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next. It is clear that Shel Silverstein is one of the best-loved poets in modern American literature . His poetry has become an important part of American popular culture, and his poems have been read and enjoyed by many Americans since they were children.
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next It is clear that Shel Silversteinis one of the best-loved poetsin modern American literature. His poetry has become an important part of American popular culture, and his poems have been read and enjoyed by many Americans since they were children. Silverstein was born in Chicagoin 1930, and he began to write poetry as a young man. Though Silverstein became a great poet, he said that he never studied the poetry of others. As a result, he was able to develophis own style of writing.
next back Silverstein wrote in aninformal way, with a simple and straightforwardstyle. He used short and snappy lines to create ridiculous characters and weird situationsin imaginary worlds. Silverstein often mixed the serious with the funny and the common with the strange. Although his poems were written for children, they also remind adults of how it feels to be a child, living between real and imaginary worlds.
next back Thus, it is no wonder that Silverstein’s poems, unlike those written mainly for either adults or children, are popular with readers of all ages. His poems are funny, but not offensive. It is true that Silverstein makes fun of adults in ways that children find especially interesting, but hishumoris meant only to teaseand never tocriticize. Sadly, Silverstein passed away in 1999, but he lives on in his poetry. Without a doubt, readers have loved Silverstein’s poems since they were first written, and his poems still remain popular today. The following is one of his most popular poems.
next back Sick “I cannot go to school today,” Said little Peggy Ann McKay. “I have the measlesand the mumps, A gash, a rashand purple bumps. My mouth is wet, my throatis dry, I’m going blind in my right eye. My tonsilsare as big as rocks, I’ve counted sixteen chicken pox. And there’s one more—that’s seventeen, And don’t you think my face looks green?
next back My leg is cut, my eyes are blue It might be instamatic flu. I coughandsneeze and gaspand choke, I’m sure that my left leg is broke— My hiphurts when I move my chin, My belly button’s caving in, My back is wrenched, my ankle’s sprained, My ‘pendix painseach time it rains. My nose is cold, my toes arenumb, I have a sliverin my thumb.
end back My neck is stiff, my voice is weak, I hardly whisper when I speak. My tongue is filling up my mouth, I think my hair is falling out. My elbow’s bent, my spine ain’tstraight, My temperature is one-o-eight. My brain isshrunk, I cannot hear, There is a hole inside my ear. I have a hangnail, and my heart is—what? What’s that? What’s that you say? You say today is...Saturday? G’bye, I’m going out to play!” Cultural Note
It is clear that Shel Silverstein is one of the bestloved poets in modern American literature. (1) It is clear that.... It be + Adj + thatclause 為以虛主詞it代替真主詞thatclause的句型，詳細用法請參見本課句型解析一。 (2) bestloved為副詞加過去分詞(Adv + Vpp)組合起來的複合形容詞。 類似的複合形容詞有： wellknown (聞名的)、wellprepared (準備好的)、outspoken (直言的)。
...his poems have been read and enjoyed by many Americans since they were children. 此為「現在完成式 + since + 過去時間起點」的句型，詳細用法請參見本課句型解析二」。
as a young man→ as he was a young man→ when he was a young man這邊的as有「當…時」之意， 與when之意相似。例：‧Victor started to study English as a high school student.
as a result為「因此」之意，為表示因果關係的副詞片語，當承轉語用，連接前後語意，表示結果，類似用法的字詞有：therefore、thus、so等。‧Ted didn’t close the window last night. As a result, he caught a cold.此外，as a result of為「由於…」之 意，與because of相同，為一介系 詞片語，表示由於某事或某物引 起的原因。例：‧Tony was late for school as a result of the traffic jam.
...wrote in an informal way, with a simple and straightforward style. • in + a(n) + Adj + way表示「以…方 • 式」，當副詞片語，修飾前面的動 • 詞。例：‧These students discussed the topic in a • serious way. • (2) with為「帶有…(風格、特質)」。 • 例：‧The professor gave a speech with an easy • and natural style yesterday.
