AN ANALYSIS OF POETRY

1Analysis of Renewed Poetry

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.

a.      Poetic Device

“Where the sidewalk ends” is a poem that categorized into rhyme verse form. This poem has different rhyme scheme and stanza form. The Rhyme scheme consists of stanza 1 abcccb, stanza 2 abcccb, stanza 3 aaab and stanza form comprises stanza 1 and stanza 2 sestet , stanza 3 quatrain. Besides that the poem using rhythm dactylic dimeter (1 accented followed by 2 unaccented, 2 feet)

     In this poem alliteration is used to make the poem more beautiful to read and hear. Those alliterations such as:

a.       ‘g’ (And there the grass grows soft and white),

b.      ‘p’(Past the pits where the asphalt flowers grow)

c.       ‘w’ (We walk with a walk that is measured and slow)

d.      ‘w’ (And watch where the chalk-white arrows go)

e.       ‘б’ (For the children, they mark, and the children, they know)

            Not only that, the writer also uses repetition: “Where the Sidewalk Ends” (in each stanza), “We shall walk with a walk that is measured and slow,  And watch where the chalk-white arrows go” (in stanza 2 and 3) to express the ambition and success of life.

b.      Poetic Diction

The writer only uses one element of poetic diction. There is denotation meaning for making the meaning of poem more clearly in truly meaning in conveying the intended message, such as:

a.       Sidewalk = pavement

b.       Crimson = having a dark deep red color

c.       Rest = stop

d.      Peppermint = a strong fresh flavoring from a type of mint plant, used especially to give flavor to sweets

e.       Bend =  curve 

f.       Pit =  place/area  

g.      Asphalt = a black sticky substance mixed with small stones or sands; which forms a strong surface when it becomes hard

h.      Arrow = a sign consisting of a straight line with an upside down V shape at one end of it, which points in particular direction, and is used to show where something is

c.       Imagery: Figure of Speech

There some figures of speech in this poem such as:

a.        Hyperbole  “And there the sun burns crimson bright” to make something exaggerative.

b.      Metaphor “To cool in the peppermint wind” to compare between two different things (peppermint and wind),

c.       Personification “Past the pits where the asphalt flowers grow,  And watch where the chalk-white arrows go” to personify asphalt flowers and the chalk-white arrows.

d.      Tone

The tone is patient and spirit. It can be found in the second stanza:

“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,”

These lines describe the trouble we face when we want to reach our ambition.

e.       Theme

The theme of  this poem focus on  patience and obedience. It is shown obviously in the expression of patience from the lines:

“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 for the expression of obedience we can see from the lines:

“And watch where the chalk-white arrows go

To the place where the sidewalk ends.”

    

f.       Symbol

“Sidewalk” is a symbol that is used by Shel Silverstein, it symbolizes our life purpose.

g.      Time Setting

The poem narrated by Silverstein was published in 1974.

h.      Massage

 The massage of this poem can be seen in the content itself. The poem “Where the Sidewalk Ends” focuses on patience. There is something important thing should be consider that “We should be patient though we feel difficult to reach ambition”.

i.        Comment

The poem entitled Where the Sidewalk Ends narrated by Shel Silverstein is an interesting poem. It uses simple language so reader can easily understand the meaning.

Besides that, this poem can be used as a different method to teach grammar because there are some pattens such as present tense and imperative sentence that included in it.

 In addition, the moral value can be taken as good motivation and good spirit that can make the reader be more patient to reach ambition.

j.        Biography of the Poem

Shel Silverstein was a renowned poet, playwright, illustrator, screenwriter, and songwriter. Born in Chicago on September 25, 1930, Sheldon Allan Silverstein grew up to attain an enormous public following, but always preferred to say little about himself. Silverstein 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. Shel Silverstein never planned on writing for children – surprising for an artist whose children’s works would soon become available in more than 30 languages around the world.

This poem is one of the examples of Rhyme Verse Form which is taken from Shel Silverstein’s poems, “Where the Sidewalk Ends”. The poem is his first collection of poems. It was published in 1974 and was hailed as an instant classic.