Point of View

The poem is written from a first-person point of view in past tense. The perspective is consistent throughout the poem. The use of first-person gives readers insight into the speaker as a character. Because the poem is so intimately focused on a single person’s perspective and thoughts, it is the most intuitive choice of point of view. It aligns the reader closely with the speaker and invites readers to share the speaker’s thoughts.

The poem is also written in past tense. This is slightly harder to identify, as much of the poem consists of a long speech that the speaker “cried” aloud (1). This quote is, since it is reported speech, given in the present tense. However, the poem itself is written in past tense. This would initially seem to contradict the goal indicated by the use of first-person point of view, as the...