Essay Questions

In Hug O' War what is the overall mood of the poem?

Most of Shel Silverstein's poems are very short and silly. This poem is very brief but still sweet. It carries a very cheerful feeling to it. It is a warm and bright little message that can bring joy.

In Sky Seasoning, does the character like lentil soup?

Why do they change their mind?At first the character hates lentil soup. But once a piece of the sky falls through the ceiling, it was delicious! In fact, the peace of sky made such a difference that the character... “could have eaten a lentil-soup lake.”

In Boa Constrictor, what is one of the characteristics the poem has?

There is a lot of repetitiveness in this poem. You can hear patterns of certain phrases like “A Boa Constrictor” or “Oh gee”,“Oh my”, “Oh fiddle”, “Oh heck”and,”Oh dread”.

In The Crocodile’s Toothache, what happened to the dentist?

Thought the poem never directly said the crocodile ate the dentist, the poem implies it. Shel Silverstein uses the right words in the right ways so that you don't have to think twice about where the dentist went.

In Drats, what is fictional about the poem?

Instead of cats eating rats, it's the other way around. Instead there are “two eighty-pound rats” that were there to make the house rid of cats. This is what makes the poem amusing and different.

In Lazy Jane, what did the author use to imply a long time?

Shel Silverstein repeated the word “waits” at least five times. He also repeats “and waits” many times too. This can help make you more aware that she's waiting for along time. If you take out all these extra words you are left with a very short sentence but it can become less effective and less fun.