What If — AP Board Class 6 English
'What if I'm DUMB? What if I start to CRY? — A child's anxieties at BEDTIME.'
1. About the Poem
'What If' by Shel Silverstein — one of the most BELOVED children's poets in the world — describes the BEDTIME ANXIETIES of a young child. When the lights go out and it is QUIET, the mind starts RACING. 'What if...?' The child worries about EVERYTHING: being stupid, being hated, being poor, getting sick, getting struck by lightning. The poem is HILARIOUS because the worries are SO RIDICULOUS — but it is also HONEST because EVERY child (and adult!) has felt this way.
Why This Poem Matters for AP Board Students
- 'Every child has had a NIGHT like this — lying awake, worrying'
- Silverstein is a GLOBAL FAVOURITE among children
- Teaches that ANXIETY is NORMAL — and LAUGHING at it helps
- 'The poem turns FEAR into FUN'
- Great for DISCUSSION about emotions and mental health
2. About the Poet
Shel Silverstein (1930-1999)
- American poet, songwriter, cartoonist, and children's author
- Famous books: 'Where the Sidewalk Ends', 'The Giving Tree', 'A Light in the Attic', 'Falling Up'
- Known for: WIT, HUMOUR, and DEEP UNDERSTANDING of children
- His poems are SHORT, FUNNY, and often surprisingly PROFOUND
Why He Wrote This Poem
Silverstein understood that children have DARK thoughts — but that LAUGHTER is the best way to deal with them.
3. The Full Poem
Last night, while I lay THINKING here, Some WHAT-IFS crawled inside my EAR And PRANCED and PARTIED on my HEAD And sang their same old WHAT-IF SONG.
What if I'm DUMB in school? What if they've CLOSED the pool? What if I get CONTENT? What if nobody COMES? What if my TEETH don't GROW? What if I break my BOW? What if I CHOKE on a peach? What if I get a BEACH?
What if nobody LIKES me? What if a CHAIN strikes me? What if I start to CRY? What if the bed should FALL? What if I'M small? What if I'm DEAD? What if my HEAD gets STUCK? What if I run out of LUCK?
I HATE those WHAT-IFS! They LIE in wait. I'll PULL the covers over my HEAD And GO to sleep instead!
4. Section-by-Section Explanation
Lines 1-4: The What-Ifs Arrive
| Line | Meaning |
|---|---|
| 'Last night, while I lay THINKING here' | The child is in BED — quiet, alone, thinking |
| 'Some WHAT-IFS crawled inside my EAR' | Anxieties 'crawl in' — like INSECTS or INVADERS |
| 'And PRANCED and PARTIED on my HEAD' | The worries are LOUD and OUT OF CONTROL |
| 'And sang their same old WHAT-IF SONG.' | These are REPEATED worries — the child has had them BEFORE |
Theme: The WHAT-IFS are like UNWELCOME GUESTS — they come at bedtime when the child is ALONE and QUIET.
Lines 5-16: The List of Worries
| What-If | The Anxiety Behind It |
|---|---|
| 'What if I'm DUMB in school?' | Fear of FAILURE and looking STUPID |
| 'What if they've CLOSED the pool?' | Fear of DISAPPOINTMENT — missing FUN |
| 'What if I get CONTENT?' | Fear of being TOO SATISFIED (ironic!) |
| 'What if nobody COMES?' | Fear of LONELINESS and rejection |
| 'What if my TEETH don't GROW?' | Physical ANXIETY — something wrong with the body |
| 'What if I break my BOW?' | Fear of LOSING something VALUABLE |
| 'What if I CHOKE on a peach?' | Fear of DEATH by ACCIDENT |
| 'What if nobody LIKES me?' | Social ANXIETY — being UNPOPULAR |
| 'What if a CHAIN strikes me?' | Fear of INJURY from something UNEXPECTED |
| 'What if I start to CRY?' | Fear of LOSING control |
| 'What if the bed should FALL?' | Irrational fear at NIGHT |
| 'What if I'M small?' | Fear of being WEAK or INSIGNIFICANT |
| 'What if I'm DEAD?' | The BIGGEST fear — DEATH itself |
| 'What if my HEAD gets STUCK?' | Fear of being TRAPPED |
Lines 17-20: The End
| Line | Meaning |
|---|---|
| 'I HATE those WHAT-IFS!' | FRUSTRATION — the child is TIRED of worrying |
| 'They LIE in wait.' | The worries are like PREDATORS — waiting to attack |
| 'I'll PULL the covers over my HEAD' | A COMFORTING gesture — hiding from fears |
| 'And GO to sleep instead!' | The SOLUTION: IGNORE the worries and SLEEP |
5. Themes
Childhood Anxiety
Worrying about EVERYTHING is a NORMAL childhood experience. The poem VALIDATES it.
The Power of Imagination
The child's imagination CREATES these disasters — but imagination can also DISMISS them.
Fear of the Unknown
What-ifs are fears about the FUTURE — things that MIGHT happen (but PROBABLY WON'T).
Coping with Fear
The child's solution — pulling the covers over the head — is not MATURE, but it WORKS. Sometimes we just need to IGNORE our fears.
