The s ilver fish
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The silver fish While fishing in the blue lagoon, I caught a lovely silver fish, And he spoke to me, “My boy,” quoth he, “Please set me free and I’ll grant your wish; A kingdom of wisdom? A palace of gold? Or all the fancies your mind can hold?” And I said, “O.K.” and I set him free, But he laughed at me as he swam away, And left me whispering my wish Into a silent sea. Today I caught that fish again (That lovely silver prince of fishes), And once again he offered me, If only I would set him free, Any one of a number of wishes, If I would throw him back to the fishes. He was delicious! 1. What was the poet’s pastime? __________________________________________________________ 2. Suggest synonyms for: quoth: ______________ lagoon________________grant__________________ 3. How does the poem, in the first stanza, sound like a fairy story? ____________________________________________________________________________________ ____________________________________________________________________________________ ____________________________________________________________________________________ ____________________________________________________________________________________ 4. Why didn’t the poet set the fish free the second time he caught him? ____________________________________________________________________________________ ____________________________________________________________________________________ ____________________________________________________________________________________ 5. What happened to the fish at the end? What words tell you this? ____________________________________________________________________________________ ____________________________________________________________________________________ 6. The poet describes the fish as, “That lovely silver prince of fishes.” What do you think he means by this? ____________________________________________________________________________________ ____________________________________________________________________________________ ____________________________________________________________________________________ 7. Describe the image you see in your head when you read the lines, “A kingdom of wisdom? A palace of gold? Or all the fancies your mind can hold?” Try to sketch this near the poem. ____________________________________________________________________________________ ____________________________________________________________________________________ ____________________________________________________________________________________ 8. Write a poem about an experience, real or imagined, you have had with another living creature.
Transcript of The s ilver fish
The silver fish While fishing in the blue lagoon, I caught a lovely silver fish, And he spoke to me, “My boy,” quoth he, “Please set me free and I’ll grant your wish; A kingdom of wisdom? A palace of gold? Or all the fancies your mind can hold?” And I said, “O.K.” and I set him free, But he laughed at me as he swam away, And left me whispering my wish Into a silent sea. Today I caught that fish again (That lovely silver prince of fishes), And once again he offered me, If only I would set him free, Any one of a number of wishes, If I would throw him back to the fishes. He was delicious!
Shel Silverstein 1. What was the poet’s pastime? __________________________________________________________
2. Suggest synonyms for: quoth: ______________ lagoon________________grant__________________
3. How does the poem, in the first stanza, sound like a fairy story?
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4. Why didn’t the poet set the fish free the second time he caught him?
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5. What happened to the fish at the end? What words tell you this?
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6. The poet describes the fish as, “That lovely silver prince of fishes.” What do you think he means by this?
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7. Describe the image you see in your head when you read the lines, “A kingdom of wisdom? A palace of
gold? Or all the fancies your mind can hold?” Try to sketch this near the poem.
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8. Write a poem about an experience, real or imagined, you have had with another living creature.
