Tuesday, May 15, 2012

Speaker

Definition:


A speaker in poetry is the point of view from which the poem is being told. Sometimes the speaker is the poet, but most often it is a character portrayed to create a certain tone for the poem.


Example:


Pretty women wonder where my secret lies.
I'm not cute or built to suit a fashion model's size
But when I start to tell them, 
They think I'm telling lies.
I say,
It's in the reach of my arms
The span of my hips,
The stride of my step,
The curl of my lips.
I'm a woman
Phenomenally.
Phenomenal woman, 
That's me.


-Maya Angelou


The speaker in this poem may be the author, but it doesn't specify. However you can determine that the speaker is a strong woman who is confident about themselves no matter what anybody else says.


Significance:


The significance of having a speaker in a poem is great because speakers create the mood and tone of of a poem, in addition to proving a strong point of view from which the poem is being told. The tone and point of view are extremely important parts in poetry so that a poem's message is portrayed correctly.



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