...short and snappy lines to....這邊的lines指「(詩文中的)幾行詩」之意。
Silverstein often mixed the serious with • the funny and the common with the • strange. • 原句應該為...mixed the serious with • the funny, and he mixed the common with • the strange. • (2) mix A with B指「將A與B結合／混 • 合」。例：‧Ben mixed CocaCola with orange juice • to make a drink with a special flavor.
(3) 這邊的the serious、the funny、the common和the strange為「the +形 容詞=抽象名詞」用法，代表含 有這個形容詞屬性的現象、情 境或人。例：‧We learned the beautiful and the good from this great story.
... remind adults of how it feels to be a • child, living between real and imaginary • worlds. • remind sb of sth或是remind sb of how • (who/when/what/where) + S + V表示「使某人回想起…」。例：‧The movie reminded me of my wonderful • childhood experiences.‧The TV show reminded me of how I • passed my high school days.
(2) 這裡的living between real and imaginary worlds為who lives between real and imaginary worlds 的非限定關係子句簡化的分 詞片語，修飾前面的a child。
Thus, it is no wonder that ..., unlike those written mainly for either adults or children, are popular with readers of all ages. (1) ...it is no wonder... It is no/little/small wonder + thatclause 這個句型表示「…並不奇怪，…十分自然」，同於No wonder + S + V的用法。‧Tom studies hard. It’s no wonder that he always gets good grades on exams. → Tom studies hard. No wonder he always gets good grades on exams.
(2) unlike...children為插入語，補充說明 Silverstein的詩與其他人的詩不同。原句 可還原為unlike those poems which are written mainly for either adults or children。 (3) either A or B表示「不是A就是B」，一定 為兩者當中的一個。例：‧Either May or Michael will be chosen as our class leader. (4) be popular with + N表示「受到…的歡 迎」。例：‧Jay’s songs are popular with teenagers. (5) N + of all ages表示「各年齡層的…」。 例：‧Audiences of all ages can see the movie.
It is true that..., but his humor is meant only to tease and never to criticize.... (1) It is true that... It + be + Adj + thatclause的用法請參見本課句型解析一。 (2) be meant to do sth有兩種意思，一 為「意在做…」，另一為「應 該要做…」。 本課為前者的意思。代表 Silverstein詩作中的幽默僅止於 拿來揶揄大人，而無批評之意。
Without a doubt , readers have loved Silverstein’s poems since ..., and his poems still remain popular today. (1) ...have loved...since... 此為「現在完成式…+ since + 過去時間起點」的句型，詳細用法請詳見本課句型解析二。
(2) without a doubt表示「無疑 地」，為介系詞片語，用來表 示後面句子的內容是不容懷疑 的事實。本句亦可用另一句型 There is no doubt thatclause來替 換：There is no doubt that readers have loved Silverstein’s poems since they were first written, and his poems still remain popular today.
(3) remain表示「保持」，為連綴 動詞，後面須接形容詞或是 名詞作主詞補語。例：‧Nelson remained silent when she was questioned by the police last night. ‧The cause of the disease remains a mystery.
The followingis one of his most popular poems.the following為名詞，表示「下列的人／事／物」，本句真正的主詞為one of his most popular poems，因此動 詞為單數is。若後面為複數名 詞，則要用複數動詞。例：‧The following isan idea come up with by our boss.‧The following aretwo expressions frequently used in daily dialogues.
I’m going blind in my right eye. go blind表示「變瞎」。句中的go為連綴動詞，意思近於become，但通常用於情況變糟時。此外，本句作者要同時表達的是be going to「將要」及go blind「變瞎」， 兩者結合成I’m going to go blind in my right eye.在英文中，簡化後即為I’m going blind in my right eye.
My tonsils are as big as rocks. (1) as + Adj/Adv + as表示「如…一般」。 例：‧Jack is as hardworking as Mary (is). ‧My father drives as slowly as Jenny (does). (2) 本句的寫法在英詩中稱為明喻 (simile)，利用兩種不同的東西做類 比，使讀者較容易了解作者要呈現 出的意象。在明喻用法中，句中會 使用到like或as。‧The snow is as thick as a blanket. ‧Oh, my love is like a red, red rose.
