Structure of a Poem

RL 5.5 Poem Structure

Jimmy Jet and His TV Set

By Shel Silverstein

I'll tell you the story of Jimmy Jet-

And you know what I tell you is true.

He loved to watch his TV set

Almost as much as you.

He watched all day, he watched all night

Till he grew pale and lean,

From "The Early Show" to "The Late Late Show"

And all the shows between.

He watched till his eyes were frozen wide,

And his bottom grew into his chair.

And his chin turned into a tuning dial,

And antennae grew out of his hair.

And his brains turned into TV tubes,

And his face to a TV screen.

And two knobs saying "Vert" and "Horiz".

Grew where his ears had been.

And he grew a plug that looked like a tail

So we Plugged in little Jim.

And now instead of him watching TV

We all sit and watch him.

Answer the questions below on a loose piece of paper and turn it in today before lunch!

1. What is the focus of the first stanza of this poem?

2. How is the focus of the second stanza different from the focus of the third stanza?

3. What rhyme pattern does this poem follow?

4. You might not know what "Vert" and "Horz" mean, but using clues what do you think it means?

5. How many stanzas are in this poem?

6. How many lines?

7. How does the final stanza connect to the first stanza?