Kramer 1

Benjamin Kramer

Professor Strehle

English Composition II

11 June 2020

Comparing and Contrasting “The Sound of Silence”

“The Sound of Silence” originally by Simon and Garfunkel is a song that has always had

my attention, mainly due to its use of harmony. Being a musician myself, I find it fun to

challenge myself to sing the harmony or play it on my saxophone. It is also a very good song to

listen to because it has somewhat of a storyline verse to verse.

The version of “The Sound of Silence” by Disturbed portrays a dystopian reality in the

music video. It portrays a hopeless wanderer welcoming a sense of darkness and despair. It is

apparent that this wanderer is alone in his travels. The wanderer, or the singer, in this case, is the

main character. He travels alone with his guitar in this dystopia. Throughout the video, the

wanderer gains members in his group as he discovers music and comradery. As the song builds,

the group gets bigger. I believe this illustrates the main claim being that music can bring people

together even when all hope is lost. The video does not provide any specific reasoning

supporting this claim but it is evident that as the song grows in complexity, the wanderer’s group

size increases in number. Also, the video does not provide any specific evidence supporting the

claim other than the apparent growth of the collective group. The video uses pathos in the form

of a dark and dreary world to invoke a sense of loss and despair. This mood is continued

throughout the video. The audience for this video is anyone who might be feeling lost and in

need of a sense of comradery. As the song grows in intensity, it can make the audience gain a
 Kramer 2

sense of comfort and satisfaction, as well as a release of emotion. The “edgier” nature of the

song does lend itself well to younger audiences, as there is a rebellious nature to it, though

people of all ages could certainly enjoy and appreciate it. In my experience, though I believe this

song to appeal to younger age groups, I happen to know quite a few older individuals who find it

appealing and entertaining, this is potentially due to its complex theme and dark undertones.

The Pentatonix version of “The Sound of Silence” begins in a much lighter and more

comfortable setting. It does not invoke the same sense of loneliness as there are a number of

singers providing harmony in an acapella style. The characters, being the singers, are in an

industrial, relatively developed setting rather than a dystopian reality. The storyline is similar, as

it follows the storyline of the song, which is a wanderer who is in a moment of despair and finds

music. What makes this video interesting though is the story has multiple characters acting as the

one character of the song through passing the melody around. The main claim of the video is

once again that through music you can pull yourself out of darkness and despair. The so-called

“Sound of Silence” is the sound of a world without music. There is no specific reasoning for the

claim in the Pentatonix version of the song, however it is apparent through the lyrics of the song.

There is also no specific evidence that supports the main claim as the video mainly features the

singers belting out the deep lyrics of the song. The video almost allows the storyline of the song

to speak for itself. The Pentatonix version uses pathos as well to invoke a sense of comfort in

music and in comradery among fellow musicians through the use of harmony and passing around

the melody so everyone has a voice. The Pentatonix has a younger audience, but this version of

the song is less edgy than the Disturbed version, so it is more palatable for all audiences and age

groups. The positive nature of the Pentatonix version of the song makes it suitable for all ages

who are trying to find themselves through music and escape the “Sound of Silence”. This song
 Kramer 3

could be applicable to those of lower-income as that would be a specific low or time of darkness

that the song could inspire change in.

 Kramer 4

Works Cited

Disturbed. “Disturbed - The Sound Of Silence [Official Music Video]”. Online Video Clip.

Youtube, 8 Dec. 2015. Web. 11 Sept. 2020.

PTXOfficial. “[OFFICIAL VIDEO] The Sound of Silence - Pentatonix”. Online Video Clip.

Youtube, 15 Feb. 2019. Web. 11 Sept. 2020.