“Smart” by Shel Silverstein on page 157 is a witty poem about a naïve child who believes he is more astute than everybody else. While reading the poem I enjoyed the meaning behind the thoughts of the young boy. His childlike reasoning portrayed his youth. For example, the child thought that he was getting the better deal when he received a dollar and “swapped it for two shiny quarters/ ’Cause two is more than one” (). Therefore, the meaning behind the child’s thought process is that two quarters are worth more than one dollar. By choosing quantity over quality the child is displaying a lack of understanding between amount and worth. Moreover, while reading this poem, I remembered a similar situation regarding my oldest niece. When my niece was younger, she would ask for quarters instead of a dollar since she thought that quarters had a greater value. Therefore, I was able to relate the poem’s storyline with a personal experience. The poet wrote a lyrical poem, using repetition, rhyme, meter, and tone of voice so as to convey the message of a child’s illogical way of thinking.…show more content… For instance, the poet continuously repeats that a count “is more than” another count (). In other words, the phrase is repeated in order to highlight the child’s lack of understanding. In addition, the words “and” are repeated at the beginning of most of the sentences, displaying the child’s youth. Throughout the poem, the poet repeats words and phrases that allow the reader to visualize the narrator’s youth and immaturity. These constant reminders of the child’s misunderstanding of monetary value allowed me to enjoy the poem. In fact, I was so fascinated by the poem that I went around reading the story to my family and friends. It turned out that they loved the storyline of the “smart” little boy who tricked “fools” into giving him more money for a lesser
