The Graduate Essay, Research Paper
Music is an important part of every film. Even before there were ?talking pictures? the filmmakers used music as background noise to help tell the story. With or without words music can be so powerful that it increases the intensity of the film immensely. Can you imagine Fantasia without all of its classical scores? There are many theories about music in film today. While some believe it adds a lot to film others think that music should never be secondary to images. I believe that the two go hand in hand equally to bring the best of the audio and visual worlds together. Especially now that lyrics have come into play. The words of a song can bring so much more emotion to a scene than dialogue can in certain cases. I have found this amazingly true in The Graduate. Simon and Garfunkel take the concept of music in film to a new level by having the movie explained in their lyrics. To me, ?Sound of Silence? becomes the subconscious Ben Braddock. The words of the song delve into his inner self to try to describe his thought and feelings. This paper will interpret the lyrics of ?Sounds of Silence? in accordance with The Graduate. This is important because by explicating the lyrics the depth of the film becomes more dynamic.
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
The song begins with the outer layer of Ben?s mind and steadily moves inward as he begins to understand himself better. In the beginning he comes home after graduating from college with an intense fear of the future because of the fact that he has no plans. To him, the future is darkness, as it always has been when he did not know what was to happen next. While at college, Ben involved himself in many activities to ignore the thoughts of the ever-looming obscurity. Although, now, the darkness is so absolute and thick it is even hard to hear. The only way he is able to see the possibilities of life is to be in his subconscious and hope that the visions are important enough to remain in his blurred mind. Sleep is his escape from the darkness of his mind. In a sense, Ben feels dead. For example, on his 21st birthday he just sits at the bottom of the pool wishing he could be anywhere but there with all of those people. Also, at the graduation party that his parents throw for them all he wants to do is escape to his room to be alone. Not to mention that every person there is an adult, friend of Ben?s parents, not a young one in the whole bunch. To him the sound of silence is the end, it means that his life is nothing. He feels as though he has no effect on others or life and they have no influence on him either. This is because he has not begun to found love and passionate feeling. Even during his affair with Mrs. Robinson, life is just the same old every day, all bland as ever.
In restless dreams I walked alone
Narrow streets of cobblestone
Beneath 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
In the second verse things start to get a little more complicated. I think that the best visual description is the scene where Ben is floating in the pool. His father asks him what he is doing and Ben responds with, ?just drifting.? Drifting is exactly what he is doing, but not just in the pool, but through life as well. Weeks after graduation he is still doing absolutely nothing, not even thinking, just letting the darkness take over. When Ben and Mrs. Robinson have their first argument he tells her that he cares about her, and maybe he thinks he does, but he has no idea what feelings of caring really are till he falls for Elaine. Throughout his life he walks alone, not even noticing the others surrounding him. He just watches out for himself so he can make it to the next day. Life is no challenge, just a nuisance, till he gets a slap of life in the face. The ?flash of a neon light? symbolizes this, which occurred in the strip club when Elaine started to cry. Ben actually felt horrible and began to realize he had a part of himself that felt things that were so strong he could not control them anymore, it was in essence like being stabbed with life. Elaine set off something inside of Ben that was able to ?touch the sound of silence.? Suddenly, he was able to talk (almost) freely with her and the darkness begins to slowly fade away.
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 shared
No one dared
Disturb the sound of silence
The more time he spends with Elaine, the more he peels away his wall to her. He realizes that his life of silence does not have to live forever and maybe he is not dead inside after all. He becomes more naked, mentally and begins to see other people in their lives and how they too can live in silence. Ben realizes that Mrs. Robinson is one of those people. He sees her for what she really is, someone ?talking without speaking,? and ?hearing without listening.? This is why Ben told Elaine of the affair, not to mess everything up, but to fade the silence. Mrs. Robinson may have thought it would change up her life a bit to have an affair with Ben but it never mattered, not to her, just to Elaine. Elaine is real and she doesn?t know the sound of silence, which is what attracts Ben to her.
“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
As the darkness disappears from Ben?s mind he realizes what a fool he has been living life without living. He?s sees this in others and feels them to be fools as well. He also knows, better than anyone, that the silence grows, takes over and can easily end life before it even begins. Now that Ben has broken out of the sound of silence he wants to fully take charge and never return. He will do anything to be with the one who cured him, Elaine. She refuses to listen though. She won?t listen to his words or crawl into his arms. Instead she goes off to get married to a jerk that will lead her down the road of silence. But Ben has changed by this point. He won?t let the emptiness scare him back to his old life, so yet again he goes on the chase to find his key to life.
And the people bowed and prayed
To the neon god they’d 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 sounds of silence”
During Ben?s chase he deceives several people to get the information he needs to get to his treasure. To him they were all pawns trapped by silence, not even with a bit of knowledge of how to be released. Finally, he arrives, and though he is too late Elaine still runs away with him and gets on that bus. At this point they both realize how life is everywhere, you just have to pay attention as it goes by and even silence can bring happiness. They do not even say one word to each other, just speak with their minds. Do they end happily? Is the sound of silence going to interfere with their life together? I do not believe it is to be interpreted. To me, this song interprets the subconscious of Ben during the movie, not afterwards.
