What message does where the sidewalk ends have for children What message do you think it has for adults?

Q: How do the children contribute to the theme of the poem where the sidewalk ends?

Its children who dream up things like moon-birds, and dont think its strange at all for the wind to smell like peppermint. So its children who discover the way to the place where the sidewalk ends and the imagination begins. In Where the Sidewalk Ends, youth is the key to everything.

Q: What is the mood of the poem where the sidewalk ends?

The mood of the poem Where the Sidewalks Ends is calmed, relaxed, and at some point, its gloomy. But overall, it has many lessons to learn from and, its not dull.

Where the Sidewalk Ends by Shel Silverstein

Table of Contents Show

Share this:
How do the children contribute to the theme of the poem where the sidewalk ends?
What does where the sidewalk ends represent?
What does the sidewalk symbolize?
What is the mood of the poem where the sidewalk ends?

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.

Source: http://www.famouspoetsandpoems.com

For this assignment, I chose the poem Where the Sidewalk Ends by Shel Silverstein.

I chose this poem because I remember reading it long ago, so it had a comforting familiar quality. In addition, I agree with the point I think it was trying to make and I think it seemed challenging enough to get an in depth response, but also not too hard so that I couldn’t figure out what it was trying to say.
I like the descriptions and words used, and the general lighthearted and hopeful tone of the poem. Another thing I liked was the overall message I think it was trying to convey.
I think the poem is about childhood and youth and if an adult wanted to be happy, he would have to take on the mindset of a child, or “follow the chalk white arrows”. For example, Silverstein first begins his poem describing a beautiful place where “the grass grows soft and white” and there is a “peppermint wind.” He uses playful, childlike terms in describing this place of childhood, or happiness. Then he discusses adulthood, or unhappiness with “black smoke” and “asphalt flowers” and how they needed to get away from there and join the children. The only way to this “place”, where the sidewalk ends was to follow the children, or to open their minds and use imagination in order to be able to visit the place. Visiting the place where the sidewalks ends is a state of mind, and it is the way the child sees a world, that is, with innocence and believing the best in everything. So, I believe the poem is about how even though adults have seen the worst of the world, it is possible for them to still see the world with positivity and optimism. They just have to think like a child.
Silverstein has used many different literary devices. For example, he uses a metaphor, “asphalt flowers” to describe what constitutes as nature, or beauty in the city. This shows the reader that all they have for beauty in this place is made out of asphalt, and everything is manmade. He also uses comparison, as he compares the place where the sidewalk ends to the place before. The place where the sidewalk ends is beautiful, the sun is shining, birds can rest, and even the wind smells like peppermint. He makes this place sound even more magical when he describes the dirty, dark and gritty place he resides now. This is also an example of juxtaposition. Another device he uses is diction. He uses this to create a light, whimsical tone when describing the place where the sidewalk ends. He uses pretty and cheerful sounding words like soft, bright, moon-birds, and peppermint to make the place have a pretty and cheerful feel to the reader. When he describes the city, he uses harsher, bleaker words to make the atmosphere of this place sound unpleasant. He uses symbolism throughout the entire poem, because the place where the sidewalk ends is a symbol for the state of mind of a child, and the chalk white arrows symbolize that the way to get to the place is through embracing a childlike view of the world.
I think another person in my life that would like this is my friend, because she can sometimes be too serious. I think she would enjoy this poem because it highlights why sometimes it’s good to be positive, and that it is okay to be childish.
Since the poem is very popular, you can learn a lot about the poem. There have been a lot of analyzing of the poem, most coming to the same conclusion. For example, the article by Vitaliy Kotyokov for Yahoo Voices, says, “The poem therefore calls for a rebirth of that childlike sense of wonder in the heart.” You can also learn that the poem was probably not just written for children, despite is easiness, because Silverstein has said that he wants his poems to be read by people of all ages. In Publisher’s Weekly, he says “I would hope that people, no matter what age, would find something to identify with in my books, pick up one and experience a personal sense of discovery.

Twitter
Facebook

Like this:

Like Loading...

How do the children contribute to the theme of the poem where the sidewalk ends?

It's children who dream up things like moon-birds, and don't think it's strange at all for the wind to smell like peppermint. So it's children who discover the way to the place where the sidewalk ends and the imagination begins. In "Where the Sidewalk Ends," youth is the key to everything.

What does where the sidewalk ends represent?

However, like most fantasylands, the place where the sidewalk ends is also a metaphor. It represents the world of the imagination, a place we all can travel to no matter when or where – whether we're in a city full of sidewalks or sitting in the middle of a field.

What does the sidewalk symbolize?

The Sidewalk It is a symbol of commerce as well as intellectual discourse, as evidenced by Duneier's description of the wide range of customers—from a “high-school dropout” to a “jazz critic”—who engage in literary discussions at Hakim's table (25).

What is the mood of the poem where the sidewalk ends?

The mood of the poem "Where the Sidewalks Ends" is calmed, relaxed, and at some point, it's gloomy. But overall, it has many lessons to learn from and, it's not dull.