Language 1:"Messy Room"

"Messy Room"

-Shel Silverstein

Shel Silverstein’s poems are never taken too seriously and Messy Room seems to be in line with that general rule. Silverstein’s choice of words are simple yet descriptive. The rhyme scheme that he employs affects the poems attitude; making it more quick-witted and concise. Using simple syntax as opposed to a more complex language the poem adopts a more playful attitude, similar to that of a child. His repetition of  “Whosever room this is should be ashamed” accumulates and adds to the playful irony in the speakers realization that the room was their own. The images Silverstein uses are both humorous and telling. Lizards sleeping in beds and underwear on the lamps are unusual and therein really quite funny. While most readers would have their own messy rooms, they hardly become as bad as the one described in this poem. Through this usage of simple and playful language, Silverstein is able to capture a humurous irony in a very lighthearted manner.