The Speaker

The speaker in "Dearly" remains nameless over the entire course of the collection, and therefore the reader cannot assume that she has a cohesive identity throughout each and every included poem. In some of the pieces, the speaker refers to herself using first person pronouns. By employing this vantage point, the speaker establishes an intimacy with her reader. She speaks about herself and her experience with candidness and openness, disinterested in disguising her vulnerabilities, fears, and longings. In others of the poems, the speaker refers to herself using second person pronouns. In these poems, the speaker establishes a tonal distance between herself and the experiences described, thus conveying her hesitance to claim particular experiences. In some instances, the speaker even assumes the voice of fictional or mythic characters, imagining into their lives and stories. Two examples appear in the second and third sections, in the poems, "Cassandra...