sound of silence
"The Sound of Silence"A Formalist Criticism I have chosen to analyze the 1664 hit by Paul Simon, "The Sound of Silence." This song is filled with symbolism and can be interpreted in many different ways. I believe that it is a commentary on the way that people fail to communicate and understand each other, not only between cultures, and not only words, but emotions as well. The song begins with the words "Hello darkness, my old friend/I've come to talk with you again." I feel that this is an indicator that the author is in a dark place, talking to, basically, nobody. I think that use of the word 'again' is indication that going to a dark place and talking about his concerns is something that the singer does frequently, when he needs to get something off his chest. The song continues, "Because a vision softly creeping/Left its seeds while I was sleeping/And the vision that was planted in my brain/Still remains/Within the sound of silence." I believe that in this, the singer is saying that this is a realization that came to him in a dream. I think that even though the realization came to him in a dream, it is very valid, and has caused the singer so much mental and emotional distress that he has come to talk it out
In our society, the sorts of people who live in an urban setting and spend their time creating graffiti are generally the social deviants. I think that the line "People writing songs that voices never shared" is very interesting. I find it more likely, however, that it is in reference to technology and the advancement of technology. " I think that in this stanza, the singer is setting the mood for the coming realization. In a society where a lack of communication is the norm, anyone who is communicating properly would be a social deviant. The song continues: "'Fools,' said I, 'you do not know/Silence like a cancer grows/Hear my words that I might teach you/Take my arms that I might reach you'/But my words like silent raindrops fell/And echoed in the wells of silence. I think that the last two lines are significant, as well. It seemed so foreign and strange to them to speak and listen intelligently that they paid no attention to the person speaking them. People tend to fear change, and that holds true in this case. I think that he is saying that the words that he spoke weren't even considered by the people who heard them. These people were afraid of the change necessary to start speaking and listening intelligently. I think that the reference to subway walls and tenement halls brings the problem closer to home, so to speak, and is an indication that the song is, indeed, a reference to our own society. " I find this to be the most fascinating of the five stanzas. I think that it refers to art, music, and the like. The final stanza goes: "And the people bowed and prayed/To the neon god they made/And the sign flashed out its warning/In the words that it was forming/And the sign said "The words of the prophets are written on the subway walls/And tenement halls/And whispered in the sound of silence.
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Acceptance Essays
