Point of View

“The Weary Blues” is told from the first-person point of view using the pronoun “I”. This can be interpreted as the author’s voice, as a fictional character, or as something in between. Because the poem takes place in an environment most contemporary readers won’t be familiar with, the first-person voice allows them a close and intimate view of this story world. It also shows the solidarity between the two characters as they share societal struggles, whereas a more objective voice may have sacrificed this emotional impact. Towards the end of the poem, the perspective skews slightly as the two characters are conflated. This broadens the scene slightly to a more omniscient, interpretive tone.

Language and Meaning

Although the word choices in this poem are largely straightforward, the assembled effect of the language has a slightly antiquated, dream-like quality. The lyricality of the language...