Speaker and Listener in Poetry Literary Explorations
Speaker Defined the person telling/relating the poem. Do NOT confuse with the poet! Can represent a particular viewpoint/culture/attitude invented persona gives author freedom
Point of View Inside the poem told in 1st person I, me, my, mine benefits personal direct connection w/speaker ***Be careful. The speaker is not the poet!
Outside the Poem 3rd person speaker not involved with the action, just comments on it
Analyzing Speaker Notice word choice & grammatical construction. Can indicate: education background attitudes like/dislike
Listener Defined a character who may be involved in the poem addressed by you/your/yours; thou/thee/thine Passive Listener Not involved in the action May not even be present