Mr. Grumpledump's Song

The title of Shel Silverstein’s poem, “Mr. Grumpledump’s Song” characterizes the poem’s speaker through his nonsensical surname, “Grumpledump.” Silverstein relies on the tradition of nonsense poetry, combining words and phrases like “grumpy,” “grumble,” and “down in the dumps” to create an altogether new word (see: Contextual Analysis “Literary Context”). The denotations of each combined word reveal a speaker that is bad-tempered, irritable, and all together frustrated. However, the garble of syllables when read aloud also sounds silly (see: Literary Devices “Diction”). This onomatopoetic device highlights how Silverstein uses a clever levity and humor to appeal to younger audiences by making light of the poem’s otherwise grumpy speaker.

Silverstein frames the poem as a “song” within the title. Poems and songs are extremely similar compositions, the only difference being that songs are set to music. Silverstein’s use of unpredictable metrical and rhythmic features throughout the entirety of the poem creates something akin to music when read aloud (see: Literary Devices “Form and Meter”). Like a jazz composition, readers have no idea what is coming next, making “Mr. Grumpledump’s Song” an extremely dynamic and engaging piece. Similarly, by giving possession of this song to the titular Mr. Grumpledump, Silverstein brings further artistry and