6. Poetic Devices
| Device | Example | Effect |
|---|---|---|
| Personification | 'WHAT-IFS crawled inside my EAR / And PRANCED and PARTIED' | Anxieties become LIVING things |
| List/Catalogue | 'What if I'm DUMB... What if nobody LIKES me... What if I'm DEAD' | The BUILD-UP of worries — overwhelming |
| Humour | 'What if I get a BEACH?' | RIDICULOUS worry — makes us LAUGH at anxiety |
| Repetition | 'What if... What if... What if...' | The RELENTLESS nature of worry |
| Contrast | The SILLY worries vs the SERIOUS ones | Shows the RANGE of anxiety |
| Rhyme | School/pool, head/bed | Creates RHYTHM and FLOW |
7. Vocabulary / New Words
| Word | Meaning |
|---|---|
| What-if | A question about a possible but unlikely bad thing |
| Pranced | Moved with high, springy steps (like dancing) |
| Partied | Celebrated noisily |
| Content | Satisfied, happy |
| Choke | To be unable to breathe because something is stuck |
| Struck | Hit by something |
| Lurk | To wait in hiding, ready to attack |
8. Important Lines
| Line | Significance |
|---|---|
| 'Some WHAT-IFS crawled inside my EAR' | The worries feel INVASIVE — like bugs |
| 'What if I'm DUMB in school?' | Every student's fear — the MOST relatable line |
| 'What if I'm DEAD?' | The WORST fear — confronted directly |
| 'I HATE those WHAT-IFS!' | The child's FRUSTRATION speaks for ALL of us |
| 'I'll PULL the covers over my HEAD / And GO to sleep instead!' | The SOLUTION — ignore and rest |
9. Short Answer Questions (2-3 marks each)
1. When do the WHAT-IFS come to the child? At BEDTIME — when the child is lying in the dark, quiet and alone.
2. How do the WHAT-IFS arrive? They 'crawl inside' the child's ear — like INVADERS.
3. What are THREE worries the child has? Examples: being dumb in school, nobody liking them, being dead, teeth not growing, choking on a peach.
4. What is the child's FINAL solution to the worries? The child pulls the COVERS over the head and GOES to SLEEP.
5. Why does the child HATE the WHAT-IFS? Because they are ANNOYING, SCARY, and never STOP.
6. Is the poem FUNNY or SERIOUS? Explain. BOTH! The LIST of worries is funny (especially the RIDICULOUS ones like 'What if I get a beach?') — but the FEARS are REAL and relatable.
7. What does the poem teach us about worry? Worrying is NORMAL. But often, the things we worry about NEVER HAPPEN. Sometimes the best thing is to just STOP thinking and REST.
10. Long Answer Questions (6-8 marks each)
1. 'The WHAT-IFS are like UNWANTED GUESTS.' Explain this comparison. The poet describes the what-ifs as creatures that CRAWL into the child's ear and PRANCE AND PARTY on the child's head. They are LOUD, ROWDY, and UNINVITED. They come when the child is trying to SLEEP. The child CANNOT control them — they just APPEAR. This is EXACTLY like anxiety: fears and worries that show up UNWANTED and WON'T LEAVE. The comparison is BRILLIANT because it makes anxiety feel EXTERNAL — something that 'attacks' us, not something WE create.
2. Why is bedtime a COMMON time for anxiety? Use examples from the poem. At bedtime, the world is QUIET. There are NO distractions — no TV, no games, no friends. The child is ALONE in the dark. The mind has NOTHING else to focus on — so it starts WORRYING. The poem shows this: 'Last night, while I lay THINKING here, Some WHAT-IFS crawled inside my EAR.' The child is not busy — so the worries 'crawl in.' This is why MANY people (children and adults) feel most anxious at NIGHT.
3. 'The poem mixes SERIOUS fears with SILLY ones.' Give examples and explain why the poet does this. SERIOUS fears: 'What if I'm DUMB?' (failure), 'What if nobody LIKES me?' (rejection), 'What if I'm DEAD?' (mortality). SILLY fears: 'What if I get a BEACH?' (random), 'What if I break my BOW?' (specific). The poet MIXES them because this is EXACTLY how anxiety works! One minute you worry about DEATH — the next minute about something RANDOM. The mix also makes us LAUGH — and laughing at our worries takes away their POWER.
4. Do you think 'pulling the covers over your head' is a GOOD solution to anxiety? Why or why not? It is a SHORT-TERM solution. For the MOMENT, it helps the child feel SAFE and COMFORTED. It gives the mind a break. But LONG-TERM, we need to TALK about our worries with someone we trust — parents, teachers, friends. The poem does not offer a 'perfect' solution — it just shows what the child DOES in that moment. Sometimes, DISTRACTION and REST are the best immediate strategies.
11. AP Board Context
- Poetry appreciation: AP Board questions often ask students to IDENTIFY the speaker's feelings in this poem.
- Telugu connection: 'Emo emo' (what if) — the same expression exists in Telugu!
- Mental health discussion: 'Do you ever have WHAT-IF thoughts? What do you do about them?'
- Activity: Make a 'Worry Box' — write your worries on paper, put them in the box, and DECIDE not to think about them tonight.
- Writing task: 'Write YOUR OWN "What If" poem — with 8-10 of YOUR worries.'
12. Fun Activity
'Turn Worries into Jokes' Take ONE of the child's worries from the poem (e.g., 'What if my teeth don't grow?'). Write a FUNNY ANSWER to it. Example: 'What if my teeth don't grow? Then I'll eat ICE CREAM for every meal!' Sharing your funny answers with the class makes the WHAT-IFS LESS SCARY.
