Answers to Setting

Q1) The first story was set at at the stairwell in the evening. The second story was set in Watson's house in the morning. The third story was set in the neighborhood of a town.

Q2)The first story was set in the modern day. The second story was set in 1883, early April in the morning. The third story was set in the early 19th century England.

Q3) The setting of the first story tells us that the story was going to be moody and sad. The setting of the second story tells us that the story was going to be suspicious and mysterious. The setting of the third story gives everyone a very amiable feeling and and gives us warm and loving effect.

Q4) The setting of to kill a mockingbird is set in Maycomb county the town where the Finchs’ live. Maycomb, some twenty miles east of Finch’s Landing, was the county seat of Maycomb County。 The story states that Mr. Finch works in the area. Maycomb is repeated many times in the story and there is a vivid description of it “Maycomb was an old town, but it was a tired old town when I first knew it. In rainy weather the streets turned to red slop; grass grew on the sidewalks, the courthouse sagged in the square. Somehow, it was hotter then: a black dog suffered on a summer’s day”. Maycomb is also a white town as there are description of the Finch’s neighbours. “It was customary for every circle hostess to invite her neighbors in for refreshments, be they Baptists or Presbyterians, which accounted for the presence of Miss Rachel (sober as a judge), Miss Maudie and Miss Stephanie Crawford.” It describes the fine ladies in town and how they live their lives in Maycomb County.

Q4 answer taken from: http://thenotnamed.blogspot.com/

Telephone Conversation-Wole Soyinka

Q1. This poem is full of colours not just that of skin, what do you think these colours signify?

The poem is about a telephone conversation between the poetic persona wanting to rent an apartment from an English Landlady and she completely alters her attitude towards him after he reveals himself to be a black African. In my view, I perceive that the colours signify racism between blacks by whites. The whites having the thinking in which they are superior and the blacks are of low status and a rank below them. The landlady was then reluctant to rent the flat to the narrator. This is clearly visible from the landlady being "Silence" with "Silenced transmission of pressurized good-breeding". She also ask whether he was light or very dark. Throughout the whole poem, the words "dark" and "light" were repeated and this clearly shows that the man was being discriminated by the landlady just because he is a black. The metaphor "plain or milk chocolate"was also used to give the landlady a rough idea of the shade of skin colour the narrator has. The poet was trying to show a clear distinction between the narrator and the landlady to tell readers the very existence of racism in America. The colours also shows that the narrator was a black and that he was not pleased by being discriminated . This can be seen from the incident where the narrator kept explaining that he was not really that black. "Facially, I am brunette, but madam, you should see the rest of me. Palm of my hand, soles of my feet are a peroxide blonde." tells us that the narrator was trying to explain to the landlady that he was not entirely black.

The colour red in the story is used to represent the fury of the narrator. "Red booth. Red pillar box. Red double-tiered omnibus squelching tar" tells us that the narrator was getting really angry with the landlady as she refused to rent the flat to the narrator and she kept asking whether he was dark or light. The narrator was left with no choice but to reveal his skin colour in the end. At that point he was already very angry with the landlady for looking down on blacks. As red means anger, the poet's repetitive usage of red expresses the narrator's anger. Although it is hidden with seemingly polite language, a glimpse of the speaker's anger appears in the quick pauses in between the conversation.

The colour gold signify the elegance of the landlady. "long gold-rolled cigarette-holder pipped" tells us that the poet depicts the landlady to be a respectable person as gold signifies wealth and elegance and beauty. The poet is trying add a sense of irony to the poem by describing the landlady as a respectable lady even though she was racist against blacks. The poet associated gold with other descriptions like "good-breeding," and "lipstick coated" voice to describe her wealth and elegance but these words in which are used to describe her wealth are neutral in regard to her personal character, but allow that she could be a good person.

