Poetry is a method to sharpen our outer and inner visions, to give voice to and to expand our attitudes and values regarding societal conditions and ills. A poet's voice reveals his personality through sound, choice of diction, and other stylistic devices. Voice reminds readers that a human being is behind the words of a poem, that he is revealing his individuality by means of the poem,
Middle level students, note Robinson’s use of first-person voice in "Richard Cory". And for elementary level students, note the first-person voice in Songs of The First Nations. According to Atwell (2007), the "first-person voice has the power to ground a poem and infuse it with a human intelligence, a presence, a specific someone for a reader to be with".
Response Stance
Go back into the poem and consider the following questions:
- Who is the speaker in the poem?
- What words, phrases, and/or lines reveals the poet's voice - his values and beliefs?
- What qualities make a poet's voice forceful, distinctive, and memorable?
Posting Places
