Artist Statement Outline

Introduction:
Comparison: Where the Sidewalk Ends ( By Shel Silverstein) and The Image of Slavery in the 1600's.

Quote: " Let us leave this place where the smoke blows black
And the dark street winds and bends.
We shall walk with a walk that is measured and slow,
And watch where the chalk-white arrows go
To the place where the sidewalk ends."

Image: Slave from the 1600's full of depression and sadness.

Thesis: Shel Silverstein's poem is connected to slavery in America with its imagery, ( adnf) and (a dhusi).

The poem, where the sidewalk ends, and the historical event of slavery are related in the sense that the poem is a reflection on slavery. The poem discusses going to a place that is different, and leaving the place and your surroundings. On the sidewalk, the smoke blows black, which represents a deep and sad vibe throughout the area, and shows how the the vibe was during slavery. They slaves walk at a measured and slow pace as they work. They know they are in this area with dark streets until they arrived at the place where slavery ends, which is represented by the place where the sidewalk ends. The road of slavery wasn't easy, and they had many winds and bends, as represented in the poem, and the slaves were put through a lot. They followed what they were suppose to do and followed the arrows until they arrived at a better place.

Resources:
Silverstein, Shel. Where the Sidewalk Ends (25th Anniversary Edition Book & CD). New York: HarperCollins, 2000.