Messy Room
By Shel Silverstein
Whosever room this is should be ashamed!
His underwear is hanging on the lamp.
His raincoat is there in the overstuffed chair,
And the chair is becoming quite mucky and damp.
His workbook is wedged in the window,
His sweater’s been thrown on the floor.
His scarf and one ski are beneath the TV,
And his pants have been carelessly hung on the door.
His books are all jammed in the closet,
His vest has been left in the hall.
A lizard named Ed is asleep in his bed,
And his smelly old sock has been stuck to the wall.
Whosever room this is should be ashamed!
Donald or Robert or Willie or–
Huh? You say it’s mine? Oh, dear,
I knew it looked familiar!
Summary of Messy Room
- Popularity of “Messy Room”: The poem “Messy Room” by Shel Silverstein, an iconic American writer, and poet, is a humorous, poetic piece. The poem brilliantly captures the realistic picture of the young boy’s very messy room and all its chaotic items. It also highlights that human beings behave carelessly when they are young. The poem became popular across the world due to its universality, as the speaker has beautifully shed light on the nature of humankind.
- “Messy Room”, As a Representative of Human Nature: This poem is written from a young man’s perspective. It begins where the speaker exclaims over the state of a room. He says that the owner of the messy room should be ashamed because the condition of his room is chaotic. He explains how his clothes, books, and other items are scattered in the room, unorganized. A lizard occupies his bed, and his smelly socks are stuck to the wall. The speaker ends this poem while criticizing the owner of this room. However, the end implies that the speaker himself is the owner of this room but is least bothered about his way of living.
- Major Themes in “Messy Room”: Carefree attitude of the human being and their distinct life choices are the poem’s central themes. Throughout the poem, the speaker explains the problematic condition of a messy room and criticizes the owner’s approach, who seems least bothered about the state of his room. Almost everything in his room is disordered, unarranged, and mixed-up. He purposefully names every item to show that despite having an untidy room he seems contended. Not only does he mock the way of his living but also gets amazed about his nonchalant life approach.
Analysis of Literary Devices Used in “Messy Room”
literary devices are useful tools that empower authors to give deeper meanings to their seemingly simple texts. Shel Silverstein has used some literary devices in this poem. The analysis of the devices used in this poem has been given below.
- Assonance: Assonance is the repetition of vowel sounds in the same line such as the sound of /e/ in “His scarf and one ski are beneath the TV” and the sound of /o/ in “Whosever room this is should be ashamed.”
- Anaphora: It refers to the repetition of a word or expression in the first part of some verses. Shel Silverstein has repeated the word “his” in the middle of the poem to emphasize the point such as;
“His workbook is wedged in the window,
His sweater’s been thrown on the floor.
His scarf and one ski are beneath the TV.”
- Alliteration: Alliteration is the repetition of consonant sounds in the same line such as the sound of /s/ in “smelly old sock” and /t/ sound in “to the wall.”
- Consonance: Consonance is the repetition of consonant sounds in the same line such as the sound of /w/ in “His workbook is wedged in the window” and the sound of /s/ in “Whosever room this is should be ashamed.”
- Imagery: Imagery is used to make readers perceive things involving their five senses. Shel Silverstein has used imagery in this poem such as “His scarf and one ski are beneath the TV”, “His vest has been left in the hall” and “His books are all jammed in the closet.”
- Irony: Irony is a figure of speech in which words are used in such a way that their intended meaning is different from the actual meaning of the words. Shel Silverstein poet has used situational irony in the third stanza.
- Rhetorical Question: Rhetorical question is a question that is not asked in order to receive an answer; it is just posed to make the point clear. Shel Silverstein has posed rhetorical questions at the end of the poem to put emphasize on his point such as, “Huh? You say it’s mine? Oh, dear?”
- Sarcasm: Sarcasm is using ironic remarks to mock or satirize someone or something. The writer has used this device in the ending lines of the poem while talking about his room;
“Whosever room this is should be ashamed!
Donald or Robert or Willie or–
Huh? You say it’s mine? Oh, dear.”
- Symbolism: Symbolism is using symbols to signify ideas and qualities, giving them symbolic meanings that are different from literal meanings. The title, “Messy Room” symbolizes the careless attitude of the speaker.
Analysis of Poetic Devices Used in “Messy Room”
Poetic and literary devices are the same, but a few are used only in poetry. Here is the analysis of some of the poetic devices used in this poem.
- End Rhyme: End rhyme is used to make the stanza melodious. Shel has used end rhyme in this poem such as; “lamp/damp”, “floor/door” and “hall/wall.”
- Free Verse: Free verse is a type of poetry that does not contain patterns of rhyme or meter. This is a free-verse poem with no strict rhyme or meter.
- Repetition: There is a repetition of the verse “Whosever room this is should be ashamed” which has created a musical quality in the poem.
- Refrain: The group of lines occurring repeatedly at some distance in a poem is called a refrain. The verse, “Whosever room this is should be ashamed” is, therefore, a refrain.
- Stanza: A stanza is a poetic form of some lines. This is a sixteen line poem with no stanza break in it.
Quotes to be Used
The lines stated below are useful to use while talking about unhygienic and caress people.
“Whosever room this is should be ashamed!
His underwear is hanging on the lamp.
His raincoat is there in the overstuffed chair,
And the chair is becoming quite mucky and damp.”
