Monday, March 30, 2009
Shel Silverstein
In the poem Picture Puzzle Piece by Shel Silverstein, what did you find most humorous about his writing, if anything? Did his rhetorical questions leave room for your mind to think about all the possibilites of this one simple puzzle piece? How does this simple idea make you think about all the possibilities in your own life?
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18 comments:
I like Shel Silverstein because he writes simply but in a way to catch the attention of children and adults. This brings back childhood memories. I thought it was funny how he came up with so many different situations, it made me think and laugh of how much losing a puzzle piece sucks when you're at the end.
I might be unsure of the definition, but were there rhetorical questions in this? I did not find any. Anyway, the simple idea of the possibilites didn't make me think of my own life. It made me think of the idea of "fate", even though he talked about the puzzle piece's past and not its future.
I really like this piece. Life really is a big puzzle that is needed to be put together. Plus, for me, I find puzzles to be relaxing. I like the word chooses that he had. You can really get a picture of this one little puzzle piece sitting out waiting to be put into its place. I would actually like to read more of his work.
Like Kathleen I didn't see the rhetorical questions, but I could be missing something. Happens from time to time. However, I did think a little bit on my own life with the whole "piece of the puzzle" idea. I think he's trying to get people to remember their own stories, their own childhood memories that stick out a lot in their minds, kind of like a fairytale they have heard over nad over again. Maybe he's trying to get at the idea that our past stories and experiences are part of the puzzle of our own life and personality? Maybe I'm reading too much into it? That happens sometimes too.
Silversteins poem seemed to be aimed at children, but it also retained my attention. Once I got through the third line, I cruised through the rest of it without even noticing. That's a pretty good quality to have, if you can hook your readers in without them realizing it you have created something worthwhile.
"Or a bottle with some evil genie inside", that line caught my attention because I used to love Aladdin, and whenever I hear "genie", that's what I think of. The genie in Aladdin was a good guy though, so it's kind of contradictory. I also didn't find any rhetorical questions in this piece.
Regarding the lost puzzle piece though, that's always the worst feeling, getting a puzzle completely done and missing one piece. Terrible.
I really liked this piece. I thought it was so creative how he came up with so many examples, loved them all as well. I liked how it was simple to read and children as well as adults could enjoy a piece like this. It some what did make me think of possibilities because that one puzzle piece could be so many things, much like we could become so many things. But ultimately this poem made me think of my childhood and I enjoyed that flashback.
I liked this piece. I didn't really find anything humorous about his writing in the poem. I also didn't see an rhetorical questions either. I must have missed alot readng this even though i read it 3 times. The poem makes me think about all of the little things and how something so small can mean alot to someone.
I liked this poem, but it seemed like it was a little too childish. I don't know, maybe it's just me. But how he references Snow White. The 2 lines I did enjoy is "It might be the veil of a bride, or a bottle with an evil genie inside." It was a good poem overall though. :)
I liked the simplicity of his poem. I like how he inserts so many different fairy tales into this piece. I've only heard of half of them. Makes me want to go read Grimm. I like the many possibilities it gives rise to.
I loved the simplicity of the poem, it was straight to the point, clear, pure, and very meaningful. I think there is something more to this than just losing a puzzle piece, but i cannot quite figure it out. Perhapse I wasn't thinking into it hard enough. Did anyone else have any troubles with that? I want to go with the thought of it being about life, but I wasn't sure that the author would take such a broad topic.
-Patricia
This poem made me smile, I find Shel Silverstein very cute and funny. At the end of the poem I actually started thinking about how it's almost impossible to figure out what the picture is on a wet puzzle piece. In a way I could connect this with how my future is also fuzzy, but I didn't think of this, until I read the question.
i've really enjoyed this piece of writing. it was fun to read because of all the content. The little saying of all the childhood stories. reading the childhood sayings it brought back some memories. i can remember reading all of those stories for the first time. I guess i didnt relize any rhetorical questions but it did make me think a little about my life. it made me think of a puzzle that has lost a piece. the puzzle is not complete. that is kind of how life sometimes is. if you are missing a piece in your life then you may be left feeling sad or not complete. that is what i thought about this piece of writing.
i really enjoyed reading this, it was extremely easy to read most of all. this poem makes me think back to when i was little, in elementary school.
I really enjoyed this piece. I liked it because he came up with so many possibalities of what that puzzle piece could be. It kind of made me think of life, like you don't always know what piece of yourself is missing, and it could be anything, you just have to find it.
I liked this poem it was easy to understand and doesn't complicate things too much. I remember my old teacher in elementary school would read something from his book every day during class and they were just as easy to understand back then as they are now.
I personally grew up on Shel Silverstein, and have always loved him. The playfulness of this essay really made my evening-- because I always think about such thing-- What was that bluish blob on the sidewalk, and how long did it take some child to draw it?
This simple idea really presents a nice metaphor for life-- what could have been? What was? Very philosophical.
Shel Siverstein is excellent at presenting these bigger picture issues in layman's terms.
I did enjoy all the different ways to say the same thing; there is infinite possibilities. Its a lot like saying what if about everything. What if it was the missing nose of a kitten mid yawn. You could make that one piece anything.
I didn't find anything humorous about this poem. But all of Shel Silverstein's rhetorical questions makes you think of what is being lost as this puzzle piece rots away in the rain.
I remember my third grade teacher reading Shel Silverstein to us. I couldnt find any rhetorical questions in this piece.
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