Sound

Before reading this chapter, I had no idea that the word 'sound' consisted of two semivowels, two consonants, and one mute. Mary Oliver would probably say this word was abrupt because it ended with a mute, just like the word 'rock' is abrupt compared to the word 'stone'. I've always thought it weird that a person can make vibrations with their voice box (through the air in forms of words) that can put an idea into another person's mind. Kind of like me describing a winter scene to you in person; you would most likely form a picture of winter in your head. What I never thought of, though, was how different letters help to change the mood and overall picture ofthat winter description.

Oliver's borderline obsession with poetry is obvious as she describes, with examples, the importance of the different elements of poetry, in this case sound. Her understanding of the various poems in this chapter ease the complication of what she is trying to tell me. My favorite part is when Oliver used the examples of 'Hush.', 'Please be quiet.', and 'Shut up.' I could better formulate in my head why the different vowels and consonants created different effects. Although this example helped, when she used Robert Frost's poem and created a two page analysis on just his use of different sounds I was a bit overwhelmed. Luckily, Oliver did make a reassurance her analysis was a bit extensive and that poets do not actively think about each letter of every word they use.