the homework machine shel

PoetryVerse

Shel Silverstein

The homework machine.

The Homework Machine, Oh, the Homework Machine, Most perfect contraption that's ever been seen. Just put in your homework, then drop in a dime, Snap on the switch, and in ten seconds' time, Your homework comes out, quick and clean as can be. Here it is— 'nine plus four?' and the answer is 'three.' Three? Oh me . . . I guess it's not as perfect As I thought it would be.

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Shel Silverstein

The homework machine.

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Other works by Shel Silverstein...

Said General Clay to General Gor… To kill and die in such a bore I… Said General Gore to General Cla… And have some icecream on the way… Said General Clay to General Gor…

The hard coal’s called bituminous, Or is that anthracite? Stalactites grow down from caves, Or do I mean stalagmites? Those fluffy clounds are nimbus -

One sister for sale! One sister for sale! One crying and spying young sister… I’m really not kidding, So who’ll start the bidding?

When I am gone what will you do? Who will write and draw for you? Someone smarter—someone new? Someone better—maybe YOU!

I’m being swallered by a Boa Cons… a Boa Constrictor, a Boa Constri… I’m being swallered by a Boa Cons… and I don’t– like snakes– one bit! Oh no, he swallered my toe.

You may be lookin’ for me but I a… I’m still lookin’ for myself and… When I found who I am and where… And if you come round again maybe… You wanna follow me but honey can’…

Come on, baby, grease your lips, Put on your hat, and shake your hi… And don’€™t forget to bring your s… We’€™re goin’€™ to the Freakers B… Shake your mojo, bang your gong,

Each time I see the Upside-Down… Standing in the water, I look at him and start to laugh, Although I shouldn’t oughtter. For maybe in another world

Hungry Mungry sat at supper, Took his knife and spoon and fork, Ate a bowl of mushroom soup, ate a… Ate a dozen stewed tomatoes, twent… Fifteen shrimps, nine bakes potato…

Somebody has to go polish the star… They’re looking a little bit dull. Somebody has to go polish the star… For the eagles and starlings and g… Have all been complaining they’re…

There´s a shadow on the sun I se… Kiss it away, Kiss it away And there´s hurt down deep inside… Kiss it away, Kiss it away All the hard times we been through

Oh the changing of the seasons it’… And though I find this balmy weat… There’s the wind come from tomorro… And I’m bound for the changing of… Oh it’s blowin’ in Chicago and it…

I remember I put on my socks, I remember I put on my shoes. I remember I put on my tie That was painted In beautiful purples and blues.

There is a voice inside of you that whispers all day long, ‘I feel that this is right for me, I know that this is wrong.’ No teacher, preacher, parent, frie…

He’s the Twistable Turnable Sque… Stretchable Foldable Man. He can crawl in your pocket or fit… Or screw himself into a twenty-vol… Or stretch himself up to the steep…

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The Homework Machine

The Homework Machine, Oh, the Homework Machine, Most perfect contraption that’s ever been seen. Just put in your homework, then drop in a dime, Snap on the switch, and in ten seconds’ time, Your homework comes out, quick and clean as can be. Here it is— ‘nine plus four?’ and the answer is ‘three.’ Three? Oh me . . . I guess it’s not as perfect As I thought it would be.

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• The Homework Machine
• Shel Silverstein

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The Homework Machine, Oh, the Homework Machine, Most perfect contraption that’s ever been seen. Just put in your homework, then drop in a dime, Snap on the switch, and in ten seconds’ time, Your homework comes out, quick and clean as can be. Here it is— ‘nine plus four?’ and the answer is ‘three.’ Three? Oh me . . . I guess it’s not as perfect As I thought it would be.

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The Homework Machine by Shel Silverstein

The Homework Machine, Oh, the Homework Machine, Most perfect contraption that’s ever been seen. Just put in your homework, then drop in a dime, Snap on the switch, and in ten seconds’ time, Your homework comes out, quick and clean as can be. Here it is— ‘nine plus four?’ and the answer is ‘three.’ Three? Oh me . . . I guess it’s not as perfect As I thought it would be.

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The Homework Machine- Summary & Analysis

Table of Contents

About the Poem “The Homework Machine” 

Themes of The Homework Machine 

The themes of the poem “The Homework Machine” by Shel Silverstein are:

• The dangers of relying on technology ➤ The poem suggests that if we rely too much on technology to do our work for us, we may lose the ability to think for ourselves and learn.
• The importance of hard work ➤ The poem also suggests that there is no substitute for hard work. Even if we had a machine to do our homework for us, we would not really be learning anything.
• The importance of creativity and imagination ➤ The poem ends with the speaker imagining a world where everyone is the same and no one is creative. This suggests that creativity and imagination are essential for a fulfilling life.

