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.
Shel Silverstein effectively uses tone to compare two generations. First, he uses humor to show things that the young and old have in common. Silverstein writes of a little boy and an old man having a conversation about life. They say to each other “‘I wet my pants.’/‘I do that too,’ laughed the old man” (3-4). Later on, Silverstein changes the tone from silly to sympathetic. He changes this tone to show how these two people relate to each other. The boy expresses the lack of attention he receives from adults. The old man consoles him, saying he understands (8-10). Different generations can relate to each other based common experiences. By using different tones, Silverstein shows how even with a massive age gap, people of all kinds can relate on some level.
I love this poem, because not only does it make me chuckle, but it also has some meaning for me. I’ve always liked Shel Silverstein, but this is probably the only one I’ve read so far that has really meant anything to me. Most of his poems are either random tidbits, or a story best understood by four year olds. I like this poem also because of my relationship with my grandma. As some of you may know, my grandma is kind of odd, but she’s also one of the funniest people I’ve ever met. We’re really close (she comes over to my house almost everyday!), and we relate on all sorts of crazy levels. Anyway, this poem really stuck with me.
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6 comments:
Hi Charlotte! I really enjoy the poem that you posted, it's so simple but adorable at the same time. Readers can really relate to what Silverstein is writing. Your analysis of the contrast between old and young is good and I agree. Nice,
Charlotte! I love your poem choice, it's so funny! I agree when you said that Shel compares the young and old. I like how you said you can relate because of your relationship with your grandma. I think you had a great analysis that really showed you thought about it! Nice Job!
Wow, this is the cutest poem ever. Going back to what David said in class, it's not in the slightest bit "creepy." It makes me laugh then makes me very sad at the end there, but I suppose it's not a bad thing that it ended on a sadder note. I like how you compared this poem to the relationship you have with your grand-ma-ma. Uber cuteness going on over here. Well done my friend, good choice in poem. Groovy.
That was a hilarious poem. I would have put an exclamation point on that last sentence but thats just not me.
Great analysis on the use of tone to compare the two generations. I can really see how this poem works after your explanations. Nice work,
I love the poem! It's great how in it they relate two differnt generations! I like how you used the quotes from the poem in your analysis great job!
I really like this poem Charlotte!! It shows the similarites between childhood and old age and the things we tend to forget in between, if that makes any sense. Good analysis too. I like how you talk about how tone is used to show this connection.
nice work :)
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