In conclusion, the poet used colours like red, black and gold to describe the narrator and the landlady. Black was used to describe the racism in the poem and red to describe the narrator's anger while gold to describe the landlady's wealth and elegance, telling the readers she might be a good person even though she was racist towards blacks.

Q2) What does the dialogue in this poem reveal about these two characters?

This poem is strong evidence that there is discrimination between blacks and white. The landlady in the poem was described as a polite and nice person but when she realised the narrator was a black, she was becoming reluctant and continuously questioned the narrator whether he was very dark and this shattered her good image to the readers.

Their dialouge revealed their skin colour. The poet revealed he was an African right at the start of the poem and it tells the readers that he was a black. The landlady paused in the telephone conversation when she knew he was a black and this would create suspicion that she was not a black but of a different skin colour."Silence. Silenced transmission of pressurized good breeding.". After the pause she asked how dark the narrator was and this further creates a visual image to the readers that the landlady was not a black. The narrator and the landlady was talked about skin colour instead about the rental of the apartment throughout the entire poem. "ARE YOU DARK? OR VERY LIGHT" was repeated throughout the whole poem and it clearly proven that the landlady was a white and she was shallowly being racist towards the narrator.

Their dialouge revealed their characteristics. The landlady was described as a polite, well-bred woman although she was shown shallowly being racist. The landlady was actually not very cruel towards the narrator in their dialouge, she was just asking about his skin colour. She did not use any horrible words to describe the narrator. Her repetitive usage of dark and light tells us so and she was attempting not to harm the narrator's feelings. Whilst, the narrator was genuinely apologetic for his skin color, even though he need not be sorry for something which he was born with and has no control over at all. He was trying to explain to the landlady about his skin colour throughout the poem. "Facially, I am brunette, but madam, you should see the rest of me. Palm of my hand, soles of my feet are a peroxide blonde. Friction, caused —Foolishly madam — by sitting down, has turned my bottom raven black — One moment madam!" — sensing her receiver rearing on the thunderclap. About my ears — "Madam," I pleaded, "wouldn’t you rather see for yourself?" tells us so. In this poem, I can see that the narrator was an intelligent person by his usage of high diction and quick wit, not the savage that the landlady assumed he was because of his skin color. All of these discrepancies between what appeared to be and what really was created a sense of verbal irony that helped the poem display the ridiculousness of racism.

In conclusion, their dialouge revealed their skin colour and characteristics. The landlady was a white and the narrator was a black. The landlady was actually a nice landlady and did not meant to be racist. Maybe at that time whites were not supposed to rent flats to blacks. The narrator was shown to be an intelligent person.

Q3) This poem exaggerates a duel between the two where the narrator was trying to rent a flat and the landlady was reluctant because of his skin colour.

He makes the situation complex by saying the difference in colours of the different parts of his body and most important of all, he stated the colour of his bottom which is seriously disgustful.

In his words, sarcasm is oozing out. He is using his wits which the landlady lacks to perplex her. She is a failure as she is unable to grasp the hidden meaning behind it and the sarcasm when he stated the colour of his bottom and she did not understand the hallucianation. The man uses deception on the woman when he said "wouldn't you rather see it for yourself" where "it" refers to the man's bottom. This is insulting as he is asking the woman to look at his black bottom which accordingly, is due to friction. The man succeeds in being sarcastic and played around with the feeling and making fun of the woman that has a pea brain

In conclusion, the man wins because he leads the ignorant woman into a trap which he set to trick the woman. Her discrimination against blacks actually leads her to being mocked and trick so the black man was the ultimate victor.

Bus boycott and Scottsboro trials

a. State the specifics of each trial and why they were significant.

Rosa Parks- Parks was ordered to enter at the back of the bus and as she was heading to the back of the bus, the bus driver drove off without her. She never wanted to to board a bus driven by James Blake after then but on December 1 1955, she was sitting in the front-most row for black people but was later asked by the bus driver to move back to create a row for the whites, only to realize that the bus driver is James Blake but she refused to move despite the fact that bus drivers are given the authority to assign seats. She was prosecuted and fined but she appealed and her arrest triggered a series of events. She was known as one of the pioneers of civil rights movement.

