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.
Shel Silverstein
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1) I think that the poet is comparing the end of a sidewalk to the beginning of a steet to try to describe the transition between childhood and adulthood, like many of the others in the class. This is probably because in a way it makes sense that one small path where it's only so wide and isn't very long, ends up joining to a road that's wider and longer and filled with more dangers (like cars :S). This is just like how childhood is short and you don't know much about anything really, and then you hit adulthood (the street) and your perspective broadens and you learn more and see more things but it's also filled with more dangers than when you were being coddled as a child and protected by your parents.
ReplyDelete2) I believe that the poets repeats himself in lines 1, 12 and 16 because he's trying to get his point across and he really wants it to stick in.
3) I believe that there is a point where you can no longer be a kid anymore, literally and figuratively. Literally because we aren't Peter Pan, we won't remain a child forever. Figurativelu speaking though, there is a time when we have to grow up, whether it's the birth of a child, the loss of a loved one, moving out or "moving up the ladder" at a job. Although there will always be a time when we can all go back to being a "kid" again. That time may be whenwe see or hear something that reminds of of our childhood, which can be any time really thoughout our lives.
5) This poem doesn't really give me a positive or negative feeling about growing up, because it can really go both ways for me. For example, it gives me a positive feeling because it shows that there is more to life and when the sidewalk ends, there isn't just nothing there, the world doesn't just stop, something else begins afterwards and it can be better. However it also gives a negative feeling because while what comes after the sidewalk ends can be good it can also be bad, or worse.