The speaker is an omniscient narrator, although they do address the reader directly with the pronoun “you.” The can be seen as representative of repressive societal values, although there is also an element of protectiveness to the speaker’s voice: “The suave dissembling cobra wears a hood / and swaggers like a proper gentleman” (Lines 10-11) is an example of the speaker trying to keep the reader or listener safe from the outside world. Through the poem, the speaker cautions against traditionally “feminine” vices like curiosity and the pursuit of forbidden knowledge. Thus, they can be interpreted either as an oppressive, patriarchal social order or as a more maternal figure with cautious, traditional values.