The alphabet was, I thought, a rather simple, elementary concept, but I have been proven incorrect by Mary Oliver's chapter on sound in A Poetry Handbook.
Having the alphabet entirely revolutionized for me in just a few pages was, of course, disconcerting, but after I recovered I was able to apppreciate the clear tone of the book and the relatable examples. I enjoyed the anaylsis of Robert Frost's poem, particularly since it was not suggested that any poet actually takes the time to count the number of mutes and semivowels per line. This chapter, though, is not only applicable to poems, but to our everyday word choice as well. Selecting words or phrases based on the way that they sound is an unconscious decision on the part of poets and speakers alike and I doubt I will ever find myself paying attention to the amount of mutes that I use in one sentence. I do, however, recognize that the various letters and their sounds play an instrumental role in writing fluid poetry that a person would want to listen to. The chapter truly added new ideas to an old concept. Just when you thought you had the alphabet down, everything changes. There are not just vowels and constants, but liquids and aspirates and so on. Even the idea of w as a vowel was new to me - generally considering the vowels as a,e,i,o,u and sometimes y - but after saying some different w words to myself I can see how that is possible
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