Name two themes discussed during the explication of today's poem.
Youth, liberation, exploration, man's relationship with nature, destruction, reality versus fantasy, form equals function... etc
100
Name the first step of poetry explication.
Title. (Analyze the title first. Are there any metaphors, connotations, or implications?)
100
What literary device involves the repetition of vowel sounds within phrases or sentences?
Assonance
100
Where did he die?
Key West, Florida.
100
What is Mr. McB's favorite breakfast cereal?
He doesn't eat breakfast. Mr Mc.B feasts on sour cream and black coffee.
200
Who is the intended audience of this piece?
-Children
-Free-spirited people
-Parents
...
200
What is the last step of explication?
Pronouns and antecedents. (Classify all of the pronouns and their antecedents).
200
What literary device involves the repetition of conjunctions?
Polysyndeton.
200
Shel Silverstein's poems were banned, why?
They promoted Satan, nudity, and disobedience.
200
What breed of dog does Mr.McB own? (Bonus candy if you know its name).
His name is Bear and he is a Shiba-Inu/Schipperke/American-Eskimo mix.
300
Name one symbol and what it represents, GO!
Answers will vary but a few symbols include the sidewalk, street, elements of the environment, the chalk-white arrows, and the children.
300
When you find your themes you are looking for the moral of the piece and it should take longer than a paragraph to explain, true or false?
False! When you find the theme, you find the subject of the piece. Another term for theme is message remember not to be. This should not be very long, a sentence at most.
300
How do you label a rhyme scheme?
With the alphabet.
300
What other famous children's book did Silverstein write?
The Giving Tree/The Missing Piece/etc.
300
Mr. McB has a girlfriend. What is her first name and profession?
Alison. She is a 9th and 10th grade school counselor.
400
Identify three tones from the piece and any major tonal shifts.
Congratulations!
400
Line by line summary! Is it necessary to complete one when the language is very simple and you understand what is going on?
Generally, no.
400
Name a metaphor from the poem.
Asphalt flowers, peppermint wind...
400
What famous, and now dead, musician used two of Shel Silverstein's poems as the lyrics to his songs? (Hint, Folsom Prison Blues)
Johnny Cash
400
What sport does Mr. McB enjoy playing?
A.) Bocceball
B.) Rugby
C.) Golf
C.) Golf
500
What is the purpose of this poem? In other words, why did Silverstein write this?
This is an existential question. Many answers exist, but if yours is dumb you get no candy.
500
How do you identify a purpose? What step of explication can you use to help yourself?
It helps to know the audience of the poem. By knowing the audience, you can infer the purpose of the poem accordingly. Answers may vary.
500
Identify one instance of alliteration and define the term.
"...blows black" (line six). Alliteration is the repetition of the initial sound of a word.
500
What was Silverstein's legal first name? (Hint, he shares the same moniker with a well-loved and 'geeky' television character on an American sitcom).
Sheldon.
500
What object did a crazy lady break into Mr. McB's elementary school with.