Literature and Life worksheet - Shel Silverstein

The Little Boy and the Old Man by Shel Silverstein

Q1.) What is the underlying message that is being conveyed in this poem?
ANS: The poem conveys the fact that as teenagers and adults, we often make the mistake of forgetting our youth and our feelings of being neglected, bullied or even of abuse during our childhood and also of forgetting that we are to become old, hence resulting in neglect and abuse for the old and young, causing them to think that grown-ups do not care for them.

Q2.) Has Shel Silverstein used any particular poetic technique that brings out this message more clearly?
ANS: Shel Silverstein has inserted a lot of dialogue in this poem, and has also depicted the old man as full of empathy for the young boy by agreeing with him.

Messy Room

Q1.) Can you say that the poem is humorous? If so how?
ANS: The poem is humorous as it points out all the aspects of the room, mostly in an exaggerated way. It describes an extremely dirty and unhygienic room. After describing the room, the persona goes on to blame others for having such a messy room before discovering it is his own, which must have been an embarrassing moment.

Q2.) What aspect of the human character has been highlighted in this poem?
ANS: The persona's character highlights the fact that people are prone to find fault in others while turning a blind eye to our own faults and the poem warns us not to do so, so as to avoid embarrassment.

Cloony the Clown

Q1.) Explain the irony in this poem.
ANS: The irony in this poem is the fact that while Cloony tries to be funny, nobody finds him funny and instead feel bored and depressed. However, when Cloony is depressed and tells his woes to people to try and gain their sympathy, everybody laughs at Cloony, the only one not laughing, the only depressed one.

Q2.) Does Shel Silverstein manage to convey some harsh realities in this poem?
ANS: In this poem, Shel Silverstein manages to convey that some people tend to refute attempts to cheer them up, instead laughing at other's misfortune and gaining happiness from other's sadness.

Q3.) What poetic devices has the poet used to effectively convey his message?
ANS: Shel Silverstein has inserted many poetic devices to convey his message effectively, including onomatopoeia, metaphors, irony, enjambment and rhyming to bring out the message in this poem, which is that sometimes life can be hard on you but you should not despair and also that humans are sadistic by nature.