The+Year+of+Silence


 * __The Year of Silence__** by Kevin Brockmeier

"The Year of Silence" tells the story about an unnamed city that begins to fall inexplicably silent. Written in small, lyric poems, this short story follows the city's people in their adaptation to this new found silence. The random waves of silent were extremely short, but since they were on such an enormous scale-traffic stopping, the wind silencing, etc. people didn't really know how to react. Some people were so affected by the silence, they completely changed their way of life. For example, a vegetarian ordered a steak at a diner and a fashion journalist resigned to become a teacher. Over time, however, the majority of the residents realize the silence has brought about a new sense of meaning to their lives and a sense of peace falls over the city. Attempting to recreate the peaceful feeling permanently, the residents work together to keep the city as silent as possible by imposing regulations and creating silent technology. The silence goes in and out over time and people find that the silence is what they need in order to be content. The story is written in second person plural, which gives the sense of a collective group as the reader weaves through each prose, just as the city weaved through moments of peaceful silence.
 * Summary**

Some topics discussed in "The Year of Silence" are: the significance of silence, community values, technology, peacefulness, trivial matters, and the value of senses
 * Topics**

"The Year of Silence" is an extremely interesting story that captures the significance of what we value in life. I think the most important thing in this story is how people acclimate to changes in everyday life. When people first start noticing the silence, they don't know how to react. It's a mystery to them whether it's a big deal or if they should just ignore it. I think this original reaction, or lack-there-off, exemplifies how humans deal with change. Some people were so affected by such a small amount of silence, that they completely changed their lifestyle. Others, however, found peace and accepted the silence as an escape from the norm. I think people can truly feel what it would be like to live in a world that went silent, even without ever having to experience it, just from the way the author describes the freedom from noise.
 * Evaluation**

The author's writing style contributes greatly to the story's plot. Unlike most other short stories, "The Year of Silence" is written in numbered paragraphs. You're only reading a few sentences at a time and then pausing between each prose, so it gives the reader a sense of back and forth tugging between silence and noise, as if to parallel the people in the story. Likewise, the audience experiences a mild form of what's going on in the town. The way the author involves the reader like this makes for a way more interesting story that helps personify the words in order to intrigue readers. The intended audience would most likely be people into science-fiction stories and most likely utopias/distopias. Although it's not extremely scientific, it does have aspects of technology and unnatural events that would potentially intrigue that kind of audience.

Overall, I think this story is fascinating and makes readers think about what it would be like to live in a world without noise. Brockmeier's diction and imagery help us imagine an event so rare happening in the same world we live in. After reading it, you almost have a sense of loss or worry because the story captures you in it and puts you in this quiet world.

// Brockmeier, Kevin. “The Year of Silence”. Literature and the Writing Process, // Ed. Elizabeth McMahan, Susan X Day, Robert Funk, and Linda Coleman. 9th Edition. Pearson/Prentice Hall, 2009. 417-427. Print.
 * Works Cited**