Rain by Shel Silverstein I opened my eyes IMAGERY And looked up at the rain, And it dripped in my head And flowed

into my brain, SYMBOLIZES DEPRESSION And all that I hear as I lie in my bed Is the slishity-slosh of the rain in my head. I step very softly, I walk very slow, I can't do a handstand-I might overflow, So pardon the wild crazy thing I just said-I'm just not the same since there's rain in my head. The poem Rain by Shel Silverstein is about a narrator who has rain in his head. Because of this rain, it suppresses the narrators life and all the narrator can do is lay in bed and think of nothing but the rain. If he were to do anything else, he will overflow. Ending the poem, the narrator states that these things may sound silly, but its hard to think straight with all the rain in is head. With Shel Silversteins abstract poetic abilities, hes able to portray a deep meaning within this unique, two stanza poem. The first rhyme set of this poem is very unrealistic, yet meaningful. I opened my eyes and looked up at the rain, and it dripped in my head and flowed into my brain (Silverstein, lines 1 and 2). Rain cant actually flow into your brain like that, obviously, yet it signifies more than that. Rainy weather is typically associated with depression and dullness due to the absence of sunlight, which represents happiness. These depressing thoughts are getting into the narrators head and making the narrator upset. Also, the narrator is looking up to the rain, which means the narrator feels insignificant to the rain. After the narrators head is filled with rain, he cant seem to think straight. The second rhyme goes All that I hear as I lie in my bed is the slishity-slosh of the rain in my head

(Silverstein, lines 3 and 4). Using personification, Shel Silverstein makes the noise of the rain symbolize the depressing thoughts in his head consuming everything he thinks about. The narrator cant think of anything positive except for the rain. As the poem continues, the narrator seems to become more depressed. The second, and last, stanza goes I step very softly, I walk very slowly, I cant do a handstand- I might overflow. So pardon the wild and crazy things I just said, Im just not the same since theres rain in my head (Silverstein, lines 5, 6, 7, and 8). When first reading this, the symbolism seems hard to find and this entire stanza almost doesnt make sense as the narrator cuts himself off and calls himself crazy. Digging deeper, this is very symbolic. When the narrator tries to do something new and different, the rain in his head, or the depressing thoughts, hold him back from trying new things. If he does them, he may overflow, which personifies how the thoughts will hold him back. With all this rain, the narrator states that he cant even think straight with all the rain in his head. The depression the narrator is feeling makes him think hes crazy, which is something depression can do to anyone. Rain, being a common symbol for sadness, cant actually get into your brain, but sad thoughts can.

Nothing Gold Can Stay by Robert Frost Nature's first green is gold, Her hardest hue to hold. PERSONIFICATION Her early leaf's a flower; But only so an hour. Then leaf subsides to leaf. So Eden sank to grief, ALLUSION So dawn goes down to day. Nothing gold can stay. The poem Nothing Gold Can Stay by Robert Frost packs a lot of punch in only eight lines. Using the life cycle of a flower, the daily cycle of day light, and even an allusion to the Bible, this poem represents the importance of youth and how they are golden. The growth of a plant can be symbolic of life, which is exactly how Robert Frost used the daily life of a flower to represent it. The first two lines go natures first green is gold, her hardest hue to hold (Frost, lines 1 and 2). The plant is not literally gold, yet the morning dawn casts a golden tint onto it. Natures first green being gold, which represents youth, is being associated with the days early shade of gold, which represents value. This golden youth is also natures hardest hue to hold, meaning youth comes and goes quickly by personifying natures grip on the golden dawn. In the next two lines, we see more symbolism of youth within the image of a flower. Her early leafs a flower, but only so an hour (Frost, lines 3 and 4). In a natural landscape, flowers are known to stand out for their beauty and elegance. In relation to a human, flowers represent the peak beauty of someone in their youth before they grow old . Along with that, flowers are out

of their blooming stage, which shows maturity and experience that humans have gained through their process of blooming. From there, the last four lines take an unfortunate downturn. Then leaf subsides to leaf, so Eden sank to grief, so dawn goes down to day, nothing gold can stay (Frost, lines 5, 6, 7, and 8). After the flower turns into a leaf, it loses its beauty, its youth, and its glory. Eden, depicted from the garden of Eden, even becomes sad when she sees the flower fade. No longer does the dawn cast its golden rays upon the plant either, making youth seem as though it slipped through the narrators grasp. No matter how many face jobs and plastic surgeries one buys, youth can never truly be regained. The progression of nature is an elegant representation of the value and beauty of youth, and shows its importance in that one must enjoy it while they can.