Student Question
Why is identifying the speaker or author in a poem important?
Quick answer:
Identifying the speaker or author in a poem is crucial for a deeper understanding of the work. Knowing the author's historical and cultural background can provide valuable context. However, the speaker in a poem is not always the author, as poets often use different perspectives or focalizations. Analyzing the speaker's characteristics, such as gender, age, and cultural background, can help readers connect with the poem and interpret its themes more effectively.
This is a good question. There are two issues here - the author and the speaker of the poem. Let me deal with the author first and then the speaker.
It is important to know something about the author to appreciate a literary work in greater detail. If you know something about the culture of the author, then you might gain some cultural insights. For example, to know that Homer's Iliad was written in a culture that prizes courage, cunning, and glory is very helpful. The more you know of the historical and cultural context, the more you will be able to understand a poem.
Second, the speak of the poem does not have to be the author's voice. The author can uses different perspective. In literary circles, this is called focalization. So, an observant reader will always seek to determine from whose perspective is the story being told.
Why is identifying the speaker in a poem essential?
First, I think it is important in poetry NOT to assume the poet is the speaker. Just as in a novel the author is not necessarily the narrator, poetry can be told from any perspective. Perhaps the reason it is more emphasized is due to the brevity of most poems and their lack of typical narrative elements. Even narrative poetry as compared to a novel is going to leave a lot out. Many readers tend to default to the author and speaker being one and the same as it is often the easiest.
Important aspects of the speaking voice: I think it depends on the poem. The basics I like to run most poems through are are male/female, age, cultural background (if present), experience (if present), and overall feeling. Again, beware of putting a picture of the author in any of these. Often there is not one correct answer to any of these criteria, but by choosing, it at least gives you a narrower scope through which to analyze the poem. At the very least, ask how YOU connect with the ideas in the poem, then put the speaker through a comparison of yourself. Do you tend to agree with him or her? Have you had similar thoughts/ideas/feelings/experiences?
It is always interesting when two people read and adequately defend two completely opposite ideas for who the speaker might be. I hope this at least gives you a place to start.