The Sound Of Night Analysis

“The Sound of Night” Analysis It is human instinct to fear the dark. Whether it is the monsters under the bed or the noises that come when the sun goes down, individuals continue to be irrationally afraid of the night. In her poem “The Sound of Night,” Maxine Kumin manages to play on these emotions through the utilization of descriptive diction and repetition. Kumin’s word choice within the poem allows the speaker to emphasize the sounds in the forest, create an irrationally fearful tone, and accentuate the joy and relief that comes with the arrival of the sun. When the sun goes down, an entirely different type of noise can be heard. Through the employment of descriptive language, Kumin displays the sounds that come with the darkness. The speaker begins by stating that the darkness possesses “chitter noise” and the air is filled with the “vesper cries” of the birds (1, 3). She continues by stating the bats “skitter across the lake,” “squeak[ing],” “chirp[ing]” and “swim[ing] on skates of air” (5-7). While night generally has a negative connotation, this description presents the nighttime in a positive light and accentuates the beauty that it holds. Kumin displays a calm …show more content…
She begins by stating that listening for the birds is “importantly silent” (24). The chirping of the birds will not begin until the sun comes up. The speaker knows that when they can hear the birds again, the darkness will have succumbed to the light and the “sweet” sun that was “lost long ago” have returned (25). Furthermore, Kumin says that the speaker is left waiting for the first “eye-licking light.” This descriptive word gives the impression that the sun watching the sun provides relief and consolation to the speaker. After a long night of being “locked black away and tight,” the speaker takes great comfort in the arrival of morning