“ The Homework Machine ” Poem by Shel Silverstein

The Homework Machine, Oh, the Homework Machine, Most perfect contraption that’s ever been seen. Just put in your homework, then drop in a dime, Snap on the switch, and in ten seconds’ time, Your homework comes out, quick and clean as can be. Here it is- ‘nine plus four?’ and the answer is ‘three.’ Three? Oh me . . . I guess it’s not as perfect As I thought it would be.

The Homework Machine Summary & Analysis

The Homework Machine by Shel Silverstein is a humorous and cautionary poem about the dangers of relying on machines to do your work for you.

The poem begins with the speaker describing the “Homework Machine” as the “most perfect contraption that’s ever been seen.” The speaker is excited about the machine because it can do your homework for you. All you have to do is put in your homework, drop in a dime, and snap on the switch. In ten seconds, your homework will be done, “quick and clean as can be.”

The speaker is eager to try out the machine, so they put in their math homework and drop in a dime. They snap on the switch, and in ten seconds, their homework is done. The speaker is thrilled. They can now spend their time doing other things, like playing or watching TV.

However, the speaker’s excitement is short-lived. When they look at their homework, they realize that the machine has given them the wrong answer to a math problem. The answer to “nine plus four” is three, which is obviously incorrect.

The speaker is disappointed and frustrated. They realize that the Homework Machine is not as perfect as they thought it was. They also realize that they need to learn to do their own homework, even if it is difficult.

The poem ends with the speaker realizing that they “guess it’s not as perfect / As I thought it would be.” This line is a reminder that we should not rely on machines to do everything for us. We need to learn how to think for ourselves and do things on our own.

FAQs from The Homework Machine

What is the story of the homework machine.

A kid finds a homework machine, but it gives them the wrong answer to a math problem, so they learn that it’s important to do their own work.

What is the central idea of the poem homework?

The central idea of the poem “The Homework Machine” is that it is important to learn to do your own work, even if it is difficult.

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The Homework Machine

By shel silverstein.

The Homework Machine, Oh, the Homework Machine, Most perfect contraption that’s ever been seen. Just put in your homework, then drop in a dime, Snap on the switch, and in ten seconds’ time, Your homework comes out, quick and clean as can be. Here it is— ‘nine plus four?’ and the answer is ‘three.’ Three? Oh me . . . I guess it’s not as perfect As I thought it would be.

This Poem Features In:

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Shel silverstein’s ‘homework machine’.

My Homework Machine, Ode to Shel Silverstein – July, 2015-May 2016

This is a photograph emulating a poem by Shel Silverstein’s, ‘Homework Machine’. I created this for my kids, avid fans of Mr. Silverstein. It took a year to get it all together, but it was worth it to give them this memory of how once when they were little, they were part of one of their favorite author’s creations.

We are fond of our books. Some books hold a special place in our hearts as we remember reading them as children, and others are newer books we joyously devour. Bedtime at our house consists of a ritualistic reading from our ever growing list of favorites. How about you and your crop of little people? Did you ever think of how much fun it would be to literally (pun intended) jump into one of your favorite books, or for your children to jump into one of theirs? We have, and the result is a very special offering to anyone who likes to play pretend. Does your child have a favorite book, that has held a place in their heart? Have they ever wished to be part of it? My little ones did and this was the book they chose, and the poem within! Homework Machine , a poem from ‘A Light in the Attic’, by Shel Silverstein. If you are not familiar with Mr. Silverstein’s works, you most likely were not a child of the 70/80’s like myself. You definitely need to know this poet of poets, a wonderful author who was exceptionally gifted at engaging children into his wacky world of meter, and aesthetic rhythm, where a long-haired boy could fly and if you weren’t careful the “Googies” might catch you.

Once upon a time, when they were very little, they loved a story so much…

The original Shel Silverstein poem, ‘ Homework Machine ‘

My ode to Shel Silverstein’s ‘Homework Machine’

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Math whizz.

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• The Homework Machine

"The Homework Machine" Visualizing Activity

Grades: Any Lesson Plan Summary: Read The Homework Machine poem and have students draw what it would look like.

Materials: Paper Pencils and erasers Pencil crayons (or crayons, felt pens, paint, etc.)

Give each student their supplies. Have each student close their eyes. Tell them to close their eyes and get ready to use their imaginations. Tell them they are going to make a picture in their minds and they'll be drawing it later.

Read the class the poem "The Homework Machine" by Shel Silverstein. When you are finished, tell the class to draw and color a picture of what they think the homework machine would look like.