Claudette Colvin- She was fifteen years old when she refused to give in her seat to a white man but later was found that she was pregnant.

Scottsboro trials- On Mrach 25, 1931, a freight train was stopped in Paint Rock, a tiny community in Northern Alabama, and nine young African American men who had been riding the rails were arrested. As two white women - one underage - descended from the freight cars, they accused the men of raping them on the train. Within a month the first man was found guilty and sentenced to death. There followed a series sensational trials, condemning the other men solely on the testimony of the older woman, a known prostitute, who was attempting to avoid prosecution under the Mann Act, prohibiting taking a minor across state for lines for immoral purposes, like prostitution.

b. How is the Scottsboro trial related to the trial in the novel?

Both trials are related as they involved white females accusing innocent black men of raping. In TKAM, Mayella Ewell accused Tom Robinson of attempted rape when she herself seduced Tom while in the Scottsboro trials, the prostitutes accused the blacks of rape because she wanted to escape prosecution for immoral acts.

c. In what ways are these trials similar?

The trials are similar in the time they took place which is in the 1930s and they both took place in Alabama. The trial began with the charge of rape made by white women against African American men and the poor white status of the accusers was a critical issue. Both have a central figure in which a central figure of the Scottsboro trials was a heroic judge, a member of Alabama Bar who overturned a guilty jury verdict against African American men while in TKAM, the central figure is Atticus, lawyer, legislator and member of the Alabama Bar, who defends an African American man. Both judges went against public sentiments in trying to protect the rights of the African American defendants. Both jury ignored evidence that was evident that the African American men were innocent. Both also include the attitudes of the Southern women and poor whites that complicated the trials.

Harper Lee

a. About Harper Lee
Nelle Harper Lee was born on April 28, 1926, to Amasa Coleman Lee and Frances Cunningham Finch Lee. Harper Lee grew up in the small southwestern Alabama town of Monroeville. Her father, a former newspaper editor and proprietor, was a lawyer who also served on the state legislature (1926-38). As a child, Lee was a tomboy and a precocious reader, and she enjoyed the friendship of her schoolmate and neighbor, the young Truman Capote, who provided the basis of the character of Dill in her novel To Kill a Mockingbird.

b. Biodata
Harper Lee was born on April 28, 1926 in Monroeville Alabama.

--- Lee was the youngest of four children born to Amasa Coleman Lee and Frances Finch Lee. 

--- She attended Huntingdon College 1944-45, studied law at the University of Alabama 1945-49, and studied one year at Oxford University. 

--- In the 1950s she worked as a reservation clerk with Eastern Air Lines and BOAC in New York City. 

--- In 1957 Lee submitted the manuscript of her novel to the J. B. Lippincott Company. 

--- After being instructed to rewrite it, Lee worked on it for two and a half more years

--- In 1960 TO KILL A MOCKINGBIRD, Lee's only book, was published. 

--- In 1961 she had two articles published: "Love --- In Other Words" in Vogue, and "Christmas To Me" in McCalls. 

--- In June of 1966, Harper Lee was one of two persons named by President Johnson to the National Council of Arts.

c. Novels written by her
"To Kill a Mockingbird." (1960)
"Christmas to Me". (December 1961)
"When Children Discover America". (August 1965). "Cold Blood" (1966) Capote and lee collaborated "The Long Goodbye" (mid-1980s)

d. Awards received
Pulitzer Prize (1961)
Brotherhood Award of the National Conference of Christians and Jews (1961)
Alabama Library Association Award (1961)
Bestsellers Paperback of the Year Award (1962)
Member, National Council on the Arts (1966)
Best Novel of the Century, Library Journal (1999)
Alabama Humanities Award (2002)
ATTY Award, Spector Gadon & Rosen Foundation (2005)
Los Angeles Public Library Literary Award (2005)
Honorary degree, University of Notre Dame (2006)
American Academy of Arts and Letters (2007)
Presidential Medal of Freedom (2007)

e. Why was To Kill A Mockingbird a significant novel to her?
To Kill a Mockingbird was written and published amidst the most significant and conflict-ridden social change in the South since the Civil War and Reconstruction. Inevitably, despite its mid-1930s setting, the story told from the perspective of the 1950s voices the conflicts, tensions, and fears induced by this transition.