...my spine ain’t straight, .... ain’t為口語用法，可泛指“is not”、“am not”、“are not”、“has not”，或是“have not”的縮寫。在本課為“is not”的縮寫。
謝爾‧ 希爾弗斯坦 作品簡介 謝爾‧希爾弗斯坦(Shel Silverstein)是個歌手、劇作家、作曲家、漫畫家、詩人與作家，堪稱為全方位發展的藝術家。其中，他在兒童文學上的表現，往往和 Dr. Seuss (The Cat in the Hat《戴帽子 的貓》的作者)、A. A. Milne (Winnie the Pooh《小熊維尼》的作者)齊名。
起初，Shel並沒有要為兒童寫作或畫畫的念頭，但因為朋友的緣故，於是Shel才開始著手為兒童創作。他的第一本童書Lafcadio, the Lion Who Shot Back《一隻向後開槍的獅子》因而出版。 後來，The Giving Tree《愛心樹》一書讓他轟動文壇，奠定他在當代美國兒童文學界的地位。1999年5月10日，Shel因心臟病發， 不幸病逝於美國佛羅里達州的家 中，享年六十歲。
Shel的藝術家性格和創作態度，使得他堅持自我的主張，在創作上也都要求百分之百的原味，幾乎不容許編輯的刪改。因為他認為一個有創意的人，就應該專心的做他想做的事，而不要管它會不會被接受。他從不看評論，並不是不在乎成功與否，而是他希望讓自己做自己想做的事！閱讀他 的書，他希望讀者在書中找到的 是自己的影子，不是他人所賦予 的影子。
以下針對Shel最暢銷的書籍，做一簡單的介紹：以下針對Shel最暢銷的書籍，做一簡單的介紹： 1. Falling Up《往上跌了一跤》、Where the Sidewalk Ends《人行道的盡頭》和A Light in the Attic《閣樓上的月光》並稱為「謝爾童詩畫三部曲」。三本書中夾雜著圖畫詩集，或長或短的詩，和著韻文、配上圖畫，讀來不僅有節奏感，圖畫也顯現另一番趣味。詩的內容舉凡生活瑣事、人間情味、人生道理，無所不包。這三本書，Shel以童詩的語 法，揉合幻想與現實，使得他的作品 充滿想像力。他除了以日常生活事物 為素材，也用小孩子的觀點來看世界， 還能在西方文化耳熟能詳的傳說中找 笑點，其中也不乏愚人自愚的戲謔， 和對於現代文明的嘲諷。
2. The Giving Tree《愛心樹》為一棵蘋果樹和一個男孩的故事繪本，當男孩還小的時候，樹是小男孩最好的玩伴。當小男孩漸漸長大了，他忙於自己的生活，遺忘了那棵曾經陪伴他的樹。當小男孩身無分文的來到這棵蘋果樹的面前述說自己的窘境時，樹沒有錢給他，卻說拿走它的蘋果去賣吧！當男孩跑來乞求樹給他一間房子的時候，樹讓男孩砍斷自己的樹枝，去蓋間溫暖的窩！當男孩說自己已經老得沒辦法 爬到樹上玩的時候，樹就請他鋸掉樹 幹，造艘船出遊吧！當男孩已經老得 走不動，渴求一個能讓他休息的安靜 地方，樹供給它僅剩的殘幹，讓他得以 坐下來歇腳。本書描述施與受、愛與被 愛的情感關係，結尾讓人讀來感動。
3. The Missing Piece《失落的一角》與The Missing Piece Meets the Big O《失落的一角會見大圓滿》兩本為寓言式的圖畫故事書。一個有缺角的圓，它出發去尋找這一角。失去一角所產生的不滿足、尋找過程中的酸甜苦辣、找到另一角的喜悅與矛盾、最終放下的從容與豁達，都以簡潔有力的構圖與文字，交織成這則有關「完美」和「缺憾」的寓言。Shel僅僅以極為簡單的兩個造型：圓形、三角 形，就闡盡人生境遇的總總，每個 畫面幾乎都是以最少的線條，配合 著最簡練的句子來隱喻人生某些意 境，然而卻能引發讀者無盡的思索。
Shel的作品，不論是英文版或是中文翻譯版都是票房保證，因為讀者可以從他的作品集中得知，「想像力」是你我可以從日常生活中隨手得到，也讓人心自由，增添生活無限的樂趣。
