Shel Silverstein

No Difference

No Difference - meaning Summary

Equality in the Dark

Shel Silverstein’s short poem argues that social and physical differences—size, wealth, race—disappear when the light is turned off. Using simple, childlike language, it presents darkness as a leveling condition in which everyone is equal. The closing wish that "God... turn off the light" functions as a vivid, ironic solution: equality achieved by removing the visible markers that separate people, suggesting humility and shared human sameness.

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Small as a peanut, Big as a giant, We're all the same size When we turn off the light Rich as a sultan, Poor as a mite, We're all worth the same When we turn off the light. Red, black or orange, Yellow or white, We all look the same When we turn off the light. So maybe the way To make everything right Is for God to just reach out And turn off the light!

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