R+Slater


 * __Shel Silverstein__**


 * __Biography__**

Shel Silverstein is widely considered one of the best childrens writers in the world today. He is best known for his incredibly popular childrens books including "The Giving Tree" and "A Light in the Attic". Silverstein was born on September 25, 1930 in Chicago, Illinois and never planned on writing for children. He drew his first cartoons for the adult readers of Pacific Stars and Stripes when he was a G.I. in Japan and Korea in the 1950's. He then was introduced to an editor through his friend and fellow cartoon writer, Tomi Ungerer, and ended up writing "The Giving Tree" in 1964. He enjoyed a very long, and successful career as a multi-faceted artist, being known as a poet, playwright, illustrator, screenwriter, and songwriter. Shel passed away in May of 1999 in Key West, Florida.

Where the Sidewalk Ends by Shel Silverstein

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 depicts a person walking down a sidewalk during the day. The nature and scenery is described as part of the walk, with the author making note of the flowers and sun during the day. The line that says "let us leave this place where the smoke blows back" suggests that the character is walking away from something negative and walking towards the positive part of life. There is a rhyme scheme as well with every other last word rhyming with each other.

The most common interpretation of this poem is that the "end of the sidewalk" suggests the end of life, and the sidewalk itself represents all of the paths we take throughout the course of our life. There is also a relationship between the different things that the main character sees during his walk, and that can be related to the different experiences in someones life. This poem carries a large amount of uncertainty in it's mood and tone as well. There is an uncertain feel during the second stanza, specifically the line that says, "we shall walk with a walk that is measured and slow", meaning that there will be challenges in your life, and to handle them one at a time. The "chalk-white" arrows also relate to a sense of direction in the authors or main characters life.

My own personal interpretation is that this poem is about escaping the negative and putting the past behind you. I don't believe this is so much about the end of life, but rather the idea about the end of life. By "leaving this place where the smoke blows black" it's almost referring to escaping the negative and running away from the bad parts of your life. That's what this poem means to me and is more positive than it is negative.


 * Walt Whitman**




 * __Biography__**

Walt Whitman was born on May 31, 1819 in Long Island, New York. He is considered one of the most famous poets of all-time, and was also known as a journalist, essayist, and humanist. He is widely known for being part of the transition between Transcendentalism and realism, and is also referred to as the "Father of Free-Verse" for writing in a non-traditional and non-structured way. His work is also very controversial for it's time, especially "Leaves of Grass", which has been described as incredibly sexual for it's time. He published Leaves of Grass with his own money in 1855, and continued to work from there until his death in 1892 in Camden, NJ.  The world below the brine, Forests at the bottom of the sea, the branches and leaves, Sea-lettuce, vast lichens, strange flowers and seeds, the thick tangle openings, and pink turf, Different colors, pale gray and green, purple, white, and gold, the play of light through the water, Dumb swimmers there among the rocks, coral, gluten, grass, rushes, and the aliment of the swimmers, Sluggish existences grazing there suspended, or slowly crawling close to the bottom, The sperm-whale at the surface blowing air and spray, or disporting with his flukes, The leaden-eyed shark, the walrus, the turtle, the hairy sea-leopard, and the sting-ray, Passions there, wars, pursuits, tribes, sight in those ocean-depths, breathing that thick-breathing air, as so many do, The change thence to the sight here, and to the subtle air breathed by beings like us who walk this sphere, The change onward from ours to that of beings who walk other spheres.


 * __Analysis__**

This poem is literally talking about the ocean and the different characteristics of the creatures that live in the ocean. There is a very descriptive theme in this poem that makes you really able to picture this scene at the bottom of the ocean, or "below the brine". The use of color and imagery in this poem is what allows the reader to really get a clear sense of the setting and what the author is trying to accomplish.

"The World Below the Brine" isn't too full of ambiguous meanings, just perfect word choice. Whitman is comparing the world we live in to the world under the ocean, and does so by using certain adjectives to make it seem like we live in the same place. The line "Passions there, wars, pursuits, tribes, sight in those ocean-depths, breathing that thick-breathing air, as so many do," definitely refers to the fact that things that go on in our world (wars, etc.) also go on under the ocean, which provides a nice medium between the 2 worlds.

