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Discuss the creative works of imagination in literature
Literary criticism of shel silverstein
Essay on shel silverstein
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“Say more than you said”
“People are always giving you credit for really wanting to say more than you said,”says poet Shel Silverstein ("Famous Quotes at BrainyQuote." BrainyQuote. Xplore, n.d. Web. 16 Nov. 2016). Silverstein is able to use his imaginative language to do just that. Shel Silverstein has become a talented writer by bringing his imaginative words and world to life. Silverstein has contributed to the world of music,drawings, and poetry. For example, his poem “The Giving Tree” is one of his most loved poems that has touched the hearts of many. The poem’s maternal generosity and kindness makes the ballad unforgettably beautiful. Overall, Silverstein’s witty wording and imaginative illustrations have greatly contributed to the arts
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in an unparalleled way. Sheldon Allan Silverstein, was born on September 25, 1930 in Chicago, Illinois(Bio.com. A&E Networks Television, n.d. Web. 15 Nov. 2016).Silverstein originally told a reporter that he hoped to grow up and play baseball, but he was no good. Silverstein gave up on baseball and began drawing at age 12 when he attended school at Roosevelt High School. After graduating from Roosevelt High school in 1948, he attended Chicago Academy of Fine Arts and Roosevelt University for the arts. When he was 20 years old, he dropped out of college and enlisted in the U.S.
Army where he served in Japan and Korea(Bio.com. A&E Networks Television, n.d. Web. 15 Nov. 2016). After his time in the army was up, he began drawing cartoons for magazine, including Star & Stripes magazine(Bio.com. A&E Networks Television, n.d. Web. 15 Nov. 2016). Also, in the 1960’s Shel became a famous composer and lyricist, and later was awarded a Grammy for his hit song called “A boy Named Sue”. He was also nominated later for a Golden Globe and an Oscar for other pieces he composed( "Shel Silverstein's Unlikely Rise to Kid Lit Superstardom." Mental Floss. N.p., n.d. Web. 16 Nov. …show more content…
2016). Silverstein uses the theme of playful imagination and unique slang throughout all of his poems. Silverstein keeps the reader captured with his fun choice of words and vivid imagery. Silverstein was not originally planning to write children’s books because he had never studied poetry and just wrote his poems as a hobby, but the book editor at Harper and Brothers, Ursula Nordstrom convinced him to do so(Bio.com. A&E Networks Television, n.d. Web. 15 Nov. 2016). Silverstein stated that since he never studied any type of poetry or poet that he had no one to copy, so he became literary cult figure( "Shel Silverstein's Unlikely Rise to Kid Lit Superstardom." Mental Floss. N.p., n.d. Web. 16 Nov. 2016). However, there are very controversial thoughts on Silverstein’s work. For example, Zena Sutherland, in Bulletin of the Center for Children's Books described Silverstein’s Uncle Shelby's Story of Lafcadio, the Lion Who Shot Back as “daft” and "a nonsense story about utter success." On the contrary, Eric Kimmel says Silverstein possesses just the right appeal for children "Shel Silverstein's Unlikely Rise to Kid Lit Superstardom." Mental Floss. N.p., n.d. Web. 16 Nov. 2016). Silverstein’s continual use of silly words and phrases hook the readers and has brought him to be the poet he is today. In Silverstein’s poem “Yesees and Noees”, he speaks directly to the reader.
