Poetry Commentary- "Where the Sidewalk ends)
Poetry Commentary
In the poem “Where the Sidewalk Ends”, which poetic techniques does the poet Shel Silverstein use to make the work so moving?
The poem “Where the Sidewalk Ends” by Shel Silverstein signifies the passage of life. The poet uses a sidewalk as an extended metaphor to describe the dark and dreary ways of life. The end of the sidewalk is supposed to represent heaven or the end of the passage. His purpose is to teach the reader about the steady pace in which one walks towards his or her own morality, through a poem. The poet uses a prominent theme, various tones and an extended metaphor to make the poem moving and touching to the reader.
Shel Silverstein uses an extended metaphor to make the poem moving and intriguing. An extended metaphor is a metaphor that lasts for several sentences and sometimes for an entire work. For example, “There is a place where the sidewalk ends, and before the street begins, and there the grass grows soft and white.” The end of the sidewalk the poet describes represents the end of a journey. It also symbolizes the end of life when you meet with your own impermanence and reach death. The place where the “grass grows” might characterize heaven. Later in the poem the poet describes a sidewalk. The quote, “Let us leave this place where the smoke blows black, and the dark street winds and bends,” shows us that the sidewalk or street represents the passage of life. It exemplifies the troubles and complications you face in the long monotonous journey of life. The place he describes at the beginning of the poem is probably a place the poet longs to escape to from his dark journey. Consequently using an extended metaphor helped Silverstein create a moving poem.
A prominent theme is also one of the several poetic techniques that helped make this poem moving. The theme in this poem is the journey from life to death. It is about the complications many face during this journey. For example, “ Let us leave this place where the smoke
In the poem “Where the Sidewalk Ends”, which poetic techniques does the poet Shel Silverstein use to make the work so moving?
The poem “Where the Sidewalk Ends” by Shel Silverstein signifies the passage of life. The poet uses a sidewalk as an extended metaphor to describe the dark and dreary ways of life. The end of the sidewalk is supposed to represent heaven or the end of the passage. His purpose is to teach the reader about the steady pace in which one walks towards his or her own morality, through a poem. The poet uses a prominent theme, various tones and an extended metaphor to make the poem moving and touching to the reader.
Shel Silverstein uses an extended metaphor to make the poem moving and intriguing. An extended metaphor is a metaphor that lasts for several sentences and sometimes for an entire work. For example, “There is a place where the sidewalk ends, and before the street begins, and there the grass grows soft and white.” The end of the sidewalk the poet describes represents the end of a journey. It also symbolizes the end of life when you meet with your own impermanence and reach death. The place where the “grass grows” might characterize heaven. Later in the poem the poet describes a sidewalk. The quote, “Let us leave this place where the smoke blows black, and the dark street winds and bends,” shows us that the sidewalk or street represents the passage of life. It exemplifies the troubles and complications you face in the long monotonous journey of life. The place he describes at the beginning of the poem is probably a place the poet longs to escape to from his dark journey. Consequently using an extended metaphor helped Silverstein create a moving poem.
A prominent theme is also one of the several poetic techniques that helped make this poem moving. The theme in this poem is the journey from life to death. It is about the complications many face during this journey. For example, “ Let us leave this place where the smoke