Trails of a true Southern Belle and Southern Gentlemen

a. What were the rules of etiquette for the southern gentlemen and ladies?
Mannerisms to be carefully avoided by all
Manners appropriate for all
• Whispering or pointing in company.
• Omitting to pay proper attention to company when entering or exiting a room.
• Giving attention to only one person when more are present.
• Contradicting parents, friends or strangers.
• Laughing loudly.
• Making noise with hands or feet.
• Swinging arms or making awkward gestures in company or in the street.
• Actions that have the most remote tendency to indelicacy.
• Leaning on the shoulder, or chair of another person.
• Throwing things rather than handing them.
• Crowding or bumping elbows.
• Contempt in looks, words or actions.
• Lolling on a chair.
• Looking earnestly in the face without any apparent cause.
• Surliness of any kind (distortion of countenance, and mimicry
• Ridicule of every kind.
• A constant smile or settled frown.
• Lending a borrowed book.
• Dressing in a bright and loud manner that attracts attention.
• Reading when there is company.
• Reading when others are talking.
• Reading aloud without being asked.
• Laughing at the mistakes of others.
• Speaking or acting in anger.
• To neglect little things if they can affect the comfort of others.
Manners appropriate for all
• To govern yourself and be gentle and patient.
• To remember that as valuable as the gift of speech it, silence is often more valuable.
• To speak with a gentle tone of voice.
• Learning to deny yourself and prefer others.
• Giving applause liberally to others, but only by the clapping of hands and never the stamping or kicking of feet.
• To rise to ones feet out of respect for an older person or dignitary.

b. What do the southern ladies do during their free time. (Hobbies)

They baked cakes.

c. Pictures of a Southern gentlemen and southern lady.

d.Identify characters in the novel that fit the mould of true southern belles and gentlemen and those who don't. Explain why they fit the mould and why they don't.

Gentleman- Atticus- He has all the etiquettes above and he is also very helpful.

Belle- Miss Maudie- She is very kind and bakes cakes, then, she gives the cakes to her neighbours.
Answers for question b,c and d taken from: http://thenotnamed.blogspot.com/

Civil War Rights Movement

a. When did the civil war movements right begin?
The Civil Rights movement began on December 1, 1955, when Rosa Parks (1913– ), a black seamstress, refused to cooperate with a segregation law. As she boarded a public bus in Montgomery, Alabama, she took a seat in the designated "black" rows in the back. When the bus filled up she was asked to move so that a white man could have her spot. She refused to give the man her seat and was then arrested. This event sparked what would become a national movement of resistance to racial segregation (separation of black people from white people) and discrimination.

b. What was the civil rights movement about?
The African-American Civil Rights Movement (1955–1968) refers to the movements in the United States aimed at outlawing racial discrimination against African Americans and restoring voting rights in Southern states. This article covers the phase of the movement between 1954 and 1968, particularly in the South. By 1966, the emergence of the Black Power Movement, which lasted roughly from 1966 to 1975, enlarged the aims of the Civil Rights Movement to include racial dignity, economic and political self-sufficiency, and freedom from oppression by white Americans.

c. State some of the significant incidents that took place during the civil war rights movement?
Over 25 race riots occur in the summer of 1919 with 38 killed in Chicago. 70 blacks, including 10 veterans, are lynched in the South. 5000 federal troops are sent by Pres. Kennedy to allow Meredith to register for classes. Riots result in 2 deaths and hundreds of injuries.

d. Which American president supported the civil rights movement?
President Lyndon B.

e. What was the outcome of this movement?
As a result to the civil rights movement African-Americans are now as equal as whites.

f. In what way is the civil rights movement related to the novel?
The novel was set in the period of the civil rights movement where the blacks were still segregated with the whites. Tom in the novel, was convicted because of the discrimination of Blacks during that era.

