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27 Lesson 10: Voice in Poetry
27 Lesson 10: Voice in Poetry
Definition of Voice
Just like fiction has a narrator, poetry has a speaker–someone who is the voice of the poem. Often times, the speaker is the poet. Other times, the speaker can take on the voice of a persona–the voice of someone else including animals and inanimate objects.
Points of View
Just like fiction, the poem is written in a specific point of view:
- First-person (I, me, my, we, us, our)
- Second-person (you, your)
- Third-person (he, she, it, him, her, his, hers, its, they, them, theirs).
Remember choosing a point of view determines how close the reader is involved in the poem. Third-person point of view will create more distance. The reader will be an observer. Whereas, first-person point of view will draw the reader into the poem. Second-person point of view is occasionally used in poetry. The speaker is speaking directly to his/her readers. Using second-person point of view, however, has to be done carefully as it is a more advanced skill and can be done poorly by an inexperienced writer.
Elements of Voice
Several elements create the speaker’s voice: tone, diction, syntax, and audience.
Tone refers to the poet’s attitude or position toward the subject. It may be positive, neutral, or negative. Some poets write political poems to make their ideas heard through literature. For example, John McCrae wrote “In Flanders Field” during World War I:
In Flanders Fields
Author: John McCrae
©1915
In Flanders fields the poppies blow
Between the crosses, row on row,
That mark our place; and in the sky
The larks, still bravely singing, fly
Scarce heard amid the guns below.
We are the Dead. Short days ago
We lived, felt dawn, saw sunset glow,
Loved and were loved, and now we lie
In Flanders fields.
If ye break faith with us who die
We shall not sleep, though poppies grow
In Flanders fields.
Diction involves the word choices made by the poet. For example, word choice may include slang or dialect. Syntax works with diction; it includes the order or pattern in which the poet places the words in lines.
Finally, the audience, of course, are the intended readers the poet imagines when writing the poems and who they hope will read the poems.
More Than One Voice
A poem may have more than one voice. It’s possible to have two or more speakers. For example, Robert Frost in his poem “Home Burial” uses dialogue between two characters–a husband and a wife–as well as a narrator speaker:
Home Burial
Author: Robert Frost
©1914
HE saw her from the bottom of the stairs
Before she saw him. She was starting down,
Looking back over her shoulder at some fear.
She took a doubtful step and then undid it
To raise herself and look again. He spoke
Advancing toward her: “What is it you see
From up there always—for I want to know.”
She turned and sank upon her skirts at that,
And her face changed from terrified to dull.
He said to gain time: “What is it you see,”
Mounting until she cowered under him.
“I will find out now—you must tell me, dear.”
S