Question

Who is the speaker in the poem? (What if)

Answer 1

Hint:
- The given question is from poetry Comprehension.
- The title of the poem is Whatif written by Shel Silverstein.
Summary of the poem - In this poem, the poet expresses his fear of such events that may occur in his life. These nervous questions are referred to as 'What ifs' by him. The poet asks what will happen if he becomes deaf, if the school shuts the pool, if he is beaten badly, or if he is poisoned.

Complete answer:
Poem – What if!
Last night, while I lay thinking here,
some Whatifs crawled inside my ear
and pranced and partied all night long
and sang their same old Whatif song:
Whatif I'm dumb in school?
Whatif they've closed the swimming pool?
Whatif, I get beat up?
 Whatif there's poison in my cup?
Whatif, I start to cry?
Whatif, I get sick and die?
Whatif, I flunk that test?
Whatif green hair grows on my chest?
Whatif nobody likes me?
Whatif a bolt of lightning strikes me?
Whatif, I don't grow talle?
 Whatif my head starts getting smaller?
Whatif the fish won't bite?
Whatif the wind tears up my kite?
Whatif, they start a war?
Whatif my parents get divorced?
Whatif the bus is late?
Whatif my teeth don't grow straight?
 Whatif, I tear my pants?
 Whatif I never learn to dance?
Everything seems well,
and then the nighttime What Ifs strike again!
                                                - Shel Silverstein


Therefore the speaker in the poem is the poet Shel Silverstein. As the question was asked only one that is too who is the speaker, thus while reading up on the poem it seems like the poet describes her own emotions to the reader. Hence the conclusion for the question is the name of the poet itself.

Note:
- Recognize that, as with any poem, full comprehension can take more than one reading.
- Use the title of the poem to help you figure out what the poem is about. Sometimes, the poem's subject isn't mentioned directly.
- Once you've read the poem once, you should have a good idea of what it's about. Don't try to work it out on the first try.
- Pay close attention to the poem's punctuation and physical structure.