Then the students are done drawing, have a discussion about the poem and their pictures. For primary grades (especially K or 1), questions like "How big do you think the machine is?" and "What kind of noises do you think the machine would make?" are suitable. Older grades can answer questions like "Why do you think the machine didn't work properly?" and "How would you build a homework machine?" Submitted by: Patricia Pruim - Iskut, BC, Canada

We want your pictures! Did you do the "Homework Machine" or a similar activity? We would love to get a picture to add to this activity page! Help others by showing off how you did it! Send us your picture or lesson modification ideas.

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The Homework Machine

50 pages • 1 hour read

A modern alternative to SparkNotes and CliffsNotes, SuperSummary offers high-quality Study Guides with detailed chapter summaries and analysis of major themes, characters, and more.

Chapter Summaries & Analyses

Introduction-Chapter 2

Chapters 3-4

Chapters 5-6

Chapters 7-8

Chapters 9-10

Character Analysis

Symbols & Motifs

Important Quotes

Essay Topics

Discussion Questions

Summary and Study Guide

The Homework Machine , written by acclaimed American author Dan Gutman was first published in 2007 by Simon & Schuster Books for Young Readers and is the first of a two-book series. The second book, The Return of the Homework Machine , was published in 2011. Gutman is primarily a children’s fiction writer who has been nominated for and won numerous awards, including 18 for The Homework Machine alone. Gutman is best known for his humorous series, My Weird School , in which there are more than 70 books. He lives in New York City with his family.

The paperback edition used for this study guide was published by Simon & Schuster in 2007.

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Plot Summary

The Homework Machine is told from the perspectives of multiple characters in the format of tape recordings for a police report.

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The four main characters are fifth-grade students who are grouped at the same classroom table because their last names start with D: Sam Dawkins (Snik), Kelsey Donnelly , Judy Douglas , and Brenton Damagatchi . Other than sharing the same last initial, the students have nothing in common. Snik is the cool class smart aleck; Kelsey is laid back and doesn’t care about school; Judy is conscientious and in the gifted program; and Brenton is a loner and genius who designs software and studies psychology in his spare time. Snik pushes people’s buttons, and one day he pushes Brenton too far—implying that Brenton spends all his free time doing homework. Brenton retorts that he doesn’t spend any time doing homework and lets slip that he has invented a homework machine.

Snik calls Brenton a liar, so Brenton invites Snik, Judy, and Kelsey to his house to see for themselves. The group are stunned when Brenton’s machine prints out perfectly completed homework in Brenton’s handwriting. Brenton agrees to let Snik, Judy, and Kelsey join him after school to “do” their homework and even rewrites the software to accommodate their handwriting. The unlikely foursome spends every afternoon together, but they insist that they are not friends and that the only reason they tolerate each other is to use the homework machine, which they name Belch. Judy feels guilty about cheating but enjoys getting A’s and uses the extra time to take up ballet. Kelsey’s vastly improved grades earn her privileges, such as a belly-button piercing, from her mother. As the weeks pass, the D Squad becomes addicted to using Belch and the boundaries between their various social identities begin to blur. Snik shows an interest in “boring” chess, which Brenton plays, and Judy tries to be complimentary about Kelsey’s piercings (while finding them disgusting). Everything seems to be going well. However, things start to rapidly fall apart halfway through the year. Judy and Kelsey’s other friends resent their new associations and “unfriend” them, and their teacher, Miss Rasmussen , suspects that they are cheating.

In addition, a strange man has been stalking the group ever since Brenton designed software to instigate a hugely successful social media-driven “red socks day” that spread across America. Miss Rasmussen springs a surprise test on the class to see whether the D Squad really knows their schoolwork. Sure enough—Kelsey and Snik fail, and Judy gets a C, confirming Miss Rasmussen’s suspicions. Before Miss Rasmussen can report them, Snik’s father, who is in the military, is killed in the Middle East. This tragic event diverts Miss Rasmussen’s attention from the cheating, which seems trivial in comparison. The bond between the D Squad strengthens as the stress of keeping Belch secret increases.

Together they decide to shut Belch down, only to discover that Belch has taken on a life of its own and will not power off. They throw Belch into the Grand Canyon and feel relief as they watch it disappear. However, when backpackers find computer pieces at the bottom of the canyon, the D Squad is called into the sheriff’s office where they confess to everything. The case is closed, but their unlikely friendships continue to strengthen and grow. The stalker turns out to be someone scouting Brenton to offer him a job as an influencer for his company. The company’s clients want to market their products to kids. Brenton simply offers him an idea he would like to influence kids with: “Do your homework” (146).

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