The message Silverstein tries to portray is to think for yourself by using the group of “Thinkforyourselfees” that live, due to their choice to think for themselves. On the other hand, the Yesees and Noees all die from either a pushover or overly skeptic. Silverstein’s tone in is very sarcastic and playful throughout. As Silverstein portrays the idea of being either a Yesee or Noee he uses symbolism to connect these two people groups to the types of people there are today. Silverstein also uses rhyme as in the lines “That anyone suggested...Unless it was proven and tested”( PoemHunter.com: Poems - Quotes - Poetry. "PoemHunter.com: Poems - Quotes - Poetry." Poemhunter.com. N.p., n.d. Web. 16 Nov. 2016).The rhyme scheme being used in this narrative poem is A,B,A,B,C,D,C,D. The use of metonymy, substituting a word in the place of the actual word, is also present when Silverstein substitutes “Pushovers” and “Skeptics” with “Yesees” and “Noees”. All in all, the Yesees say yes to anything suggested, and the Noees say no to everything untested. The Yesees die from simple mindedness and the Noees die of fright. Silverstein’s theme is especially present in his last lines, “But somehow I think the Thinkforyourselfees all came out alright.”When I read this poem, I was surprised with how Silverstein was able to relay his message of thinking for yourself in a short and sarcastic poem that would also pass its
message on to children in a story form. Silverstein has influenced his readers a great deal with his words. From his colorful poetry to his silly songs Silverstein has impacted the world of arts. Silverstein’s diverse works makes him a memorable artist, especially to the young crowd. Though Silverstein’s phrases may be ridiculous, he is able to get a deeper meaning across. Therefore, Silverstein is a very imaginative writer using metonymy to relay these messages. All in all, Silverstein’s life journey has brought him to be the unique artist he had become.
In the novel The Immoral Life of Henrietta Lacks by Rebecca Skloot, the author tells the miraculous story of one woman’s amazing contribution to science. Henrietta Lacks unknowingly provides scientists with a biopsy capable of reproducing cells at a tremendusly fast pace. The story of Henrietta Lacks demonstrates how an individual’s rights can be effortlessly breached when it involves medical science and research. Although her cells have contributed to science in many miraculous ways, there is little known about the woman whose body they derived from. Skloot is a very gifted author whose essential writing technique divides the story into three parts so that she, Henrietta
After reading the novel As I Lay Dying, I was able to gather some first impressions about Jewel Bundren. One of these impressions is that Jewel Bundren is aware that Anse Bundren is not his father,. One reason why this is evident is because when Jewel half brother, Darl, is questioning him about who his father is, Jewel doesn’t answer, meaning he might know that he isn’t related to Anse. Another reason this is evident is due to the way Jewel acts when he is talking to Anse, as he is continuously disrespectful to him. Even though it’s shown Jewel is aware that Anse is not his father, there is no indication in the novel that he is aware that Whitfield is really his father. Another first impression I was able to gather about Jewel
In the novel, Jane Eyre, Charlotte Bronte uses symbolism and characterization to show the theme of independence.
Elizabeth Lavenza (later Elizabeth Frankenstein) is one of the main characters in Mary Shelley’s Frankenstein. She is a beautiful young girl; fragile and perfect in the eyes of all. Her father was a nobleman from Milan, while her mother was of German descent. Before she was adopted by the wealthy Frankenstein family, she lived with a poor family. After Alphonose and Caroline Frankenstein adopt Elizabeth, they lovingly raise her alongside their biological son, Victor Frankenstein, in hopes that the two will eventually get married. When Victor goes off to Ingolstadt college, Elizabeth writes letters to him that later become a crucial part of the story. It weaves together every piece of the story, holding together each individual
In Great Expectations, Pip is set up for heartbreak and failure by a woman he trusts, identical to Hamlet and Gertrude, but Pip is rescued by joe who pushes Pip to win the love of his life. Similar to Gertrude in Hamlet Miss Havisham becomes a bystander in Pip’s life as she initiates the play that leads to heartbreak several times and she watches Pip’s life crumble due to her teachings. The next quote shows Miss Havisham explaining to Pip the way she manipulated his love Estella to break his heart every time. “‘but as she grew, and promised to be very beautiful, I gradually did worse, and with my praises, and with my jewels, and with my teachings… I stole her heart away and put ice in its place’” (Dickens, 457). This quote makes it clear the Miss Havisham set Hamlet up for failure by making him fall for a woman he could never have.
“Don’t judge a book by it’s cover, it’s what’s inside counts” This quote reminds people about how they should not judge other people from the outside but look deep into their true personalities. Looking from the appearance and how Chris lives, everyone would assume that Chris is a crazy, foolish person and does everything without thinking. If people try to know more about Chris, they would have different perspective. Chris is intelligent, determined, independent and follows what he believes. He went into the wilderness to escape from the society that tries to suppress him and look for the meaning of life.
