The speaker

Building A Poem: The Speaker

The speaker of a poem is, in simple terms, the voice of the poem. A poem can be written from a specific perspective, in the same way as a story or novel. A poet can choose to write from a male or female perspective, an old or young person’s perspective, a rich or poor person’s perspective. A poet can choose to write from a first-person, second-person or third-person perspective. First-person perspective is when the poem is written from the perspective of the poet themselves. As in fiction (see page 6), this is usually easy to spot as the poet uses the words ‘I’ and ‘we’. Second-person perspective is when the poem’s reader is being addressed and the poet uses the words ‘you’ or ‘your’. Third-person perspective is when the poem is written by an all-seeing observer, and the words ‘he’, ‘she’ or ‘they’ are used.

First-person perspective Second-person perspective Poet Poet I, me, we, us Third-person perspective Poet He, she, they The choices a poet makes regarding a poem’s perspective have an impact on how the reader will perceive the poem. For example, a poet may elect to write a poem from a first-person perspective to demonstrate a closeness or understanding of an issue or event. A poet may choose to write from a second-person perspective to show the reader something or may opt to write from a third-person perspective to distance themselves from the message of the poem.

You, your ©The Educational Company of Ireland