The Sound of Silence

Corrections of 1 to 5 on Tuesday. Corrected answers are worth half marks. Marks and comments are in powerschool. Wednesday we correct the rest of the assignment, 6-10
From Tuesday's discussion, the screen I shared, click here.

1pm class begins online.  You may have to download the Zoom app. Click here for access

You are not alone.  Where you are things are probably pretty silent, unless you have chosen to boost the music, but you are not alone.  Silence and isolation can occur in a sea of noise and people and sometimes we are least alone when by ourselves.  We are having problems identifying personification, and you may be alone in a room, so . . . call someone older who is special in your life, read this poem to them; they might be able to help you with it.

The Sound Of Silence

By P.Simon

Hello darkness, my old friend,

I've come to talk with you again,

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.

In restless dreams I walked alone

Narrow streets of cobblestone,

'Neath the halo of a street lamp,

I turned my collar to the cold and damp

When my eyes were stabbed by the flash of a neon light

That split the night

And touched the sound of silence.

And in the naked light I saw

Ten thousand people, maybe more.

People talking without speaking,

People hearing without listening,

People writing songs that voices never share

And no one dared

Disturb the sound of silence.

"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

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 whisper'd in the sounds of silence

Hopefully your L.A. binder is right by your side, but if it happens to be in your locker or . . . , then click here for the notes we did in class.

Stanza 1

1. Identify the personification. Not enough to just give me a line, but tell me what the object is and how the object is being personified. Example, the object is a rock and the author says the rock can sing

2. New definition. Oxymoron: Contradictory terms that are used together. Examples Icy-Hot, bittersweet, weirdly normal, love to hate. What phrase in stanza 1 is an oxymoron?

Stanza 2

3. As in 1, identify a personification. 

Stanza 3

4. Again, identify a personification. 

5. In this crowd of people, are people alone? Defend your answer from the poem

Stanza 4

6. Identify a simile

7. Identify a metaphor 

Stanza 5

8. My interpretation is that "the neon god they made" referred to in this song 50 years ago was the relatively new ways of communicating by television and other electrical ways such as store signs. To me, the poem is saying that all this increase of communication has just resulted in more noise and less meaningful connections. The author in stanza 4 tries to reach out, "take my arms that I might reach you" and tries to be listened to "hear my words that I might teach you," but without success. People have already been mesmerized by the flashy lights and superficial messages. So-

Is this poem more relevant, less relevant, or just as relevant today. Explain. 

9. Look at the title and how each and every stanza ends. Consulting your notes, what technique is the author using?

10. This question is a gimme. Which version of the poem below do you like the best? No right or wrong answer, just need an explanation for your opinion. Both versions reached Number 1, about 50 years apart. 

Bonus-Share below a link to a song that reflect our current situation.


From Chris

From Nika

From Mr Harland

From Justin

From Liam, his Covid19 advice to hibernate till September