ELDERLY, LOSS, AND GRIEF
Sound of Silence, Simon and Garfunkel
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 walk 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 signs said, 'The words of the prophets are written on the subway walls
And tenement halls.
And whisper'd in the sounds of silence.
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 walk 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 signs said, 'The words of the prophets are written on the subway walls
And tenement halls.
And whisper'd in the sounds of silence.
Late Adulthood: Integrity vs Despair
While the original meaning of this song has little do with our topic, this piece, like all great art, can be viewed from different angles and interpreted differently. In the lyrics there is loneliness. There is a sad element to the composition that makes it feel complete by what it lacks. By today's standards this is a simple song. In its simplicity lies it's brilliance.
In late adulthood many things change. The way one thinks changes, we become more reflective. It becomes about what difference has you living actually made. Your relationships change as well. "The primary relationship in with society in general and the focus becomes life achievements. Does my life have meaning and purpose?" (1) The silence that the song describes could be the lack of listening to our elders that is present in our society. The lyrics, "People talking without speaking, People hearing without listening..." could describe the lack of wisdom in their words. All the writer wants is to share his wisdom, but the people will not hear. This is shown by the lyrics, ""Fool '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"
All this person wants is for their life to have meaning, but people will not learn from them for that to be possible.
In late adulthood many things change. The way one thinks changes, we become more reflective. It becomes about what difference has you living actually made. Your relationships change as well. "The primary relationship in with society in general and the focus becomes life achievements. Does my life have meaning and purpose?" (1) The silence that the song describes could be the lack of listening to our elders that is present in our society. The lyrics, "People talking without speaking, People hearing without listening..." could describe the lack of wisdom in their words. All the writer wants is to share his wisdom, but the people will not hear. This is shown by the lyrics, ""Fool '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"
All this person wants is for their life to have meaning, but people will not learn from them for that to be possible.
Moving gracefully through Middle
Adulthood for success in later life:
This person like many others has a lot to offer. One reason for this is it seems that they have made the transition for middle adult hood to later life successful by, "Gaining a high quality of wisdom- what
works and what does not
Attaining a high level of self awareness
Satisfaction with work
Being a mentor for young people
maintaining activity, adaptability, and
self- approval"
We can see this by the language used. It is angry, but not vulgar. Maybe not even angry just frustrated that people will not learn from the past. I believe the vision that was planted in his brain was one for a better tomorrow and he needs to break the silence for that to happen.
works and what does not
Attaining a high level of self awareness
Satisfaction with work
Being a mentor for young people
maintaining activity, adaptability, and
self- approval"
We can see this by the language used. It is angry, but not vulgar. Maybe not even angry just frustrated that people will not learn from the past. I believe the vision that was planted in his brain was one for a better tomorrow and he needs to break the silence for that to happen.