Response to Aurora's QUICKBLOG!

I'm responding to the second bit of your post, the one questioning the arthood of works akin to Shel Silverstein's.

A graphic artist who spends something like 3 hours on one corner of an illustrated house, getting the shading just so, would probably rule out Shel's drawings as art. Along this same line, Lord Byron would have likely laughed in his face, had Mr. Silverstein somehow discovered the secret to time travel and brought with him "A Light In The Attic."

This being said, I believe that Silverstein's simplicity lends itself to the medium. He is writing predominantly for young people, though there is certainly a richness passed over by children that can be appreciate when read at an older age. I see Silverstein as a modern day, sardonic, witty Aesop. His poetry, if I may classify his work as such, is moralistic, and his illustrations and voice are earty, folky, and to the point.

A laudable five-minute blog, to be sure, Miss Cooper. I say yes! absolutely Shel Silverstein and his kith are artists.

If a snot came up to you and tried to disprove artists like Shel Silverstein, what would you say? What are the main points with which you would refute the snot's arguments?