Topic Analysis “To listen is to attend simultaneously to what is present and what is absent.” In “Understanding the Sound of Non-Comprehension,” Jed Rasula analyzes the impact of speech on the understanding of poetry. Historically, poetry and most literary forms began as an oral tradition. They have been sung by beards in various cultures. Say no to plagiarism. Get a tailor-made essay on “Why violent video games should not be banned”? Get an original essay The very notion of poetry, derived from the ancient Greek poiesis meaning “to create,” has always involved a way of structuring sound to create meaning . However, the actual sound of poetry is undeniably the most neglected aspect of this art form. The convention has long been to study what the poem "says" and ignore the layers of meaning added when it is spoken aloud. In poetic analysis, the sound pattern is sporadically mentioned and underdeveloped as many scholars focus on the physical text itself. Another aspect of sound in poetry that does not appear frequently are the connotations attached to sounds. The poet's rhyme, alliteration, or speech is associated with understanding the message, however, evaluating the sound as its own regularly falls between the cracks. In the 20th century, modern art movements such as Dadaism and Surrealism strove to push the boundaries of our understanding of art. Sound Poetry is an effect of modernism in that it constitutes a clear rejection of the "need for meaning" while seeking to return to its purest roots as an oral art form. Rafael Barreto-Rivera, member of the Four Horsemen describes sound poetry as “poetry that relies on non-verbal, vocal and subvocal sound elements”. These poems are generally difficult to explain because their interpretation is based on sensitivity rather than sensible reasoning, and the "vividness" of the performances is essential to achieving any kind of understanding. If one were to read one of the “scores” of The Four Horsemen, it would be almost impossible to perceive any meaning. Some disagree that sound poetry should be free of words to emphasize the predominance of sound over text. Robert Bringhurst, a poet known for his linguistic clarity, writes a remarkable performance poem "The Blue Roofs of Japan: A Score for Interpenetrating Voices" in which the vivid representation goes beyond the text. The poem is written as a jazz duet with two voices reading two parts, overlapping, synchronizing, and spoken individually. The result is a seeming disconnect with the written words and a focus on the cadence of ideas dancing around each other. As the two speakers read different lines, sometimes overlapping, discerning each word is too complex for any audience. The listener must free themselves from fixation on tangible explanations and experience the performance intuitively. The peculiarity of the overlapping speakers in the poem "The Blue Roofs of Japan" presented a challenge to the editors at Barbarian Press in 1987. Considering that the poem was intended to be an oral piece, conveying the simultaneous voices without disrupting the flow of reading, encountered some obstacles. Bringhurst suggested printing the left voice in a darker color and having the right voice in a lighter color behind it. The result was a confusing “muddy mess,” as the publishing house points out. After some trial and error, they managed to reach a consensus inprinting the two voices side by side on the same page, each written in bold with the other text lightly shaded behind. This allowed speakers to read without interruption while still being able to follow each other's lines. In order to hypothesize the aforementioned additional effects of performance versus text, critical listening to the poem must be conducted prior to critical analysis. . The reverse would have less impact since the public would already be aware of the themes and have preconceived expectations. Although it would be interesting to note how the sounds of the spoken piece vary the interpretation of someone already familiar with the text. The simple fact that this poem is meant to be heard because it has "score" in its title, suggests that performance is the author's primary intention. Music and poetry are regularly compared because they both rely on rhythm, pitch, or emphasis. Both aim to affect the listener subconsciously. The poem Bringhurst is a five-part lyric poem in the sense that it expresses emotional impressions and inner experiences. This could be considered a dramatic poem as it has two voices that seem to respond to each other, however, the melodic melody and the implication that the two voices function "as one" would lead one to assume that it It’s the same speech from different angles. The lyrics themselves involve accompaniment from a lyre, relating more to the music. Over time, lyrics and music separated into distinct art forms. Music is usually examined by how the unity of the instrumental score and lyrics contribute to a better understanding of the piece. Similarly, sound poetry relies on abstract sounds or words and cadence working cooperatively to evoke a feeling. When the poem begins to read, a soft female voice can be heard, but it is soon slightly overwhelmed by a louder male voice that takes control of the rhythm. The softer voice becomes a kind of echo reflecting and sometimes contradicting the other. The idea of ​​interpenetrating voices would lead to a jerky interjection of contradictory ideas. Having two speakers dependent on each other would suggest copious repetition and almost mechanical reading. “Les Toits Bleus du Japon” manages to infuse a melodic legato sound. The voices seem to represent an Inyo waltz (The way of Ying and Yang in Chinese Taoism). Given the titled reference to Japan, this may suggest Japanese syncretism of beliefs and observation of nature. Inyo is the representation of the whole, embracing every aspect of life. The concept of good and evil does not enter into this ideology. The two components are often depicted as feminine and masculine, or dark and light. This reinforces the hypothesis that the two voices in the poem are two sides of the same coin, as nothing seems to confront each other but blends into each other more easily. The more prominent voice does not so much lead as depict a mirror position of the softer voice that is not submissive but rather elusive evocative of the same idea. Although the voices are not always intelligible, some words are repeated and generate themes, even if the sentences are not clear. Many themes revolve around nature and more particularly “water”. Water is a recurring symbol in most cultures, but in Japan, the purifying powers of water transcend all religions. It is customary for Shinto practitioners to wash before praying to the Kamis (various gods inhabiting lakes, trees, mountains or any natural phenomenon). This purifying power of wateris also found in Western cultures, perhaps creating a deep connection with Bringhurst. The