Point of View

“Jazz Riven” is told from the fourth-person point of view using the pronoun “we”. The narrator can be interpreted as a collective voice or a singular person within this collective. This voice doesn’t appear until past the middle of the poem, with “as avalanche smacks us with / marrow-harrowing rattle rhythm” (Lines 19-20). This creates the impression that the poem begins with an omniscient overview, then tightens on the crowd of people waiting for the music to begin. At the end of the poem, the perspective then pulls out again to explore “somewhen” (Line 33) and its effects on the divine. The fourth-person “we” and “us” also invites the reader deeper into the scene, allowing them to become part of the assembled crowd.

Language and Meaning

The use of language undergoes a dramatic shift in the midpoint of the poem. The first ten lines are much...