Themes
Silverstein has been compared to poets like A. A. Milne and Dr. Seuss. Critic Eric A. Kimmel says of Silverstein’s work, “His poems read like those a fourth grader would write in the back of his notebook when the teacher’s eye was turned.” And “that may be precisely their appeal.” The difference is his poems are in some of his themes.
Most of his poems are humorous, reversing common sense, childhood schemes to get out of doing chores, making fun of adult rules and bathroom humour. All in all the most recurrent theme is child versus adult.
In the poem “Falling Up” everything is upside down. “The Edge of the World” tell kids that no matter what teachers say the world is flat. In
“How Not to Have to Dry the Dishes,” kids are taught that if they break a dish they will not be asked to wash the dishes again. There is the same theme in “Sara Cynthia Stout Would Not Take the Garbage Out” of not doing chores. “Crazy Dream” is about a kid and the teachers reversing roles and what the kid would do to the teachers. The poem “Sick” is about a child saying that they cannot go to school because they are sick and they list a long list of what is wrong until they find out it is Saturday and they say goodbye, they are going out to play. An example of bathroom humour that might be called a little edgy is the poem the “Gardener,” were someone waters the plants not in the usual way.
Shel Silverstein using this theme to appeal to children. Children want to know that the silly things that interest them are important enough to be written about. Children feel a comradery with the writer. This makes the children like his poems and like poetry in general.
Some of Silverstein’s poems have a moral message or are educational. The poem “Smart” tries to teach children about money, when a boy keeps trading money for more coins of lower value that is less in value than what he gave. The poem “Lester” sends a moral message to enjoy life and what you have and not to be greedy. Lester is granted a wish, and all he ever wishes for is more wishes until he dies with all the wishes around him, never having used any of them.
Silverstein has been compared to poets like A. A. Milne and Dr. Seuss. Critic Eric A. Kimmel says of Silverstein’s work, “His poems read like those a fourth grader would write in the back of his notebook when the teacher’s eye was turned.” And “that may be precisely their appeal.” The difference is his poems are in some of his themes.
Most of his poems are humorous, reversing common sense, childhood schemes to get out of doing chores, making fun of adult rules and bathroom humour. All in all the most recurrent theme is child versus adult.
In the poem “Falling Up” everything is upside down. “The Edge of the World” tell kids that no matter what teachers say the world is flat. In
“How Not to Have to Dry the Dishes,” kids are taught that if they break a dish they will not be asked to wash the dishes again. There is the same theme in “Sara Cynthia Stout Would Not Take the Garbage Out” of not doing chores. “Crazy Dream” is about a kid and the teachers reversing roles and what the kid would do to the teachers. The poem “Sick” is about a child saying that they cannot go to school because they are sick and they list a long list of what is wrong until they find out it is Saturday and they say goodbye, they are going out to play. An example of bathroom humour that might be called a little edgy is the poem the “Gardener,” were someone waters the plants not in the usual way.
Shel Silverstein using this theme to appeal to children. Children want to know that the silly things that interest them are important enough to be written about. Children feel a comradery with the writer. This makes the children like his poems and like poetry in general.
Some of Silverstein’s poems have a moral message or are educational. The poem “Smart” tries to teach children about money, when a boy keeps trading money for more coins of lower value that is less in value than what he gave. The poem “Lester” sends a moral message to enjoy life and what you have and not to be greedy. Lester is granted a wish, and all he ever wishes for is more wishes until he dies with all the wishes around him, never having used any of them.