Point of View

The majority of the poem is written in the second person point of view, as evidenced by the speaker’s general lack of use of the first person singular pronoun and their repetitive use of “you” and “your” throughout the piece. This use of the second person point of view is relatively unique and not often seen in literature. Here, it serves the purpose of forcing the reader to engage mentally and emotionally with the challenging subject matter of the poem. For example, in several instances the second person pronoun prompts the reader to place themselves in the situations of refugees, such as in the first stanza when the speaker says, “you only run for the border/when you see the whole city running as well” (3-4). In other instances, it becomes a direct appeal for compassion to the reader. The most notable example of...