Poetry Review # 8: New Poetry Book

Every Thing On It

Silverstein, Shel. Every Thing On It. New York: Harper Collins, 2011.

Critical Analysis

As if we have not been lucky enough to share and experience some of the most wonderful and enriching poetry in Shel Silverstein’s previous works, a new inspiring collection appears out of no where.  Every Thing On It reminds readers of all ages why we all admire the man who created such witty and comical verse and drawings that make us laugh over and over again. This collection, although very diverse in theme and concept, includes poems that are short and to the point, and others that are lengthy and have more detail.  No matter what, Silverstein’s drawings compliment each poem successfully, and make the words seem even more funny than what they already are.  One example of this, that kids will truly appreciate, is the poem, The Frog.  “And here’s a bashful frog, Hiding ‘hind a log, In a muddy bog, In a very heavy fog.”  As readers read they look for a frog sitting behind a log, but instead all they see is a page full of black pencil dots, the fog.  Silverstein truly possessed a gift in his ability to rhyme, and make any concept seem funny, while taking the most outlandish subject matter and applying clever use of language he makes it hilarious.  In the poem Mustache Mo, readers see an image of Mo the train engineer, aboard the B& O engine.  Silverstein never ceases to surprise readers just as he does in this poem, “His mustache grows ten feet or so.  It got caught in the wheels below.  Now there’s no mustache An no mo’ Mo.  This brand new collection of new and never read Silverstein Surprises is sure to amaze you as you experience the  rhythm and cadence along side poems that just about anyone can relate to!

POEM SPOTLIGHT

How Hungry is Polly

“I’m so hungry I could eat a horse,”

Said Polly in the park

Ol’ Dobbin, grazin’ nearby,

Overheard her rude remark.

He shook his mane and pawed the ground,

He raised his noble head,

He snorted and looked down at her,

And this is what he said:

 “I’ve been ridden, I’ve been driven,

I’ve been raced around a track,

I’ve been photographed with little

Whiny kiddies on my back.

I’ve pulled wagons through the winter,

I’ve pulled sleighs and I’ve pulled sleds,

I’ve pulled plows in sticky summers

With flies buzzin’ round my head.

I’ve been whipped and I’ve been beaten,

I’ve been called a such-and-such—

But to think of being eaten,

Well, that really is too much!

And when I get insulted,

My appetite runs wild,

And now I feel so hungry,

I could eat a child.”

Shel Silverstein

Analysis:

Silverstein has taken the age old hyperbolic phrase, “I’m so hungry I could eat a horse” and once again created a poem that readers will get a kick out of!  In this poem readers see a little girl and horse with big teeth, dripping with saliva.  As they read, it is evident in Silverstein’s language that the horse is sick and tired of being used.  The experiences the horse comes to speak of are down right normal in the life of any horse, but the thought of being eaten, is more than he can take.  Silverstein makes readers see the perspective of the horse as he over and over again uses the word I’ve in the rhyming lines of this poem.  Readers are in for a surprise when the horse changes things all around and announces, “And now I feel so hungry, I could eat a child.”  This poem possesses so many poetic elements from alliteration, rhyme, hyperbole, tone and mood.  But most importantly, readers will take from this poem something personal that explores a phrase we can all relate to.

Classroom Connections:

In the poem How Hungry Is Polly, Silverstein has creatively introduced readers to the meaning that exists behind a well known hyperbolic phrase making this poem one that would be great to share when teaching hyperbole to older elementary age students.  Students are introduced to hyperbole at a young age, but Silverstein has created an entire poem which revolves around hyperbole, and makes readers laugh while doing it.  After students have read the poem and identified the hyperbole, have them brainstorm other forms of hyperbole such as: you snore louder than a freight train, I nearly died laughing, He sleeps like a log, I tried a thousand times, I nearly died trying.  Discuss the exaggeration found within each phrase and the fact that hyperboles are very common in our everyday language.  Have students choose a hyperbolic phrase to write about and illustrate similar to that of the example created by Silverstein.