Shel Silverstein Critical Review
Nicole Turner
ENC 1102
Mrs. S. Padgett-Giorda
Critical Research Essay on Shel Silverstein
While many will point to poets such as Robert Frost and Sylvia Plath when speaking intellectually about the work that was produced by their pens, one should not overlook the valuable contributions of Shel Silverstein. From his first publication, The Giving Tree, to his final work, Falling Up, Silverstein entertained generations of children and parents alike with his use of poetry. His work, specifically in 1981’s A Light in the Attic, has been used as the backbone for many educators’ introduction of poetry to students. Entries like “Hot Dog,” “Homework Machine,” “Superstitious,” “Messy Room,” and “The Sitter” work on many levels with multiple audiences. (Kimmel 3) Silverstein was born in Chicago, Ill. on September 25, 1930 to modest beginnings. He always dreamt of playing baseball and chasing girls, but he always excelled more with a pen in his hand than he did athletically. He was a superior artist and writer from the start. He did some cartoon drawing while serving overseas in the military in the 1950s, but his real calling did not come until years later when he corroborated with Harper & Row Publishing to release his first children’s book, The Giving Tree, in 1964. Sales for the book started slowly, but after some critical acclaim, it began to fly off the shelves. The book, while in a poetic style, was not a collection of poems, like the ones for which Silverstein would eventually become best known. (Kimmel 4) He continued to produce similar work until his death on May 10, 1999. Some have overlooked his works as only for children, but upon further examination, it is easy to see how influential Silverstein really was historically. The influence of the times in which he lived on his writing is obvious to some and not as obvious to others. Spending a great deal of his leisure time in notorious 1960s hot spots such as Greenwich Village, N.Y. and Key West, Fla.,
ENC 1102
Mrs. S. Padgett-Giorda
Critical Research Essay on Shel Silverstein
While many will point to poets such as Robert Frost and Sylvia Plath when speaking intellectually about the work that was produced by their pens, one should not overlook the valuable contributions of Shel Silverstein. From his first publication, The Giving Tree, to his final work, Falling Up, Silverstein entertained generations of children and parents alike with his use of poetry. His work, specifically in 1981’s A Light in the Attic, has been used as the backbone for many educators’ introduction of poetry to students. Entries like “Hot Dog,” “Homework Machine,” “Superstitious,” “Messy Room,” and “The Sitter” work on many levels with multiple audiences. (Kimmel 3) Silverstein was born in Chicago, Ill. on September 25, 1930 to modest beginnings. He always dreamt of playing baseball and chasing girls, but he always excelled more with a pen in his hand than he did athletically. He was a superior artist and writer from the start. He did some cartoon drawing while serving overseas in the military in the 1950s, but his real calling did not come until years later when he corroborated with Harper & Row Publishing to release his first children’s book, The Giving Tree, in 1964. Sales for the book started slowly, but after some critical acclaim, it began to fly off the shelves. The book, while in a poetic style, was not a collection of poems, like the ones for which Silverstein would eventually become best known. (Kimmel 4) He continued to produce similar work until his death on May 10, 1999. Some have overlooked his works as only for children, but upon further examination, it is easy to see how influential Silverstein really was historically. The influence of the times in which he lived on his writing is obvious to some and not as obvious to others. Spending a great deal of his leisure time in notorious 1960s hot spots such as Greenwich Village, N.Y. and Key West, Fla.,
Cited: Kimmel, Eric A. "Shel Silverstein: Overview." Twentieth- Century Children 's Writers. Ed. Laura Standley Berger 4th ed. 1995. Rpt. in Twentieth-Century Children 's Writers. Ed. Laura Standley Berger. 4th ed. Twentieth-Century Writers Series Detroit: St. James Press, 1995. Literature Resources from Gale. Gale. Pasco Hernando Comm College, CCLA. 8 Dec. 2009 . MacDonald, Ruth K. "The Weirdness of Shel Silverstein." Studies in American Humor. 5.4 ( 1986): 267-279. Rpt. in Poetry Criticism. Ed. David M. Galens. Vol. 49. Detroit: Gale, 2003. 267-279. Literature Resources from Gale. Gale. Pasco Hernando Comm College, CCLA. 8 Dec. 2009 . Silverstein, Shel. A Light in the Attic. New York: Harper and Row, 1981. Print.