The Power of Silence: How to Write an Essay on Silence

By: Tasha Kolesnikova

8 min

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10.04.2022

The Power of Silence: How to Write an Essay on Silence

Did your high school teacher tell you to write an assignment about silence? Before you jump into the writing process, allow us to help you know what you should avoid when writing an essay on silence. We’ll also discuss the topics and things that you can add to your essay about silence. Keep reading to learn how to write an essay on silence that will guarantee an A+ grade.

Before we can get to that, below is an essay on silence that a student, Felicity, wrote. Read the essay on silence and try to analyze it. What is wrong with the essay, and how can you improve it? What is Felicity missing when she wrote it or what is she overdoing?

Essay Sample on Silence

When was the last time you heard absolute silence and felt its stillness? Today, it’s rare to find a quiet place. In almost all hours of the day, our ears are always receiving noise. Even during the night, there is always an unnatural or man-made sound that breaks the silence of the darkness.

Long ago, people still saw movies without sound. Often, you’d see a traveling passer-by at the far end of the road before you heard them. In the last decade or two, you might still find a place where you can spend a moment in silence.

Where has silence gone in the 21st century? Why is it such a difficult task to find it in this day and age?

Pause and take a look at the typical city with your ears. You’ll often hear a cacophony of sounds, including:

  • Engines roaring (cars, trucks, airplanes, and more)
  • Honking and tooting
  • People conversing or yelling
  • Sirens
  • Ads and shows
  • Machines
  • Animal sounds (birds squawking, dogs barking, and more)
  • Children crying, shouting, or laughing
  • Music from various sources; and much more

At night, you’d still hear the same things, with some variations on the noise. Some differences may include nightclubs, drunken shouting, and noisy neighbors.

Note that most of these noises are from the environment and ambiance alone. That’s not including the sounds that come from the things that you are focusing on, like your phone or people you’re speaking to.

Did you know that the average person spends four hours on their device each day? Even when you’re checking your mail sometimes, you like to listen to music through your headphones. When you play mobile or video games, you need their audio cues for a better experience.

Today, a noisy environment is a norm in the modern man’s everyday life, especially in cities. No matter where you go and no matter what time of the day, еру noise will follow you, and silence is absent. Even in nature parks or wide-open spaces like the Grand Canyon, you’ll hear chatter from park patrollers or the motor of tourist vehicles.

The big question now: Is where has silence gone? Why do you need to look far and wide to find a quiet place where you can hear your inner voice and find calmness and your true self? Why is it more difficult to find true silence today?

The main answer to these questions is modernization. As we progressed and made breakthroughs, we also lost our appreciation of silence. Noise pollution went up. We’ve only been recently seeking silence again because we’re experiencing its negative effects. For example, long-term exposure to noise can lead to higher rates of cardiovascular disease.

Now, why is silence so important, anyway?

Silence creates a more calm and peaceful environment. It can lower our cortisol levels and help us relax more. In turn, this can activate your brain’s memory. Your brain will find a way to create sound even when your ears aren’t receiving any. You’re more likely to remember the lyrics or melody of a song and sing it mentally. When your brain does this, it creates an illusion of sound.

Basking in silence can also help you realize your true self. The self of an individual person won’t come out when that person is always occupied and stressed from noise. This is why great philosophers spend time in solitude and silence for many days and nights. They need their own private environment where no noise or distractions will disrupt their thinking and their focus from silence.

If you want to reap these benefits, consider taking steps to incorporate silence into your lifestyle today. I hope you enjoyed my essay for today, and I hope you learned something useful from it.

Analyzing the Essay on Silence: What’s Wrong with It?

1. It’s missing a formal structure and technical patterns.

As you know, a proper essay must have three parts: the introduction, body, and conclusion. Every paragraph in the essay must support the general statements and the main topic. The paragraphs in the body may introduce subtopics, which support the main topic.

In turn, every sentence in each paragraph must support those subtopics, as well. However, as you can see, the essay has many paragraphs, but many of them are lacking a supporting subtopic or enough sentences to support the subtopic.

2. The essay needs more cohesiveness.

This one is connected to the above-mentioned issue. When you look at it as a whole, the essay is all over the place. When you write an essay, especially formal essays, you need to make sure that it follows a pattern or structure. The output looks more like a blog article rather than an essay created for high school coursework, much less college-level work.

3. It lacks interesting points.

The next issue with Felicity’s essay is that it’s dull. Indeed, the first paragraph can make the audience think. However, as you continue down the essay, you may start losing interest in the topic entirely.

Draw from your wellspring of creativity to incorporate unique methods of adding interest in your essay. You may discuss popular media about the topic, like the song The Sound of Silence. You may include interesting facts about commonly used quotes like “silence is golden.”

4. It doesn’t have a conclusion.

In the same way that it has an intro, Felicity’s essay should have a conclusion. The conclusion should echo Felicity’s main points and summarize them all in one paragraph.

If Felicity asked help from Studybay, we would’ve pointed out these mistakes before she could submit it to her professor in our essay proofreading service.

How to Fix This Essay on Silence

1. Follow the hourglass writing pattern for better comprehension and cohesiveness.

When you write your essay, try to follow an hourglass pattern in the way you present your information in the introduction and conclusion. For the introduction, use a reverse pyramid. From the widest part of the pyramid to the narrowest, you’ll write your hook, a short transitional paragraph between the hook and body, and then the body.

The reverse will occur when you write your conclusion, in which you’ll use the upright pyramid. Like the introduction, the tip of the pyramid will contain your main points. Re-state your essay topic here, then add a summary of it. At the bottom of the pyramid, add a closing remark, like a question, suggestion, or prediction.

2. Use transitional sentences between paragraphs.

Instead of jumping from one subtopic to the next, try incorporating transitional sentences at the end of each paragraph. Here is an example:

These noises are from the environment and ambiance alone. That’s not including the sounds that come from the things that you are focusing on. For example, in class, you focus on your professor’s voice. At work, you focus on the information your boss gives you and your computer. During your downtime, your focus is on the book, game, or video you’re watching on your phone.

Speaking of phones, many of them also contribute to the noise in our environments. Did you know that the average person spends four hours on their device each day? Even when you’re checking your mail sometimes, you like to listen to music through your headphones. When you play mobile or video games, you need their audio cues for a better experience.

3. Add suggestions or solutions.

A professional writer won’t only present a question or issues in their research paper. He or she won’t only discuss the problem of hyperactivity, and silence can impact it. Good writers will also offer suggestions, like how to find silence in a noisy world. They may add the reasons to spend even a minute of silence to meditate and then discuss how to develop it every passing day.

If you got your suggestions or solutions from other sources, write a disclaimer to avoid confusion.

Excellent Sources and Examples of Written Pieces on Silence

Do you want to define the true meaning of silence and the self during your essay? Use sources that try to discuss this topic. For example, you can go to the website called Friend of Silence. You can also read the book written by Sara Maitland that discusses the value of silence.

Don’t forget to avoid plagiarism by checking your writing. Many young people today use a variety of plagiarism checkers and tools to avoid it. Remember, staying away from plagiarism is the best kind of respect that you can give to the authors of your resources.

If you feel that your essay needs help, you can use our essay editing services.

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I studied sociology and marketing at Europa-Universität Viadrina (Germany) and Universidade da Beira Interior (Portugal). When I was a sophomore, back in 2018, I decided to put what I've learned into practice, so I got my first job in digital marketing. I currently work in the content marketing department at Studybay, building strong, effective, and respectful communication between the platform and our clients.

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