Shel Silverstein

My favourite poet is Shel Silverstein. The first poem I read by him was "Messy Room" while the first book I read by him was "The Giving Tree". The reason why I chose this author was because of his writing style. He uses simple english but yet he attracts the reader to finish reading the whole poem. He has his own style of writing and I felt that it was the humour in it. The few interviews he did give throughout his life gave insight to his thinking patterns. One example of these interviews(quoted from http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Shel_Silverstein#Book):

Question: "Why do you have a beard?"Shel: "I don't have a beard. It's just the light; it plays funny tricks."
Question: "How do you think your present image as world traveler, bawdy singer, etc. combines with your image as a writer of children's books?"Shel: "I don't think about my image."
Question: "Do you admit that your songs and drawings have a certain amount of vulgarity in them?"Shel: "No, but I hope they have a certain amount of realism in them."
Question: "Do you shave your head for effect or to be different, or to strike back at the long-haired styles of today?Shel: "I don't explain my head."

This interview shows that Shel Silverstein has his own way of thinking. Here are three of his famous poems:


If the World Was Crazy

by Shel Silverstein

If the world was crazy, you know what I'd eat?
A big slice of soup and a whole quart of meat,
A lemonade sandwich, and then I might try
Some roasted ice cream or a bicycle pie,
A nice notebook salad, an underwear roast,
An omelet of hats and some crisp cardboard toast,
A thick malted milk made from pencils and daisies,
And that's what I'd eat if the world was crazy.
If the world was crazy, you know what I'd wear?
A chocolate suit and a tie of eclair,
Some marshmallow earmuffs, some licorice shoes,
And I'd read a paper of peppermint news.
I'd call the boys "Suzy" and I'd call the girls "Harry,"
I'd talk through my ears, and I always would carry
A paper umbrella for when it grew hazy
To keep in the rain, if the world was crazy.
If the world was crazy, you know what I'd do?
I'd walk on the ocean and swim in my shoe,
I'd fly through the ground and I'd skip through the air,
I'd run down the bathtub and bathe on the stair.
When I met somebody I'd say "G'bye, Joe,"
And when I was leaving--then I'd say "Hello."
And the greatest of men would be silly and lazy
So I would be king...if the world was crazy.

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!


Where the Sidewalk Ends

by Shel Silverstein

There is a place where the sidewalk ends
And before the street begins,
And there the grass grows soft and white,
And there the sun burns crimson bright,
And there the moon-bird rests from his flight
To cool in the peppermint wind.
Let us leave this place where the smoke blows black
And the dark street winds and bends.
Past the pits where the asphalt flowers grow
We shall walk with a walk that is measured and slow,
And watch where the chalk-white arrows go
To the place where the sidewalk ends.
Yes we'll walk with a walk that is measured and slow,
And we'll go where the chalk-white arrows go,
For the children, they mark, and the children, they know
The place where the sidewalk ends.

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!


Figurative Language
This is a poem by Shel Silverstein. One of the figurative language used is symbolism which is the room. It is like the owner of the room, very messy. Another figurative language used is the personification. The sentence "A lizard named Ed is asleep in his bed" shows that the lizard is taking a human action - sleeping on the bed. Another figurative language used was hyperbole. Most of the sentences were exaggerated.


Why I like this poem
The author uses simple english to write this poem, yet he uses different figurative languages. The poem was a little exaggerated, whcich makes it humourous and fun to read. Furthermore, the author described every corner of the room so I could get a clear image of the room in my mind. I like the last sentence especially. Ending with a humourous sentence makes the reader feel very happy.

June hols coming to an end....

Haiz...too bad the holidays are coming to an end... I hoped for it to extend, not because I can slack and enjoy, but I can have more time to do my projects and homework. You might think I am a guy who has no life and study all the time, but let me tell you, I have been very busy for the past few weeks. Not because of competitions, not because of CCA, but being busy with my computer games. I think I had better speed up with my homework. So bye!

English Premier League - Everyone Loves It

Enough of literature books. After looking at the blog posts I have made, regarding "Village by the Sea", you guys must be bored. Too bad, but this is my holiday English assignment so I have to write about the literature book that I am learning about. Finally, I can now choose what I want to write about. Enough of the pointless talking. Now, its about soccer. Most people in Singapore, I believe, watches the English Premier League, EPL, in short. Most people in Singapore supports the football club Manchester United. The season has ended on a high note in May, with Manchester United topping the table, once again. I believe that people who support them would admire the skill of Christiano Ronaldo, the World and European Player of the year. However, sad news broke out when the Spanish Club, Real Madrid, bought him for £80 million, which is $190 million. Is soccer encouraging us not to study? If we play good soccer like Ronaldo does, we may even earn lots more than graduates from top universities.

The Village by the Sea (By Anita Desai)

The book, entitled "The Village by the Sea" is used as a literature book during language arts lesson in my school. I would like to share about my favourite part in the story. My favourite part of the story was the part where Adarkar brought the people from Alibagh and Thul to Bombay, and he just selected five of them to talk to the Chief Minister. It was kind of ironic because in the first place, he should not have brought so many people there in the first place. But why did he bring so many people to Bombay? He wanted to make himself look like he has many supporters and he would appear powerful? Only the author know the answer.

My favourite character in the book entitled "Village by the Sea"

My favourite character from the book is none other than Hari, the main character in the story. I admire his persistence to get out of poverty and his capability to take up the role of an adult to support the family in spite of his drunk father and his ill mother. Although he is only a teenager, he has to assume the duty of taking care of his family and he did a great job. He also made sacrifices like going to Bombay, a place he didnt know just to find a job and earn money. He is also willing to learn. He was eager to learn the watchmending skills from Mr Panwallah in order to find a job in the future. If you were in a situation similiar to this, what would you have done?

Is progress necessarily beneficial for society?

As for my opinion, I feel that progress is not necessarily beneficial for the society. Although progress is needed to improve our lifestyles. Without progess, human beings can still survive. Of course, without progress, our lifestyles cannot improve. However, progress may even harm the society rather than benefit it. Take the developement of man-made fertilisers as an example. Fertilisers can be obtained naturally, from animal dungs or decomposed plants but people develope artificial ones which I find quite redundant. Some of them may even degrade the quality of the soil and harm the environment. In the end, it does more harm than good.

I rather be the city rat than the country rat.

Would you rather be the city rat or the country rat? As for me, I am doubtful about which one to be. There are advantages and disadvantages for both living in the city and in a country. Most of you guys would prefer life in the city because of the advancing technology which makes our lives more comfortable. That's very true, living in a city has its disadvantages too. In my opinion, people living in a city tends to be weaker as compared to those living in a countryside although there is better medical and health care in a city. One factor may be because of the great amount of traffic which leads to pollution and the pollution affected the health of the people there. In contrast, people living in a country is healthier due to the small amount of traffic and the abundance of trees. If you are a nature lover, being the country rat suits you most. If you prefer to stay in a more comfortable environment, its better for you to be the city rat. Thinking about it, I think I rather be the city rat. Life in the countryside is definitely far more relaxing than the competitive world in the city. However, I am used to life in the city and without modern technologies, I doubt I can survive.