Hiya to you people again! Hmm... school has just started for a few days and we are already getting this kind of homework? Aargh! This is nonsense! Oh, and the homework is non other than some real weird poems that are totally not my type. In fact, poetry is never my type. Oh well here goes...
The Little Boy and the Old Man by Shel Silverstein:
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.
Q1: What is the underlying message that is being conveyed in this poem?
Q2: Has Shell Silverstein used any particular poetic technique that brings out this message more clearly?
Ans1: As you can tell in the poem, the boy is complaining that life is totally unfair and thought he is the only one who has the worst life. The old man told him that he, too suffers the same fate. But what they did not realise that they were only talking about their current life. The boy failed to look into what the future holds for him and the old man did not even think about his past. What they cared about was only their current life.
Ans2: Yes, he used dialogues to tell us directly what exactly the characters in the poem has to say instead of using complicated words for us to analyse and understand what they are talking about.
Messy Room by Shel Silverstein:
Whosever room this is should be ashamed!
His underwear is hanging on the lamp.
His raincoat is there in the overstuffed chair,
And the chair is becoming quite mucky and damp.
His workbook is wedged in the window,
His sweater's been thrown on the floor.
His scarf and one ski are beneath the TV,
And his pants have been carelessly hung on the door.
His books are all jammed in the closet,
His vest has been left in the hall.
A lizard named Ed is asleep in his bed,
And his smelly old sock has been stuck to the wall.
Whosever room this is should be ashamed!
Donald or Robert or Willie or--
Huh? You say it's mine? Oh, dear,
I knew it looked familiar!
Q1: Can you say that the poem is humourous? If so, how?
Q2: What aspect of the human character has been highlighted in this poem?
Ans 1: Yes, it is. The room has been described to such an exaggerating state it seemed impossible to be true, especially for a bedroom. The way that the poet described each things in the room being in an unearthly place and position certainly brings out the humour in the poem.
Ans 2: It shows how a normal person is quick to blame others for their things but is bind to their own faults.
Clooney The Clown by Shel Silverstein:
I'll tell you the story of Cloony the Clown
Who worked in a circus that came through town.
His shoes were too big and his hat was too small,
But he just wasn't, just wasn't funny at all.
He had a trombone to play loud silly tunes,
He had a green dog and a thousand balloons.
He was floppy and sloppy and skinny and tall,
But he just wasn't, just wasn't funny at all.
And every time he did a trick,
Everyone felt a little sick.
And every time he told a joke,
Folks sighed as if their hearts were broke.
And every time he lost a shoe,
Everyone looked awfully blue.
And every time he stood on his head,
Everyone screamed, "Go back to bed!"
And every time he made a leap,
Everybody fell asleep.
And every time he ate his tie,
Everyone began to cry.
And Cloony could not make any money
Simply because he was not funny.
One day he said, "I'll tell this town
How it feels to be an unfunny clown."
And he told them all why he looked so sad,
And he told them all why he felt so bad.
He told of Pain and Rain and Cold,
He told of Darkness in his soul,
And after he finished his tale of woe,
Did everyone cry? Oh no, no, no,
They laughed until they shook the trees
With "Hah-Hah-Hahs" and "Hee-Hee-Hees."
They laughed with howls and yowls and shrieks,
They laughed all day, they laughed all week,
They laughed until they had a fit,
They laughed until their jackets split.
The laughter spread for miles around
To every city, every town,
Over mountains, 'cross the sea,
From Saint Tropez to Mun San Nee.
And soon the whole world rang with laughter,
Lasting till forever after,
While Cloony stood in the circus tent,
With his head drooped low and his shoulders bent.
And he said,"THAT IS NOT WHAT I MEANT -
I'M FUNNY JUST BY ACCIDENT."
And while the world laughed outside.
Cloony the Clown sat down and cried.
Q1: Explain the irony in this poem.
Q2: Does Shel Silverstein manage to convey some harsh realities in this poem?
Q3: What poetic devices has the poet used to effectively convey his message?
Ans 1: The irony in this poem is the fact that Clooney the Clown intentionally tried to be funny so as to entertain his audience, but instead, his jokes had a negative effect on his audience and they were not impressed by his tricks. However, when he told the whole world how sad he was and wanted sympathy, people started to laugh at him instead.
Ans 2: Yes, he has. The reality here is that normal people does not fully understand each other well. They could not see the hardships of other people who are trying to entertain them, and instead insulted them.
Ans 3: Well, the poet has used poetic devices like onomatopoeia and personification. He also made the poem rhyme line after line. This caused the poem to be much easier understood and clearly described to create a vivid image of the scene.
Wait! Don't go yet! There is still one more thing which suddenly popped out of nowhere and nearly scared me to death. Oh, and the question is very personal, so I guess I can answer in the style I am very used to.
Q: Which of the above poems can you identify with the most?
Ans: Me? Oh alright! Well, I guess it shall be the Messy Room poem. The main reason for this is that I prefer poems that are mostly funny. It kills the stress in me and makes me think of what the poem is talking about. Yes, my mind works better when I am enlightened with jokes and no! Don't try to make me do my work by telling jokes to me! I will never do that!(PS: Hmm... I think this last sentence should be in my conclusion instead. Oh well.)
So, you have just seen some poems that you may regard as interesting. But it is not the case for me! Yes I absolutely hate poems! I mean, I like reading them, but if you ask me to analyze them and answer boring questions then I am not in the mood. Speaking of work, looks like I still have one more coming up for this blog. May more posts come your way!
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