Speaker, situation, and setting English B1B Speaker, situation, and setting

Speaker The speaker of the poem is a distinct character that expresses ideas or feelings very different from the poet’s own. The speaker is the lense through which we see the poem. In this way, the author chooses what we see and how we see it.

Dramatic monologues Dramatic monologues have no narrator per say, but a fictional character, like a character in a play, who reveals information to us. Look at the example in Kennedy’s “In a Prominent Bar in Secaucus One Day” (pg. 509). “The self-portrait accumulates almost completely through how she talks about herself, and the poet develops our attitude toward her by allowing her to recount her story herself, in her own words—or rather in the words he has chosen for her” (511).

Lyrics With narrative poems and dramatic monologues, we are usually in no danger of mistaking the speaker for the poet, but lyrics may present more of a challenge. Even when poets present themselves as if they were speaking directly to us in their own voices, their poems present only a partial portrait, something considerably less than the full personality and character of the poet. Though there is no obvious created character— someone with distinct characteristics that are different from those of the poet—strategies of characterization are used to present the person speaking in one way and not another. As a result, you should still differentiate between the speaker and the poet.

Persona When poets are writing about personal, actual experiences, they sometimes also make characters of themselves, characterizing themselves in a certain way, emphasizing some parts of himself and not others. We call this character a persona. See Parker’s “A Certain Lady” (pg. 518) and answer the questions at the bottom in small groups.

Setting and situation Spatial setting is where the poem takes place. Temporal setting is when the poem takes place. Not all poems have an identifiable situation or setting, just as not all poems have a speaker who is easily distinguishable from the author. In those cases, year, season, time of day, and other details are not important to the poem’s effect. Poets often rely on readers to fill in the gaps, drawing on their knowledge of circumstances and familiar experiences.

The Carpe Diem Poem Carpe Diem (Latin for “seize the day”) poems urge people to live in the now and act on their desires. Look at “To His Coy Mistress”(pg. 528) and answer the question at the end in small groups.

Allusion An allusion is a reference to something outside the poem that carries a history of meaning and strong emotional association. Look at “Dover Beach” by Matthew Arnold, as an example.

The Occasional Poem The occasional poem is written for or about a specific occasion It is referential, or refers to a certain historical time or event. Such poems require specific historical information and a willingness to be transported by a name, date, or dramatic situation.

Multiple situations and settings Some poems have multiple different scenes, or settings and situations within them, that are blended together to create one whole piece. Some situations or settings are explored across multiple pieces that speak directly to each other. See “The Dover Bitch” by Anthony Hect (pg 539) as example.