PoetryFoundational
Speaker
The voice or persona uttering a poem.
Principle
The speaker is not automatically the poet.
Takeaways
- A poem constructs a speaking position.
- Speaker, poet, and narrator should not be collapsed too quickly.
- Tone, diction, address, and knowledge define the speaker.
Overview
The speaker is the implied voice within a poem, the one who says the words. Reading the speaker as constructed allows poems to use masks, irony, performance, and dramatic situation.
Examples
- A love poem is spoken by a persona whose confidence the poem quietly undermines.
- An elegy constructs a speaker who cannot decide whether to praise or accuse.