For Sale

Not Exactly Outside Reading

"One sister for sale!

One sister for sale!

One crying and spying young sister for sale!

I'm really not kidding,

So who'll start the bidding?

Do I hear a dollar?

A nickel?

A penny?

Oh, isn't there, isn't there, isn't there any

One kid who will buy this old sister for sale,

This crying and spying young sister for sale?" Shel Silverstein

Alright, so I couldn't resist writing on this poem. I vaguely remember my childhood; it's been a long time. But, one thing that I do remember is that I read and that I was read to… I remember my mom reading this poem to me. She read me lots of poems by Silverstein. He is after all, one of the most popular poets for children. He seems to capture the essence of a child, which for some can be hard. I love to write, and am having fun writing for my advanced prose class this semester. Writing has always been something that I'm good at. But, what I write is not for children. Anyway, I really like this poem. After all, what child doesn't wish that he or she could auction off their sibling??

I'm sure that my brother wanted to at some point. Now that we're older, we get along. But we didn't we were younger. He was mean. The thought of auctioning him off never crossed my mind; he did annoy me, but I kind of learned to live with him. When he left for college I missed him a lot. It's like I was suddenly an only child and the center of attention, which means that you can get into more trouble.

Looking back at the poem, I don't remember what I thought. As with my childhood, it's been a long time. What comes to mind when I reread this poem is another story of one brother who was sold. This story takes place in the Bible. I am definitely thinking of Joseph. But, the story is a lot different. Joseph was actually sold; in this poem the character merely wants to carry through with the act. It doesn't actually happen. I can only imagine what would happen if it had. That would be another story/poem altogether.

In writing, I am also remembering something else. I've touched on this before, and earlier in this post. I think what makes this poem popular among others, is that it is easy for others to relate to. Any poem which is relatable is successful in evoking a particular emotion in its reader. This poem, like others of Silverstein's in relatable. As I would say in ENGL 345 "It just works." In LING 307 I would say that appeals to peoples positive face needs, in making them feel more affiliated. It also, appeals to the need for independence. The brother wants to be independent of the sister. He wants to get rid of her so that he can live worry and hassle free. It sounds good, but in the long run the risks outweigh the benefits.

In the end, this poem by Silverstein "works" because it appeals to others and speaks to them in a variety of ways.