Jim Crow's Laws

a. What/ who is Jim Crow?
Jim Crow was the name of the racial caste system which operated primarily, but not exclusively in southern and border states, between 1877 and the mid-1960s. Jim Crow was more than a series of rigid anti-Black laws. It was a way of life. Under Jim Crow, African Americans were relegated to the status of second class citizens. Jim Crow represented the legitimization of anti-Black racism. Many Christian ministers and theologians taught that Whites were the Chosen people, Blacks were cursed to be servants, and God supported racial segregation. Craniologists, eugenicists, phrenologists, and Social Darwinists, at every educational level, buttressed the belief that Blacks were innately intellectually and culturally inferior to Whites. Pro-segregation politicians gave eloquent speeches on the great danger of integration: the mongrelization of the White race. Newspaper and magazine writers routinely referred to Blacks as niggers, coons, and darkies; and worse, their articles reinforced anti-Black stereotypes. Even children's games portrayed Blacks as inferior beings (see "From Hostility to Reverence: 100 Years of African-American Imagery in Games"). All major societal institutions reflected and supported the oppression of Blacks.

b. What were Jim Crow Laws?
The Jim Crow laws were state and local laws in the United States enacted between 1876 and 1965. They mandated de jure racial segregation in all public facilities, with a supposedly "separate but equal" status for black Americans. In reality, this led to treatment and accommodations that were usually inferior to those provided for white Americans, systematizing a number of economic, educational and social disadvantages.

c. What was the response of the slaves and the Blacks to these laws?
This type of segregation led to extreme civil rights struggles, especially in regards to Jim Crow Laws that segregated schools. Several major events – include Rosa Parks’s refusal to move from her seat on a segregated bus, as well as several bus boycotts built up and provided enough tension in society that the question of segregation finally had to be dealt with.

d. Do we see The Jim Crow laws surface in the novel? If so then in which part of the novel
Yes the Jim Crow laws did surface in the novel. Blacks and Whites go to different churches.

The Civil War

a. Identify the southern states.
Virginia, Kentucky, North Carolina, Tennessee, South Carolina, Georgia, Alabama, Mississippi, Arkansas, Louisiana, Texas, Oklahoma are the southern states. West Virginia is also often grouped with the south. Maryland and Missouri have historically been considered southern states but usually are grouped elsewhere today.

b. Who was the US president that proclaimed war in the south?
President Abraham Lincoln

c. Why was the civil war fought?
When Abraham Lincoln was elected as president in 1860. Southerners thought the government was becoming too powerful. They did not think the government had the right to tell them how they should live their lifes. Southerners felt if they stayed in the United States, the North would soon have control over them. The northern states were called the Union. President Lincoln said he would fight to keep the southern states as part of the United States. There were Union forts on Confederate land. The Confederates wanted Union soldiers to leave these forts. In Charleston, South Carolina there was a Union fort called Fort Sumter. The Union soldiers refused to leave this fort, so the Confederates fired cannons at the fort on April 12, l861. This marked the very beginning of the Civil War.

d. When was the war fought?
1861

e. What was the outcome of the war?
The issue that was left out of our Constitution, that could not be resolved by peaceful agreement, was settled by the Civil War instead. The North won, and the southern states were eventually reabsorbed into the Union.

f. How did the civil rights movement relate to the novel?
It all began because the Southerners feared that the Northerners would overpower them and this can related to the novel as it shows the relationship of the two parts of America whereby they were very cautious and wary about each party similarly in the novel whereby Whites and Blacks are socially different.