I think that the lyrics of ?Sounds of Silence? really added so much to the reality of the film. So many people are stuck to the sound of silence and may never find a way out. I am not saying that love is the only way out but learning to feel is the first step to hearing the music. Simon and Garfunkel have a magic way with their score for this film, without it the film could truly be interpreted differently and may not have been as effective. I am by no way saying that this is only way to explicate The Graduate but this is the way that I see it and it has changed my life. I look at more and more of the little things in my life each time I watch the film (it is one of my favorites). It is a clear expression of emotion and how without it, we are not healthy people.
Другие работы по теме:
Being A Musician Essay Research Paper Music
Being A Musician Essay, Research Paper Music is an ever-changing style. People listen to music of all types everyday. What most people don’t know is what it takes to make that music they listen to. Today’s music is a lot different than music prior to the 80’s. Machines can almost do all the work for some of the songs you hear on the radio today, but there are still some groups who do it the real way.
Folk Vs Rock Essay Research Paper Music
Folk Vs Rock Essay, Research Paper Music is the way we speak, who we are, where we came from, what we feel, the things we remember, and music often communicates the things we are unable to. I have an extensive group of friends. The biggest difficulty I?ve noticed about this is our music tastes. Riding in the car is often like attending a court hearing over control over the c.d. player.
Poems Essay Research Paper SnowAs the soft
Poems Essay, Research Paper Snow As the soft snow covers the earth like a blanket A supreme calmness comes over me Though the weather is cold i feel it not For the warmth of my heart is burning like a furnace
MY Hopes And Fear Essay Research Paper
My Hopes And Fears Everyone has hopes and fears in every walk of his/her life. Graduate students also have hopes and fears when they entered in this life. Being a graduate student I am also concern about my future. I am always willing to experience and learn about new thing. Studying in United States is a new experience for me as I am an international student.
Music Everywhere Essay Research Paper The rhythm
Music Everywhere Essay, Research Paper The rhythm flows through one s head. It can be viewed many ways, but effects everyone differently. This naturally occurring and man made miracle can t be summed up in just one short essay. Yet many have and will continue to try. It s carried across millions of airwaves everyday.
Various Styles And Types Of Music Essay
, Research Paper The names of the various styles and types of music culturally associated with my country are at first there is folk music and then there is urban music then comes all the
Guatier Essay Research Paper Due to the
Guatier Essay, Research Paper Due to the curriculum of Spring Ridge Middle School, all the students are required to take a music class of their choice. I signed up for mine in the 7th grade, but since I can’t carry a tune very well I decided a guitar class would be the way to go. I’m not musical and besides in Elementary School, this is the only music class that I can vaguely remember taking.
Rock N Roll Essay Research Paper From
Rock N Roll Essay, Research Paper From jazz and boogie of the thirties moved popular music away from the light entertainment of the theater toward a more exiting and dance oriented style that made the swing era a golden age. Do to jazz moving into rhythm and blues black people were recognized for talents in music and dance.
Teen Sex Stats Essay Research Paper Alarming
Teen Sex Stats Essay, Research Paper Alarming Statistics: - 1 of 10 women b/w 15-19 years of age get pregnant every year, 83% are unwanted or unplanned - 50% of unmarried teens who get pregnant do so within six months of their first sexual experience
Music Essay Research Paper 3
Music Essay, Research Paper 3. J.S. Bach was an organist and choirmaster for Lutheran churches. Bach devoted his life to composing music for the church services. He wrote magnificent music for the organ, for choral groups, for clavier and harpsichord, for orchestra, and for small groups of instruments.
Music Writer Essay Research Paper Music WriterThe
Music Writer Essay, Research Paper Music Writer The job of being a music writer entails many things. As most people believe, they do more then criticize artists work. In an email interview between Steven Ward, and David McGee (a music writer), David tells of how he works for BarnesandNoble as a country music editor.
Millenium Essay Research Paper WHAT ARE MY
Millenium Essay, Research Paper WHAT ARE MY GOALS AND HOPES FOR THE MEW MILLENNIUM Music, science, nature, and games have all developed through out the past millennium. It has been a thousand year of innovation, invention, and
Enfluening OF Music Essay Research Paper This
Enfluening OF Music Essay, Research Paper This Essay is about how music can influence the emotions and effects of a person. I will be giving you precentages. I will also be giving you quotes of students
How American Music Has Changed Over The
Past 50 Years Essay, Research Paper How American Music Has Changed Over The Past 50 Years People have often wondered if music has always been around. Well, to answer that question I did some research to find out where our music originated. Our first reliable music records came from the Greeks and the Romans.
