Shoulders by Naomi Shihab Nye
A man crosses the street in rain,
stepping gently, looking two times north and south,
because his son is asleep on his shoulder.
No car must splash him.
No car drive too near to his shadow.
This man carries the world’s most sensitive cargo
but he’s not marked.
Nowhere does his jacket say FRAGILE,
HANDLE WITH CARE.
His ear fills up with breathing.
He hears the hum of a boy’s dream
deep inside him.
We’re not going to be able
to live in this world
if we’re not willing to do what he’s doing
with one another.
The road will only be wide.
The rain will never stop falling.
Question- How does the poet present the importance of taking care of
one another? (24 marks)
The poet presents ideas about the importance of protecting and taking care of
each other through the extended metaphor of a father and son. The poet
implies that we should love and care for one another like a parent does for
their child as a parent’s love is selfless and knows no bounds. A parent will do
anything for the happiness and safety for their child at the expense of
everything due to their limitless and immense love. The poet tries to insinuate
we should mirror this type of love towards one another and that we can live in
a better world. This is evident in the last two lines pf the poem where the says
‘the road will only be wide. The rain will never stop falling’ This highlights that
there will always be struggles and problems along the way and just how the
father is protecting his son from the rain and shielding him from any potential
dangers by looking ‘north and south’, people should do the same for each
other as it helps lead a better life. The use of the adjective ‘wide’ emphasises
how we should always help one another and not let it be a one time thing just
like the father would always look out for his son no matter how long he needs
it. The use of ‘never’ emphasises that problems and struggles are endless in
this world yet taking care of each other would ease the heavy load. Through
the quote, “the man carries the world’s most sensitive cargo but he’s not
A man crosses the street in rain,
stepping gently, looking two times north and south,
because his son is asleep on his shoulder.
No car must splash him.
No car drive too near to his shadow.
This man carries the world’s most sensitive cargo
but he’s not marked.
Nowhere does his jacket say FRAGILE,
HANDLE WITH CARE.
His ear fills up with breathing.
He hears the hum of a boy’s dream
deep inside him.
We’re not going to be able
to live in this world
if we’re not willing to do what he’s doing
with one another.
The road will only be wide.
The rain will never stop falling.
Question- How does the poet present the importance of taking care of
one another? (24 marks)
The poet presents ideas about the importance of protecting and taking care of
each other through the extended metaphor of a father and son. The poet
implies that we should love and care for one another like a parent does for
their child as a parent’s love is selfless and knows no bounds. A parent will do
anything for the happiness and safety for their child at the expense of
everything due to their limitless and immense love. The poet tries to insinuate
we should mirror this type of love towards one another and that we can live in
a better world. This is evident in the last two lines pf the poem where the says
‘the road will only be wide. The rain will never stop falling’ This highlights that
there will always be struggles and problems along the way and just how the
father is protecting his son from the rain and shielding him from any potential
dangers by looking ‘north and south’, people should do the same for each
other as it helps lead a better life. The use of the adjective ‘wide’ emphasises
how we should always help one another and not let it be a one time thing just
like the father would always look out for his son no matter how long he needs
it. The use of ‘never’ emphasises that problems and struggles are endless in
this world yet taking care of each other would ease the heavy load. Through
the quote, “the man carries the world’s most sensitive cargo but he’s not
