alright, the poem I have chosen to educate you all with is this lovely poem by my personal favorite: shel silverstien.
Where the Sidewalk Ends
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.
Analysis:
This poem, though written in a children's poetry book can have a much deeper meaning than I understood when I first read the peom in the 20th century. When reading the poem, one almost feels as if they are leaving the world behind them to walk off the edge of the sidewalk. A sort of chasing the rainbow concept. These two children (as illustrated in the book) are following signs of their imagination where they believe the sidewalk ends. The end of the sidewalk also signifies the edge of the world. To walk of the end of the sidewalk is to step into a world unknown. A sort of inbetween step into the street and the life of an independant, one with responsibilities. "Where the chalk-white arrows go" (11), even the doodlings of toddlers point to the future.
A daunting future it would seem, "And we'll walk with a walk that is measured and slow"(16). The measured years of the lives of children pass very slowly, but eventually, the path will lead you to the end of the sidewalk. This poem was placed as the very last poem in the book. Once you finish the book, you are at the edge of the sidewalk and street and should be ready to cross onto the tar to finish your life as a child (or so shel thinks). But by walking off the end of the sidewalk, one "leaves this place where the smoke blows black/And the dark street winds and bends" (7). The ignorance of childhood can finally be left behind when one takes the tiny step onto the street.
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6 comments:
Lauren,
I loved your poem you chose! I mean come on, who doesn't like Shel Silverstein. I agree with what you said about it having a stong meaning, even though it's just a children's poem. I also like you you compared the ending of the sidewalk to the end of childhood, and a step into the steet is a step into adulthood. Great poem and awesome analysis!
allo!!
great poem! gotta love shel silverstein!! i agree with your analysis, and have never really thought that deeply when reading that poem, but it really makes sense. your idea about how the end of the sidewalk meant the end of childhood is very nice and makes tons of sense. great job!!
~ashley
first off...HAPPY BIRTHDAY!...and secondly, very good poem. I agree with both you and lacy about how a simple poem meant for young children can have such a strong meaning. Also, i really like how you connected the end of a sidewalk to the end of someones childhood. very nice.
Lauren!! Happy your birthday was a couple days ago!! This poem reminds me of elementary school because we read a lot of Shel Silverstein. I loved your analysis! Really insightful!
I'm not as familiar with Shel Silverstein as everyone else obviously is, but i like this poem alot it has a cute bounce to it. I probably would not have guessed it was from a childrens peotry book because i agree that there is a deeper message than most children woulld probably pick up on. Great analysis!
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