Slavery

a. When and how did slavery begin in the southern state?
Blacks became slaves in the American Colonies during the 1600's. People were getting more slaves in the South where large plantations grew cotton and other crops. These plantations needed many workers to take care of the farms. People in the North didn't need slaves because they didn't have as many large farms as the South did.

b. Which country were the slaves bought from?
The slaves came from Africa.

c. Who traditionally bought and owned the slaves?
The North Americans were the ones who traditionally owned the slaves. Later, the White South Americans owned more more slaves as they needed more workforce.

d. Were there laws/rules that the slaves had to abide? If yes what were they?
They could not gather in-groups of 4 or more because their owners thought they would plan an escape. If the slaves got caught trying to get away, their owners would beat them or cut body parts off so they could not escape again. They cannot leave their owners property without a written pass because the slave owners wanted control over the slaves. They could not own weapons because the slaves might shoot their owner. Slaves were not allowed to learn how to read or write because the slaves may start to think about freedom and try to escape.

e. How does the notion of slavery relate to the novel? Does the study of slavery help you understand the novel better?
Slavery was the due to racism of White against Black as slaves were from African and they were Blacks. They were mostly owned by the Whites which result in the Whites looking down on the Blacks, thinking that Whites were superior and Blacks were inferior. The novel is about a Black who was found guilty by the White judge of something he did not do and there was clearly enough evidence to acquit him. The study of slavery definitely help me understand the novel better as it is very related to slavery. It tells me how discrimination of Blacks started.

Comic strip

By ktjw9172 | View this Toon at ToonDoo |

This is a comic strip that I created myself using ToonDoo. It is about how one guy passing by a spooky castle, he has got nothing to do and is totally bored. So he decides to enter the house and check it out. However, once he reaches the gateway, he sees a werewolf which he thinks looks like a statue. He thinks that the statue is very real and original. In the end, curiosity killed the cat and the werewolf threatens him and attempts to eat him alive, the guy is scared out of his wits and and luckily for his lightning quick reflexes he gets away in the nick of time. I used a like spooky twilight theme as I wanted my comic strip to revolve around something regarding midnight and a creepy castle. I just changed the scene to make it seem that the guy moved closer to the dreaded looking castle. The hidden message of the story is that it is human nature to be curious, just like how the guy was when he first saw the castle, he wanted to go and check it out. Another hidden meaning is that, it is human nature to be scared when you see something frightening right before your very eyes, similarly to how the guy freaked out when the werewolf tried to eat him ALIVE. Therefore, I conclude that the comic strip has been a success as it encapsulates 2 human natures and they are clearly portrayed in the comic strip.

After you, My dear Alphonse

This is a story called After you , My dear Alphonse by Shirley Jackson. It is about a boy, called Johnny taking his friend, Boyd home for lunch. When Johnny's mother notices that Boyd is a negro, she starts acting out of goodwill, by giving him lunch, offering some of Johnny's and her own old clothes that are still wearable. She assumes that Boyd and his family face financial difficulties and have not a sufficient amount of necessities for daily usage. She feels that she is acting out of charity without even knowing Boyd's family condition. Even though Boyd is a negro his family is able to survive.

So the blog topic for this post would be: would you have treated Boyd or someone who is not of the same race differently? Why or why not?

I feel that everyone should be treated fairly and equally, we all leave on one Earth, we should stand united as one human body. Mrs.Wilson is still under the impression that negro do hard labour, are poor and are barely able to survive with the meagre income that they earn. another factor is that African-Americans have developed and improve themselves so they till will no longer be looked down on by others. Furthermore, you should never judge a book by its cover, always get your facts right before jumping to conclusion. Besides one should judge a person based on his character, personality and attitude and not just by his outer appearance or features.