In my opinion, this poem accomplishes what it is trying to do. Whitman relates the world we live in today to the world under the ocean. This poem was interesting to me because of how descriptive it was, and I could literally see the sharks and whales under the sea that he is talking about in the poem. It is one of those poems that is such an easy read because it paints a very distinct picture in your head, and even with all that imagery he is still able to get an ambiguous message across that we're not so different from the fish under the sea.

__**Robert Frost**__


 * __Biography__

Born in San Francisco, CA, Frost lost his father at a very young age. He was just 11 when his father died and ended up living with his mother and grandfather in Lawerence, Mass throughout Frost's high school years. In 1894, just two years after he graduated from high school, Frost had his poem "My Butterfly" published by the New York Independent, along with five poems privately printed. Frost worked as a teacher and continued to write and publish his poems in magazines throughout the years. In 1895 he married Elinor White, and had six children with her. Frost dealt with death many times throughout his life, the most impactful of which when his son Carol, a frustrated poet and farmer, committed suicide. This sent Frost into a spiraling depression considering he had lost 4 children and his wife in a matter of years. He ended up re-marrying and travelling around the world sharing his poems and constructing many more. Frost died on January 29, 1963 and was considered an "unofficial" poet laureate of the U.S. due to his involvement with the global spread of poetry.  ** Some say the world will end in fire; Some say in ice. From what I've tasted of desire I hold with those who favor fire. But if it had to perish twice, I think I know enough of hate To say that for destruction ice Is also great And would suffice.
 * Fire and Ice

**Analysis


 * The literal meaning of this poem is talking about the relationship between fire and ice. Frost is talking about the differences between the two and how they each carry a different meaning. He also references the effects of fire and ice, relating desire with fire and destruction with ice. The "world will end" reference basically says that the world will either end in fire or ice, it depends on how the reader interprets it.

This poem is very open to interpretation, and Frost leaves most of his poems up to the reader. This poem is riddled with personal references to the pain and suffering he went through in his life. Fire and Ice are symbolic for how the world will end in Frost's eyes. Fire is related to things like desire and how he feels towards the people close to him who have died. The desire and love he felt for them is gone now that they are dead, and his "world" has ended. Ice is related to hatred in the lines "I think I know enough of hate, to say that for destruction ice, is also great". The word "destruction" is key in this poem as it connects both the ideals of fire and ice and what they both mean to Frost. Fire and Ice (Desire and Hatred) are 2 feelings that brought Frost's world down and ended it through the deaths of his family.

In my opinion this poem represents the destruction of someones life. The fire and ice symbolize desire and hate, and Frost portrays them in a destructive light. He shows that these feelings are capable of ruining someones life and destroying everything in it's path. In Frost's case, his wife and son were in the path of the fire and ice and they ended up dying. This is a very personal poem to Frost in my opinion, one which can have many interpretations to his life.

**__Edgar Allan Poe__


 * [[image:edgar-allan-poe.jpg]]

__Biography__

Edgar Allan Poe was born on January 19, 1809 in Boston, Mass. Poe is widely considered one of the most influential writers during the Romantic Movement. His stories and poems are mostly focused on mystery and death, and is considered the inventor of the detective-fiction genre. Poe's parents died when he was young, so he was taken in by John and Frances Allan, however they never formally adopted him. He attended University of Virginia for some time along with briefly attempting a military career, he then seperated himself from the Allans. Poe continued to move around and during this time published one of his most famous works, "The Raven", and then began to work on his own journal, "The Penn". He tragically died before he could finish this publication in 1849 at the age of 40. Poe's works are still highly renowned today as some of the most famous pieces of literature in the world. He inspired an entirely new era of writing and still continues to inspire writers today.

**__A Dream by Edgar Allan Poe__

I have dreamed of joy departed But a waking dream of life and light Hath left me broken-hearted. ** Ah! what is not a dream by day To him whose eyes are cast On things around him with a ray **Turned back upon the past?
 * In visions of the dark night

 ** That holy dream - that holy dream, While all the world were chiding, Hath cheered me as a lovely beam A lonely spirit guiding. What though that light, thro' storm and night, So trembled from afar What could there be more purely bright In Truth's day-star?

