long and tiring day working with not much time for fun or creativity. The lack of a rhyme scheme relating to the fact that there is not really any room for pleasure or for being a having a creative mind; it is more geared to indicate that people should clock in, do their job, and clock out. As for diction, the word, “waiting” (lines 2, 6, 18, and 20) is mentioned quite a few times, showing how waiting is also a big part of finding a job or working. There is a lot of waiting involved in finding a job. Waiting for a call back for a job opportunity, or something like waiting until instead of receiving a, “No, we’re not hiring today” (lines 20-21), there is a, “Yes, we have many opportunities available right now.” While being employed, employees wait for their final hour of their shift, waiting for their next promotion, or waiting for their next paycheck, in which they will put all of it to the house and family. This further proves to add to the idea
“Whatif” is a poem by Shel Silverstein. Shel Silverstein is a songwriter, poet, and author who was born on September 25th in 1930 (bio.com). He is most known for his poetry including his widely accredited work, The Giving Tree. He also wrote songs for Johnny Cash and Loretta Lynn, including Cash’s song “A Boy Named Sue” and Lynn’s song “One’s on the Way” (bio.com) Poets can be notorious on writing one thing and meaning another, or meaning something literally. Questions usually get asked as to why the writer said that certain thing or described something a certain way or put a punctuation mark where it’s not needed. “Whatif” is a very interesting
The consistent pattern of metrical stresses in this stanza, along with the orderly rhyme scheme, and standard verse structure, reflect the mood of serenity, of humankind in harmony with Nature. It is a fine, hot day, `clear as fire', when the speaker comes to drink at the creek. Birdsong punctuates the still air, like the tinkling of broken glass. However, the term `frail' also suggests vulnerability in the presence of danger, and there are other intimations in this stanza of the drama that is about to unfold. Slithery sibilants, as in the words `glass', `grass' and `moss', hint at the existence of a Serpent in the Garden of Eden. As in a Greek tragedy, the intensity of expression in the poem invokes a proleptic tenseness, as yet unexplained.
bird as the metaphor of the poem to get the message of the poem across