Bituminous?
Bituminous? - meaning Summary
Confusion About Words
Silverstein's "Bituminous?" catalogs a child's comic confusion over similar-sounding scientific and everyday terms. The speaker mixes geological, biological and common vocabulary, repeatedly questioning correct labels for coal, clouds, fossils, animals, shapes and chemicals. The poem turns uncertainty into humor by piling near-miss words and ending with a made-up term. It shows how language can feel slippery and how naming shapes understanding, while keeping a playful, innocent voice.
Read Complete AnalysesThe hard coal's called bituminous, Or is that anthracite? Stalactites grow down from caves, Or do I mean stalagmites? Those fluffy clounds are nimbus - No - wait - they might be cumulus. And that kid who was raised by wolves - Was he Remus - or Romulus? The brothauruses ate no meat. Does that mean they're carnivorous? Or were they brontosauruses And were they herbivorous? A camel is a pachyderm - Or do I mean dromedary? Is this match inflammable? I thought it was incendiary. Octagons - no hexagons - No, heptagons have seven sides. And don't spray fruit with pesticides - Or do I mean insecticides? If I can see right through a thing, Is it transparent - or translucent? These are just some of the things I find confusing...or confuscent.
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