In the play “Poof” by Lynn Nottage , the author creates an overall message on how abuse in marriages are often overlooked. In the play the two main charters are loureen and Florence , they are both in abusive relationships with their husbands until loureen gets out her relationship by her husband just poofing in thin air.
One of the characters in To Kill a Mockingbird is Bob Ewell. Bob Ewell is a selfish drunk who doesn't know how to control himself. He beats his children and he can’t hold a steady job for long. He is obsessed with revenge for Atticus for making him look like a fool at the trial of Tom Robinson, whom Ewell’s daughter is accusing of rape. Because of his false testimony, he can never be trusted again in front of the whole courtroom. He will do anything to get back at Atticus, and is willing to go as far as going after his children. He also has a grudge against the judge in the trial, and against the wife of the accused. Bob is crazy and delusional and is trying to gain back his reputation by taking down all the people that went against him in
People always say never judged a person by their cover, yet some of us still do it without even trying sometimes. I have done this on multiple occasions without really trying to judge a person. I once had an experience where I was trying out for a new club team and I saw this girl who looked really mean and scary because of the expression on her face. I always thought if I ever talk to her she would be mean, but one practice we started to talk and she wasn’t at all the person I thought she ways. It turns out that she is a nice person who just takes soccer very seriously. This just shows that we can have a certain opinion on someone by their looks, but they may be completely opposite from the way they appear.There’s this book call “Freak the Mighty” which has a good way of showing the theme of not judging a person
Our perspective on life can have a significant impact on our life. Depending on how you were raised it can impact your perspective on life very differently than others. For example if you were raised in a home of poverty or drug abuse you are use too that lifestyle when you're young. It wouldn't be till your older you would realize it is not a normal way of life. It shapes our life. In the novel the Glass Castle Jeanette is a perfect example of how your perspective changes throughout life as you experience life in addition to maturing. Her change in life had an unbelievable impact on her life that made her a well round mature adult despite her upbringing in poverty.
Later on in his early life, Shel Silverstein began to work for Playboy, where his poetry career started to blossom (Shel Silverstein: Biography). Mr. Silverstein wrote many poems and was introduced to children’s writing. Here Silverstein’s popularity grew and became well recognized. The Giving Tree was an outstanding innovation of his and is still one of the best books to this day (Biography Channel). His creativity didn’t stop there, he began to compose songs.
Barbara Jordan, who is a leader of the Civil Rights movement, once believed “we, as human beings must be willing to accept people who are different from ourselves.” Discrimination is a topic often found in the literature and is discussed in the novel, To Kill A Mockingbird by Harper Lee, a documentary trailer My So-Called Enemy directed by Lisa Gossels and a short-story “What of this Goldfish, Would You Wish?” by Etgar Keret. Those who believe that accepting others from different racial backgrounds will make the world a better place; meanwhile, there are others who refuse to accept others or being disagreed with the quotes of Barbara Jordan, they think the opposite direction of the people who are agreed with the quotes. I agree with Barbara Jordan that we, as a human beings, can accept others who are different than ourselves because we are sharing a common root of the Mother Earth; thus, we can learn to treat others with kindness and respect, and be more understanding of the differences in others.
The Glass Castle is a novel that follows the life of a dysfunctional family from the perspective of Jeannette Walls, the third child of the Walls family. Throughout the stories, the readers see all the hardships the children face, as their lunatic parents do what they think is right. After reading the book, it seems to agree the quote “Parents can only give good advice or put them on the right paths, but the final forming of a person's character lies in their own hands” by Anne Frank.
In Pearl Tull’s old age, she starts to lose her sight until she is completely unable to see. Pearl may be the only one within Dinner at the Homesick Restaurant who has gone literally blind, but many of the characters are just as blind emotionally. Throughout Dinner at the Homesick Restaurant, many characters are too absorbed in their own problems and self-pity to notice the problems of the people around them. Almost all of the characters don’t realize how much their actions may have affected someone else, or are oblivious to the fact they did anything at all. When taking a closer look at the story, it could be said that Pearl Tull is the reason behind all of her family’s problems. Pearl is blind not only literally—in her old age—but metaphorically
*Hassan was crying because of the shame he felt after the encounter with the soldier who said he had slep with his mother at some point.