__**Analysis**__

The literal meaning of this poem is that Poe is describing a dream. He calls it the "holy dream" and talks about how this dream makes him feel. This is clearly a very depressing dream that leaves him broken hearted and feeling sad, presumably a dream about death. The use of the word "holy" and "spirit" could also refer to Poe's feelings of death in this dream.

There is alot of ambiguity in this poem and many parts that could be interpreted different ways. In the first stanza, the line "I have dreamed of joy departed" refers to dreaming of someone (presumably happy) dying and "joy departing" could be someone close to him, possibly his wife, passing away. The second stanza talks about the details of the dream, and the line "On things around him with a ray, turned back upon the past?" could refer to the fact that this dream reminds him of someone from his past, and that the dream is actually a flashback on the original event or person. The third and fourth stanzas talk about this "spirit guiding" and how this beam of light is guiding the character from above. The dream has now turned "holy" like the spirit is now in heaven talking to him from above. The end of the poem is very positive and upbeat as to suggest that Poe is now comfortable with this death and will follow his (or her) advice from the heavens.

In my opinion this poem is talking about the death of his wife and how he learned to deal with accepting the fact that she was gone. The references in this poem to a spirit and the use of the word "holy" to describe the dream tells me that Poe is talking about someone close to him that is now gone. The first notion would have to be that he is talking about his wife, and that's what this poem means to be all the way through.

**
 * __Langston Hughes__

__**Biography**__

Langston Hughes is a well known American poet, novelist, playwright, short story writer and columnist. Hughes emerged onto the scene during the Harlem Renaissance and is one of the best known writers from that era. Born in Joplin, Missouri, Hughes attended high school in Cleveland, Ohio where he first began to write poetry. Although discouraged by his father to pursue poetry, Hughes continued to write and had his first poem published in Brownie's Book. He would later appear in the NAACP publication, Crisis Magazine, Opportunity Magazine, among others. His writing mainly focused on the Negro movement and the struggle for rights. One of his most famous essays appeared in "The Nation" in 1926 entitled, "The Negro Artist and the Racial Mountain". It was written about black writers and poets and the struggles they have gone through to earn equality. Hughes traveled around the world spreading the words of his poetry all the way up until his death in 1967. He still remains one of the most important African-American writers and poets of our time.

I, too, sing America.

I am the darker brother. They send me to eat in the kitchen When company comes, But I laugh, And eat well, And grow strong.

Tomorrow, I'll be at the table When company comes. Nobody'll dare Say to me, "Eat in the kitchen," Then.

Besides, They'll see how beautiful I am And be ashamed--

I, too, am America.

__**Analysis**__

This poem by Langston Hughes is literally talking describing a person who appears to be African-American, and saying that he is no different than any other white American. This is a poem about equality and freedom, about how one person can fit in with other people regardless of what they look like. This was one of the most important and famous poems back when it was written because of this message. It urged African-Americans to rise up and have a voice. Hughes talks about standing up to being told to "eat in the kitchen" and letting everyone see "how beautiful I am". All of these lines echo what the Harlem Renaissance is all about, equality and freedom.

The biggest sign of ambiguity in this poem is the notion of "eating in the kitchen". Hughes uses this reference as something that the blacks were told to do when company came over to the white persons house. He is obviously referencing the slave era and how they were treated. He says however that the character will "eat well and grow strong" so that tomorrow he can sit at the table. This isn't a literal meaning of tomorrow but rather a reference to the future movement of equality for the African Americans. One day he will be eating at the table when the company comes so they can see how "beautiful" he is, meaning that he will be able to show his worth (or "beauty") to everyone and not be regarded as just a slave.

This is a great poem in my opinion. For everything that was going on during this time and for everything that was happening to the African American population, this poem was incredibly significant. One of the most powerful messages a poem could ever give out, Hughes is expressing the idea of equality and freedom to a struggling population. A message that is unmatched by anyone else in poetry, in my opinion.