Shel Silverstein Poems

The Little Boy and the Old Man

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.

1.       What is the underlying message that is being conveyed in this poem?

Shel Silverstein uses the conversation between a little boy and an old man to tell us that adults are selfish people who care only about themselves and not their children (represented by the little boy) or their parents (represented by the old man.

2.      Has Shel Silverstein used any particular poetic technique that brings out this message more clearly?

Shel Silverstein draws a comparison between the little boy and the old man, and brings up many similarities between both of them, including the fact that adults do not care for them. Shel uses words like “the warmth of a wrinkled old hand” and “I know what you mean” to tell us that the old man does not just sympathies the little boy but also understands the little boy because he himself has experienced it.

Messy Room

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!

1.       Can you say that the poem is humourous? If so, how?

Messy Room by Shel Silverstein is a humourous poem about the persona describing the messy state of a bedroom only to realise that it is his. I find it humourous that the persona can notice the “underwear [that] is hanging on the lamp ... workbook [that] is wedged in the window ... smelly old sock [that] has been stuck to the wall” yet does not realise that the room actually belongs to him. The persona is even shocked when he realises that and exclaims “Oh, dear”.

2.      What aspect of the human character has been highlighted in this poem?

The poem highlights that humans are always quick to point fingers at others but slow at reflecting on themselves. Humans are quick in blaming “Donald Robert or Willie” or anyone but themselves. When someone says that it is their fault, humans would always give a “Huh? You say it’s mine?”.

Cloony the Clown

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.

1.       Explain the irony in this poem.

Cloony the Clown by Shel Silverstein is a poem about how an unfunny clown became extremely funny unexpectedly and rather sadly. The irony in this poem is that Cloony tried extremely hard to make his audience laugh but they just would not laugh, and when he was serious his audience simply laughed away.

2.      Does Shel Silverstein manage to convey some harsh realities in this poem?

Shel Silverstein conveyed the harsh reality that people are not appreciative of other people’s actions.

3.      What poetic devices has the poet used to effectively convey his message?

Shel Silverstein used irony in conveying his message about people not being appreciative. Shel wrote how Cloony tried desperately to make his audience laugh, how he “had a trombone to play loud silly tunes”, how he wore a shoe “too big” and a hat “too small” and other tricks which a clown performs. However, Cloony’s audience just “felt a little sick … looked awfully blue … fell asleep” but did not laugh at his tricks. Yet, when Cloony told about “how it feels to be an unfunny clown”, his audience “laughed until they shook the trees” and “laughed with all howls and yowls and shrieks”.

Which of the above poems can you identify with the most?

I can identify with Messy Room. When things go wrong, I am quick to put the blame on other people, and most of the time I am the one who is at fault.

I like to keep my room neat; however, sometimes due to my laziness my room hardly stays neat. Once, I found my cupboard in a mess and immediately I blamed my brother who likes to dig through my stuff. I ranted at him all day long. When my father realised this, he told me that the mess was actually my fault. The previous day, I had been digging through my cupboard for my test-tubes. Through the process of finding them, I had messed up my cupboard. When I found it, I simply walked away without arranging my stuff neatly. Upon realizing this, I quickly apologised to my brother.