Music Essay Research Paper Tonight I went
Music Essay, Research Paper Tonight I went to my first concert. I saw the Duquesne University Wind Symphony and Symphonic Band at the Carnegie Music Hall in Oakland. Robert C. Cameron conducted both the Symphony and Band. The Wind Symphony began the night by playing the Dedication Overture and then proceeded on to what was my favorite piece of the concert, Old American Country Set.
Indonesian Gamelan Essay Research Paper Gamelan concerts
Indonesian Gamelan Essay, Research Paper Gamelan concerts are mysterious and enticing. The sound, which come from the multi-performed, hitting of the copper instruments, makes any listener become aware of a story line of some sort. This music is exotic and that is what it has going for it in the western world.
Hip Hop Essay Research Paper Music AppreciationHipHop
Hip Hop Essay, Research Paper Music Appreciation Hip-Hop is one of the newest forms of music. It has expanded and is now the most popular form of music for people ages 11-25. In the last 2 years, hip-hop is the most lucrative form of music. It has sold billions of records and has made record companies billions of dollars.
Get In Essay Research Paper Click Here
Get In Essay, Research Paper Click Here If YOU Have Friends! Can’t find the paper you need? Try Collegiate Care Comparing Casablanca to 1984 Charlie Parker at Storyville
Medieval Music Essay Research Paper Music in
Medieval Music Essay, Research Paper Music in the middle ages is similar to the music that we listen to today in the way that there are many different types of music for different types of people. There were many types of music in the middle ages including Slavic, Jewish, Popular, middle eastern, and many other types of religious music as well as music for entertainment.
Slow Dance Essay Research Paper S L
Slow Dance Essay, Research Paper S L O W D A N C E: *BR* *br* Have you ever watched kids*br* on a merry-go-round*br* Or listened to the rain*br* slapping on the ground?*br**br*
Irish Clasical Musiv Essay Research Paper To
Irish Clasical Musiv Essay, Research Paper To most individuals Irish music brings a certain type of music to mind, jigs, reels hornpipes various types of dancing music. It may also bring to mind the common pub songs regarding war, love, sadness and of course emigration. Turlough O’carolan introduced a different flavor of Irish music that in some ways is still seen today.
Napster Essay Research Paper There are many
Napster Essay, Research Paper There are many different controversies when consulting the topic on Napster. Napster is a computer program that lets people download mp3 music files from other people with the program. Lots of people and music companies believe that this is bad and Napster should be stopped or should charge people.
American Music Essay Research Paper Pat American
American Music Essay, Research Paper American Music 10-30-00 Music Concert Review I My concert review took me to a new wave of music. I went to a concert at Bucks where a band named Yelon was playing. They are a reggae band from Jamaica, which is the place where many reggae bands come from. It was very interesting for me due to the fact that I have never been opened up to this kind of music.
Country Music Essay Research Paper Country MusicToday
Country Music Essay, Research Paper Country Music Today, many people in the United States listen to country music. People have almost always listen to this type of music, from early rebels, to the families of today. The topic of true country music usually remains the same in all songs. The country atmosphere is more family oriented and provides children and all people with good role models.
Music 2
Music & Movies Essay, Research Paper Music & Movies This paper is based on what I know about music. Music is a way of life, and life would be a mistake without music. Music can encourage ones emotions, thoughts, and feelings.
The Beatles Essay Research Paper Music is
The Beatles Essay, Research Paper Music is an entertainment. yet, sometimes it can make history. A song is simply just words with sound. Yet, sometimes it can be passionate. A band is simply just people who transport music. Yet, sometimes they can be a big influence to others. They are the most popular musical artists in Rock and Roll through out the century.
Purpose Essay Research Paper MusicIn Aaron Copland
Purpose Essay, Research Paper Music In Aaron Copland s essay How We Listen to Music, he examines the three ways people listen to music. He calls the ways we listen to music planes . The three planes he examines are the Sensuous Plane, Expressive Plane, and Sheerly Musical Plane (400). He uses examples of each plane and how people use it.
The Graduate Essay Research Paper Veronica CombsThis
The Graduate Essay, Research Paper Veronica Combs This paper will be both a critique as well as an analysis of the relationships between both my generation and the time period in which the movie took place. In the critique, I which to look at the movie score and the dependency that I felt Ben and Katherine had for each other.
Classical Music
’s Effects Essay, Research Paper Classical Music and its effects on the Neonate In Today s society music is very diverse. It produces feelings and emotions sensed by all walks of life. Different styles of music tend to give different ideas and impressions to people. It affects everyone it comes in contact with, and it is more powerful than we are willing to understand.
The Graduate Essay Research Paper In the
The Graduate Essay, Research Paper In the movie The Graduate, the main character Ben returns home from college and encounters a psychological crisis in the sense that he doesn t know who he is or what he wants. This is due in large part to his smothering parents. Though it may seem like he is a free man and entitled to do as he wished, it is much the contrary.