Critical Paragraph for “Silence” In his poem “Silence”, Billy Collins juxtaposes negative and positive circumstances of silence to develop the abstract weight of silence. The structure and placement of stanzas 1-4 help to visually depict the disparities of the different silences. Stanza one examines the tense and negative connotation of “a player not moving on the field” (2) in contrast with the more relaxed and positive connotation of an “orchid,” (3). The stanza reveals that silence is both stressful and peaceful, which helps to develop the variances in the ideological weight given to silence based on the situation at hand. Next, the second stanza gives specific instances in which the silence is spilling with potential to break itself. In line four Collins wrote, “the silence of the falling vase”, exemplifying …show more content…
As well, it implies the heavier air that the silence carries while full of potential, or about to be shattered. Stanza two demonstrates how silence, only moments before being broken, is heavy and full of negativity. The next stanza presents examples that fall on the positive end of the “silence spectrum”; the connotation of “the silence of the moon” (8) is quiet and calm. The presence of the moon provides that there is light even during the night, thus creating a more positive undertone, as opposed to as if there were no moonlight. In this third stanza, the examples given help to create a lighter weight that is assigned to the silence in addition to the overall positive tone of silence. The second and third stanzas contrast each other to differentiate between the heavier weight associated with negative silences and the lighter weight that comes with more positively connotated silences. Stanza four mirrors the first stanza in that it too uses juxtaposition between lines to expose the difference in silences. Lines ten and twelve contrast each other with the silences of holding a loved one to the speaker’s chest (10) and the