pattern also illustrates the supple quality of water and its dual meaning. Water is both a source of life and a source of destruction which the poem alludes to by referring to its many forms and emphasizing repetitions or dragging out words with long, dragging sentences. It is also worth noting that water is the most adaptable element and is commonly associated with empathy. The poem is sensitive and very moving when heard. The rhythm and swirl of round sounds are reminiscent of synchronic ripples in calm water. The poem's remarkable ability to evoke a range of emotions and meanings without understanding the actual content makes a strong argument for sound poetry. The lack of musical instruments does not seem empty and does not hinder the musicality of the speech itself. In fact, the regular recurrence of sharp consonant alliterations and soft vocal alliterations balances the piece. Likewise, the use of plosive sounds (p,t,b and d) and nasal consonants (n,m), convey happiness and melancholy respectively. At first glance, the dual vocals seem to be competing to be at the forefront of the stage. page. Bold lines layered with lighter ink behind sometimes become confusing and difficult to read. The verses are primarily words of observation, inferring the poet's state of mind when he comes into contact with these experiences. Although for the most part the poem vividly describes outdoor landscapes such as "the river flowed through the Chinese grid/of the city, not twisting but turning/as sharply as a cut road/through the prairie of Saskatchewan. It is important to note that the focus is on the speaker's perception and experiences of it. This is effective when one ends the poem ultimately understanding a much broader, and perhaps universal, resonance with nature and all its relevance on a larger scale of life. This recalls Percy Bysshe Shelley's suggestion that poetry "takes away the veil of familiarity from the world and it lays bare its sleeping beauty and wonder." The tone of the poem is meditative as the speakers reflect on the landscape. It almost reads like a train of thought or daydream brought on by the marvelous views. The flow of water through the lines reinforces this interconnectivity from one place to another. The entire second part of the poem embodies this journey of water and art. The voice on the left begins with "This music is about water" and the voice on the right simultaneously says "This music is water, this water is music", meditating lightly on the two universal symbols of communication, further hinting at this connection of everything. The third and fourth parts of the poem are a little less fluid and more grounded as they revolve around structuring nature and man to create art. However, the elements put forward are the idea that art comes from the earth (“To write is to plant”) and is prior to any artificial construction since Art has always existed in the cosmos. The fourth section briefly comments on the artists' vain ambition and calls us to stop and take a minute to listen, to tune into everything around us. Rasula also makes this one of his key points when he talks about the differences between “hearing” and “listening”. His first distinction is made when he explains that “Listening is an act of attunement –”. This draws a direct parallel to Bringhurst when he writes “Listen: this music / is all about water. The words / are thereearth, and music/ is water. Both emphasize taking the time to focus on what they are hearing in order to get the most out of the experience. Part four ends with a reminder to realize that “The tongues of the gods have/no dates and no dates.” no names./These are the logos. The right voice echoes “THIS is the logos,” which leaves the listener or reader with the same empty feeling. This emptiness is not reduced to nothing for the sake of effect, but rather creates an intense moment of recognition of our smallness. The final section brings the journey full circle by recounting the four elements and how they work in harmony as well as the story of man who began in water. Bringhurst speaks of “water and earth: that which binds us/divides us” which alludes to the natural boundaries of nature which separate us and yet which we have in common. When the right-wing speaker directly follows this with the ghostly “What separates us/is what binds us together.” insinuates man's greed for nature and the constant struggle for power, without realizing that this earth must be shared and for which one must be grateful. The poem ends on the note "Facing the sky, be still, wide and blue", taking us back to the blue roofs mentioned at its beginning. The journey began with the concrete man-made object and took us through the world, then time and ends with the silent infinity of the sky. Although this poem can be read, the themes written coincide with the sounds spoken. However, one must ask why the sounds, when heard, evoke the feelings conveyed by the poem without logical reference to the words. The experience of performing voices evokes a myriad of associated expectations. Content is often difficult to extract immediately from very personal lyric poems. Words have different connotations depending on personal background, context, personality, etc., while feelings are instinctive. Our relationship to sound is formed in the womb and our relationship to language is formed in early childhood. Many scientists have studied the effects of music on the fetus and concluded that it begins to process the tone. Musical perception relies on cognitive abilities to decode emotional meaning. Our perception of language itself is colored by different experiences ranging from similar to very different, but human beings develop their first contact with the outside world through sounds. The voice is the first tool of communication and newborns make sounds to express their hunger, displeasure, joy, etc. With age, children associate sound with tone, tone with meaning, and finally meaning with understanding. Once this happens, sound becomes a much less visible aspect of connecting ideas. It seems unlikely, however, that we will abandon this instinct, which in turn helps us understand how we can get so much from listening to sound poetry. Sidney Lanier, in studying sound and its perception, discovered that "when poetry or formal verse... is repeated aloud, it only impresses itself on the ear as verse by means of certain relations existing between the words which compose it, considered purely as sounds, without reference to their associated ideas. This is Lanier simply recognizing that sound invokes instinctive interpretations, regardless of the logical definition of the words themselves. Darwin also theorized the association of sounds and suggested that "the imitation of musical cries by articulated sounds could have given rise to words expressing various complex emotions." Experiencing an unfamiliar oral play for the first time tends to cause the audience to either…