Discrimination and Prejudice

Today, I will be talking about what prejudice and what discrimination is but more about discrimination. Here is the definition of what prejudice means: 1-an opinion that is not based on reason or experience. 2-unfair reactions or behaviour based on such opinions. And here is the definition of discrimination: 1-the discrimination against people. 2-recognition of the difference between on thing or another.

Here is a list of different types of discrimination:

Types of discrimination:

Discrimination against a person's intelligence level

- Blonde people are dumb

- All athletes have low IQ

Discrimination against sexual orientation

- Gays and lesbians are not acceptable in today's society

- Bisexuals are nuts

- Homosexuals are not accepted for who they are

- Not behaving in a forthright manner is like breaking the law

Discrimination against family background:

- Being a kid that is half boy, half girl is 'wrong'

- Not having respect for other people's family because they are of a lower status

- Having a different family background is incorrect

Discrimination against disabled:

- Handicap people are just a waste of space

- People with down syndrome are 'retarded'

- Making fun of people's disabilities

However in my opinion, racial discrimination is the worst and inhumane. People judge others simply by their skin colour. Racism is the reason why there are so many racial riots happening in modern day society. Some think that whites are superior and blacks are inferior just due to the fact that negro worked as slaves, had little education and low status in society in the past. We are all human beings and we live on one Earth, hence we are all equals. Black people have also started to show that they have the brains and the capabilities to be successful. let me name you a few examples: Barack Obama is the first African-American to ever become the president of the United States of America, Oprah Winfrey is also another African-American to become a famous talk show host and she even has her own show called 'OPRAH', there are also many artist who have produced music that hit number one on the billboard music charts such as Bruno Mars, Iyaz, Nelly and many others. Many track and field athletes also have dark skin but that does not stop them from winning an olympic medal. Therefore, if people weren't so racist, thought that they were a rank above others, there would not be as many racial riots as there are today.

Poetry

Hi all, it's been like 5 months since i did my last blog post. So I have to continue with my blog as it is a compulsory language arts assignment. I would not be doing many blog post regarding Lamborghini. I would be doing more stuff related to language arts. Ok, now to get on to official business, today I will be posting 3 poems and giving my analysis and the explaining the hidden meaning between the lines of the poem.

The little boy and the old man - Shel Silverstein

Said the little boy," Sometimes i Drop my spoon."

Said the old man, " i do that too."

The little boy whispered, " i wet my pants."

" I do that too," laughed the old man.

Said the little boy, " i often cry."

The old man nodded, " So do I."

"But worst of all, " said the boy," it seems

Grown-ups don't pay attention to me."

And he felt the warmth of a wrinkled old hand.

"I know what you mean, " said the little old man.

My analysis:

After reading the poem, one should feel sympathetic towards both the young boy and old man as they are being neglected by the adults. The young boy does not receive the love and care which is necessary for his growth as a child, and the old man is not being taken care of in his old age, which a sign that his children are not filial and do not repay his kindness for bringing them up. To an adult, being a child is something of the past, while being an old person is of the future to an adult. But it is clearly shown in the poem that both phases of life are being neglected. Shel Sliverstein has used comparision through the conversation shared between the young boy and the old man to show that both parties are able to understand each other with just the exchange of a few simple words as they experience the same things in life.

Messy room - Shel Silverstein

Whosever room this is should be ashamed!

His underwear is hanging on the lamp.

His raincoat is there in the overstuffed chair,

And the chair is becoming quite mucky and damp,

His workbook is wedged in the window,

His sweater's been thrown on the floor.

His scarf and one ski are beneath the TV,

And his pants have been carelessly hung on the door.

His books are jammed in the closet,

His vest has been left in the hall.

A lizard named Ed is asleep in his bed,

And his smelly old sock has been stuck to the wall.

Donald or Robert or Willie or --

Huh? You say it's mine? Oh dear,

I knew it looked familiar!

