My Shadow
I have a little shadow that goes in and out with me,
And what can be the use of him is more than I can see.
He is very, very like me from the heels up to the head;
And I see him jump before me, when I jump into my bed.The funniest thing about him is the way he likes to grow—
Not at all like proper children, which is always very slow;
For he sometimes shoots up taller like an india-rubber ball,
And he sometimes gets so little that there’s none of him at all.He hasn’t got a notion of how children ought to play,
And can only make a fool of me in every sort of way.
He stays so close beside me, he’s a coward you can see;
I’d think shame to stick to nursie as that shadow sticks to me!One morning, very early, before the sun was up,
I rose and found the shining dew on every buttercup;
But my lazy little shadow, like an arrant sleepy-head,
Had stayed at home behind me and was fast asleep in bed.
Summary of the poem My Shadow
- Popularity of “My Shadow”: This poem was by Robert Stevenson, a famous Scottish novelist and travel writer. It was first published in 1885. The poem describes the excitement of a child who is fascinated by his own shadow. It also illustrates a child’s imaginations and the pleasure children get in ordinary things.
- “My Shadow” As a Representative of Joy: As this poem is for children, it is written from the perspective of a young child who finds pleasure in the company of his own shadow. He is amazed to see how his shadow follows him everywhere. His innocent mind thinks that the shadow is afraid of being alone. That is why he sticks to him all the time. To his surprise, the shadow can get taller, smaller and sometimes invisible. However, one day, when he wakes up before the sunrise, he fails to find his shadow around. Finding himself alone, he assumes that the shadow must be sleeping because he does not understand the science involved in it. However, what allures the reader is the way the poet has captured the imagination of a child.
- Major Themes in “My Shadow”: Curiosity, surprise, and experimenting are some of the major themes of this short poem. The poem comprises the merriment of a child who is delighted, mesmerized and puzzled with his own shadow. He explains in detail how his shadow accompanies him. This description gives a clue to the curious nature of the child who keeps an eye on his surroundings.
Analysis of Literary Devices in “My Shadow”
Literary elements are used to give deeper meanings to simple texts and convey their ideas and emotions. Stevenson has also used some literary devices in this poem to make it an excellent composition. The analysis of some of the literary devices used in this poem has been given below.
- Simile: Simile is used to compare an object or a person with something else to make the description more vivid and clear. For example, “For he sometimes shoots up taller like an Indian-rubber ball, And he sometimes gets so little that there’s none of him at all.” Here, he compares the jumping of his shadow with an Indian rubber ball, implying that it jumps so high.
- Assonance: Assonance is the repetition of vowel sounds in the same line such as the sound of /e/ in “He is very, very like me from the heels up to the head” and the sound of /i/ in “And I see him jump before me, when I jump into my bed.”
- Personification: Personification is to accord human attributes to non-human things. Stevenson has used a personified the shadow in the entire poem from the perspective of the child as if the shadow is another child.
- Alliteration: Alliteration is the repetition of consonant sounds in the same line such as the sound of /s/ and /c/ sounds in “He stays so close beside me, he’s a coward you can see”.
- Imagery: Imagery is used to make the readers perceive things with their five senses. Stevenson has used visual imagery throughout the poem such as, “I have a little shadow that goes in and out with me”, “For he sometimes shoots up taller like an Indian-rubber ball” and “Had stayed at home behind me and was fast asleep in bed.”
This short literary analysis shows that this poem demonstrates simple things that make children happy and how their imaginations work through the use of literary devices.
Analysis of Poetic Devices in “My Shadow”
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.
- Stanza: A stanza is a poetic form of some lines. There are four stanzas with four lines in each stanza.
- Quatrain: A quatrain is a four-lined stanza borrowed from Persian poetry. Here, each stanza is a quatrain such as the first and the second one.
- Rhyme Scheme: The poem follows the AABB rhyme scheme.
- End Rhyme: End rhyme is used to make the stanza melodious. End rhyme occurs in the second and the third lines and again in the second and fourth lines. The rhyming words are, “me”, “see”, “head” and “bed.”
- Iambic Heptameter: Iambic heptameter is a meter in which there are seven iambs per line. The poem comprises Iambic heptameter such as, “I have a little shadow that goes in and out with. ”
Quotes to be Used
The lines quoted below can be used for children when teaching a science topic on light and how the position of shadow changes depending on the sunlight.
“The funniest thing about him is the way he likes to grow—
Not at all like proper children, which is always very slow;
For he sometimes shoots up taller like an India-rubber ball,
And he sometimes gets so little that there’s none of him at all.”
