THE LITTLE BOY AND THE OLD MAN

SHELDON ALLAN :an American poet, singer,cartoonist, screenwriter and author of children’s books. He is famous for his poems and theatre practices. The Little Boy and the Old Man is taken from the book Words Alive which includes a number of poems.

I. The little boy felt the warmth of a ‘wrinkled old hand’. Here ‘wrinkled old hand’ describes old age. Add a few more words describing old age.

eg. grey hair

Ans: Poor eyesight

Shivering hands

Strained body movements

Sleeplessness

Loss of appetite

II. Conversation

Rewrite the poem in the form of a conversation

Ans: Little Boy: Sometimes I drop my spoon

Old man: I do that sometimes

Little Boy: I wet my pants

Old man : I too do that sometimes

Little Boy: I often cry

Old man: I also do that

Little Boy: Grown ups don’t pay any attention to me

Old man :I know your mind, I can understand you.