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he poem entitled Where the Sidewalk Ends narrated by Shel Silverstein is needed to teach Junior High School students because it uses simple language so students can easily understand the meaning of each word since the words present denotative meaning. Besides, we can also teach them the structure especially present tense and imperative sentence. In addition, we can teach moral value given by the poem through the message. The poem is one of the example rhyme verse form.
Where the Sidewalk Ends
by Shel Silverstein
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.
1. Biography of the Narrator
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. From all Shel Silverstein’s poems, “Where the Sidewalk Ends “ is his first collection of poems, was published in 1974 and was hailed as an instant classic.
2. Poetic Devices
Where the sidewalk ends is categorized into rhyme verse form because this poem has different rhyme scheme and stanza form. 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 Silverstein writes the poem using rhythm dactylic dimeter (1 accented followed by 2 unaccented, 2 feet)
In his poem”Where the Sidewalk Ends” Silverstein uses alliteration to make his poem more beautiful to read and hear. Those alliterations such as:
- ‘g’ (And there the grass grows soft and white),
- ‘p’(Past the pits where the asphalt flowers grow)
- ‘w’ (We walk with a walk that is measured and slow)
- ‘w’ (And watch where the chalk-white arrows go)
- ‘б’ (For the children, they mark, and the children, they know)
In this poem, Shel Silverstein 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 our ambition and success of our life.
3. Poetic diction and Figurative Language
Shel Silverstein does not use another element of poetic diction, he only uses denotation meaning for making the meaning of poem more clearly in truly meaning in conveying the intended message, such as:
- Sidewalk = pavement
- Crimson = having a dark deep red color
- Rest=stop
- Peppermint= a strong fresh flavoring from a type of mint plant, used especially to give flavor to sweets
- Bend= curve
- Pit= place/area
- Asphalt= a black sticky substance mixed with small stones or sands; which forms a strong surface when it becomes hard
- 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
Shel Silverstein also uses figurative language of hyperbole “And there the sun burns crimson bright” to make something exaggerative. He uses metaphor “ To cool in the peppermint wind” to compare between two different things (peppermint and wind), and 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.
4. Tone and symbol
The tone is patient and spirit. This is known from the line of 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.
Shel Silverstein uses symbol “sidewalk”, it symbolizes our life purpose.
5. Theme and Message
For the theme, 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.”
From the content of the poem, “Where the Sidewalk Ends” the poem focuses on patience, so for the message there is something important that we consider that “We should be patient though we feel difficult to reach ambition”.
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