Poem Assignment (Jan. 2011)

"No Difference"

by

Shel Silverstein

Small as a peanut,

Big as a giant,

We're all the same size

When we turn off the light.

Rich as a sultan,

Poor as a mite,

We're all worth the same

When we turn off the light.

Red, black or orange,

Yellow or white,

We all look the same

When we turn off the light.

So maybe the way

To make everything right

Is for God to just reach out

And turn off the light!

"Stone Airplane"

by

Shel Silverstein

I made an airplane out of stone...

I always did like staying home.

Why did I choose this poem?

I was introduced to Shel Silverstein's poetry when I was a young kid. I remember flipping through the pages looking at the drawings and reading the shortest poems I could find. I never paid much attention to the meaning behind his poetry until recently when I decided to go back and read his work. "No Difference" interested me because it expressed a complex idea in a simple manner. Silverstein took the topic of equality and simply put how we are all the same. When the lights are out and we cannot see each other, we cannot unfairly judge one another. The second poem I chose, "Stone Airplane," was always one that interested me. I think I liked it because of how short it is and how awesome the airplane drawing is on that page!