My analysis:

The way in which Shel Silverstien described the messiness of the room adds a sense of humour to the poem. The poem has a lot of tongue and cheek humour. ( For your information, tongue and cheek humour refers to humour which possess sarcasm or irony.) The room is extremely filthy to the extent that everything is in the wrong places and there is even a lizard named Ed sleeping the bed. Shel Silverstien's poem encapsulates a hidden meaning regarding human nature. Human nature is quick to push the blame others, however does not hold responsibility for what he or she has done. Another factor that concerns human nature is that humans are quick to judge other people's wrongdoings and not their own mistakes. They are also unable to take care of their own belongings. Therefore this poem does have a hidden meaning, it is just there for you to spot once you have critically analysized the poem.

Cloony the clown - Shel Sliverstien

I'll tell you the story of Cloony the Clown

Who worked in a circus that came through town.

His shoes were too big and his hat was too small,

But he wasn't, just wasn't funny at all.

He had a trombone to play loud silly tunes,

He had a green dog and a thousand balloons.

He was floppy and sloppy and skinny and tall,

But he just wasn't, just wasn't funny at all.

And every time he did a little trick,

Everyone felt a little sick .

And every time he told a joke,

Folks sighed as if their hearts were broke.

And every time he lost a shoe,

Everyone looked awfully blue.

And every time he stood on his head,

Everyone screamed, " Go back to bed!"

And every time he made a leap,

Everybody fell asleep.

And every time he ate his tie,

Everyone began to cry.

And Cloony could not make any money

Simply cause he was not funny.

One day he said , "I'll tell this town

How it feels to be an unfunny clown."

And he told them all why he felt so sad,'

And he told them all why he felt so bad.

He told of the pain and the rain and cold,

He told of darkness in his soul,

After he finished his tale of woe,

Did everyone cry? Oh no, no, no

They laughed until they shook trees

With "hah-hah-hahs " and "hee-hee-hees"

They laughed with howls and yowls and shrieks,

They laughed all day, they laughed all week,

They laughed until their jackets split,

The laughter spread for miles around

To every city, every town,

Over mountains, cross the sea,

From Saint Tropez to Mun San Nee.

And soon the whole world rang with laughter,

Lasting till forever after,

While Cloony stood in the circus tent,

With his head drooped low and his shoulders bent.

And he said ,"THAT IS NOT WHAT I MEANT-

I'M FUNNY JUST BY ACCIDENT."

And while the world laughed outside.

Cloony the Clown sat down and cried.

My analysis:

A clown usually tickles peoples funny bone by making them laugh till sides hurt by performing tricks, jokes or even some out of the world stunts. However, Cloony is obviously unable to get his audience to laugh and his is a failure at his job even though his has the right appearance, equipment and tools to be a clown simply because he is not funny. Maybe he is just inexperienced or he just does not have the potential to be a clown. He does not have the ability to infuse humour into the tricks and jokes he does. The audience are definitely bored with his acts. He is extremely depresses as he is not succeeding as a clown. He is at the point whereby he can no longer keep his emotions inside of him that he tells his audience how it feels to be an unfunny clown in the eyes of the crowd. His emotions take over and he pours everything out. There is no happiness, only darkness and sadness within his very being. Cloony expects the crowd to pity and sympathize him, to lend him a listening ear, a crying shoulder. In the end the crowd does not buy the story, as they find it too exaggerated and unbelievable. They now laugh to their heart's content and the laughter slowly spreads. They are unable to experience what Cloonry is feeling. Cloony then turns emotional and his state of depression worsened. He is upset as when he tries to make people laugh he fails to do so. However, when he does not have that intention, he makes people laugh. It is just so ironic. The poem concludes with Clooney bursting to tears as his plan to make people understand how he feels turns around and backfires, instead making people laugh. In Cloony's opinion it was just by accident. However, in my view, he was just lucky and his attempt was a fluke. Shel Sliverstein is able to convey some harsh reality about life which is people are able to accept the lies in which you portray , but very difficult to believe the truth. This is the hidden meaning which requires you to read between the lines.