Comparing The Little Boy And The Old Man By Shel Silverstein

The poems “The Little Blue Engine, “The Little Boy and the Old Man”, and “Ladies First” were all written by shel silverstein. Shel Silverstein attempted to break social norms to promote fun and imagination in the children who read his poems. Shel Silverstein used his poetry to challenge adults view on children’s literature His poetry deals with difficult subject matter with powerful imagery to convey a message to youth and adults. Silverstein’s poetry was written for the enjoyment of children. In addition he didn’t want them to conform to society.

Shel Silverstein used his poetry to challenge adults view of children’s literature in the poem, “The Little Blue engine”. The whole point of the poem is to show that believing in yourself isn’t

enough to get something done. “He was almost there, when — CRASH! SMASH! BASH!/ He slid down and mashed into engine hash/ On the rocks below... which goes to show/ If the track is tough and the hill is rough,/THINKING you can just ain’t enough! (ll. 16-20). Many children are taught at a young age that they can do anything. This is not true since failure in life is inevitable. He realised that children ought to learn from their mistakes. This quote shows that Silverstein really cared about teaching children at a young age that thinking you can do something doesn’t mean it will happen. Literary critics have the same view. A literary critic, Ruth K. MacDonald, analyzes Silverstein's “The Little Blue Engine”
The author’s essay is titled “The Weirdness of Shel Silverstein” and it shows several of Silverstein's recurring themes and lessons.

"Though some adults may be appalled at Silverstein's handling of this enshrined story, many more will appreciate his willingness to deal so summarily with the debunking of this "truth"”(MacDonald, “The Weirdness of Shel Silverstein”). MacDonald is showing that Silverstein's poems purposely challenge the narrative adults have been telling children by telling the reality as it is. “The Range of humor in evidence in the books makes them appealing to a wide range of school - aged children”(MacDonald, “The Weirdness of Shel Silverstein”). Shel Silverstein wrote his books for children to enjoy, not for adults to critique. The lesson is to educate children so they aren’t swayed by society. In addition to teaching young children about success, he also parallelled the treatment of children to the treatment of elderly

people.

Shel Silverstein wrote “The Little Boy and the Old Man” to show the similarity between the issues of youth and age. The main idea of the poem is that adults often forget about the “insignificant” problems of children and elders. “Said the little boy, "Sometimes I drop my spoon."/Said the old man, "I do that too."/The little boy whispered, "I wet my pants."/"I do that too," laughed the little old man./Said the little boy, "I often cry." /The old man nodded, "So do I."/"But worst of all," said the boy, /"it seems Grown-ups don't pay attention to me." /And he felt the warmth of a wrinkled old hand. /"I know what you mean," /said the little old man” (“The Little Body and the Old Man” ll. 1-10). Children follow adults examples. If they see an adult mistreating an older person, then the children will. A child needs to learn at a young age to respect the elderly. They are full of wisdom and tenderness and in return should be cared for. Critics who have analyzed Silverstein’s work also examine his method in delivering the truth.

Again, Ruth K. Macdonald wrote an essay analyzing the poems in Shel Silverstein's “Falling Up” collection. The essay looks at recurring themes and humor. “Silverstein's poems are immediate enough that they carry plenty of weight and pleasure without the other knowledge in hand.(MacDonald, “The Poet’s Place”). This quote shows that Silverstein made his poems straightforward enough for anyone to read them and understand the underlying message. “Silverstein tells the truth to children, right down to the messy, open, inconclusive endings and occasional sentimentality. .(MacDonald, “The Poet’s Place”). The author shows that Silverstein’s topics can be considered too “harsh” for children but they are important to address since being aware of the issue can affect the next generation’s actions regarding the problem.

Shel Silverstein wrote a poem called “Ladies First” to show the consequences of abusing the “ladies first” rule.

Throughout the poem, a little girl named Pamela cuts, and always tries to be first at everything because “ladies first”. “Pamela Purse yelled, “Ladies first,”Pushing in front of the ice cream line.Pamela Purse yelled, “Ladies first,”Grabbing the ketchup at dinnertime.Climbing on the morning bus She’d shove right by all of us And there’d be a tiff or a fight or a fuss When Pamela Purse yelled, “Ladies first.”(ll.1-8). Silverstein is highlighting the fact that allowing a lady to go first is polite but can be very obnoxious if taken to extremes. “A cannibal known as Fry-‘Em-Up Dan, Who sat on his throne in a bib so grand With a lick of his lips and a fork in his hand, As he tried to decide who’d be first in the pan- From back of the line, in that shrill voice of hers, Pamela Purse yelled, “Ladies first.”(Ladies first.”(ll.14-19). These lines show Pamela’s obsession of going first as the girl is more focussed on being first then being eaten by a cannibal. This book was banned in several school districts due to its controversial nature. These school districts are just proving his point that people need to be open to important lessons. Many critics agree with Silverstein’s controversial

message.

Ruth Macdonald analyzes Silverstein’s works in yet another essay titled “Poetry with The electricity On”. The essay focuses on poems inside Silverstein’s “A Light in the Attic” discussing important themes and structure. “Yet it is this success in treating these unmentionable topics that many parents and teachers object to. Like a banned book, Silverstein succeeds precisely by offending the keepers of propriety and respectability.(MacDonald, “Poetry with the Electricity On”). Macdonald notices a similar theme throughout all of Shel’s works. He always puts forth an issue that adults find disturbing or controversial. That’s why quite a few of his works are banned in places. Adults can’t handle the painfully true statements in his poems. “ Sometimes they simply point to some human foible as a source of laughter. Their presence throughout the book provides breaks and quick pacing, since one is not tempted to linger in contemplation of them. Their frequent puns add to the playfulness of language that Silverstein seeks to encourage.(MacDonald, “Poetry with the Electricity On”). This criticism is directed towards poems like “Ladies First”. It isn’t a very serious issue but it does make fun of it so children understand that even common courtesies can be abused.
Shel Silverstein used his poetry to challenge adults view on children’s literature
His poetry deals with difficult subject matter with powerful imagery to convey a message to youth and adults. Silverstein’s poetry was written for the enjoyment of children. In addition he didn’t want them to conform to society. Shel Silverstein attempted to break social norms to promote fun and imagination in the children who read his poems. I commend Shel Silverstein for his bravery in tackling difficult subjects to inform children