The Silence of Communication: Daniel Hall’s “Souvenir”
The main message behind Daniel Hall’s “Souvenir” is that language can be a barrier to communication between individuals. Throughout the couplets of the poem, the speaker utilizes the repetition of the word “air” and “language.” This constant repetition throughout the couplets signifies the silence of conversation between the speaker and the people he is trying to talk to. Right in the first line, the author examines the relationship between the word's language and air. For instance, “He gazed into the air, searching for a word in my language” (Hall 215). This line illustrates that the man is searching for the right words to say through the air but cannot locate them due to the language barrier. Another quote that reinforces that the air symbolizes a barrier is, “Our silence was the air itself, and the moment timeless (though a timeless moment is absurd, in my language)” (Hall 215). Here, the air is the separation between the individual, producing silence and therefore being a barrier. As the poem progresses it becomes more noticeable how this barrier of communication can cause frustration. When looking at the big picture, Hall is suggesting that the lack of comprehension between the men has the ability to harden, and to develop a physical barrier even though it is only air. This hardening deeply impacts their communication.
Hall, Donald. “Souvenir.” Edited by Annie Finch and Kathrine Varnes, An Exaltation of Forms: Contemporary Poets Celebrate the Diversity of Their Art, U of Michigan P, 2002, p. 215.
