1. The Persona:
* The "I" of the poem is not the poet: This is the most common type of speaker in poetry. The speaker might be a historical figure, a fictional character, a specific animal, or a person from a different culture or time period.
* Example: In Robert Frost's "Mending Wall," the speaker is a farmer who participates in an annual ritual of mending a stone wall with his neighbor. He doesn't explicitly share his opinions on the wall, but through his actions and observations, we can infer his doubts about its necessity.
* The speaker's voice is distinct from the poet's: The speaker may have different beliefs, experiences, and perspectives than the poet.
* Example: Sylvia Plath's "Daddy" is a powerful and emotionally charged poem. Though Plath wrote it, the speaker is a daughter wrestling with her complicated relationship with her father, a relationship imbued with both love and resentment.
2. The Narrator:
* The "I" of the poem tells a story: The speaker is a storyteller who recounts events, often with a specific point of view or bias.
* Example: In Edgar Allan Poe's "The Raven," the speaker is a grieving man who is visited by a raven and driven to madness by its repeated pronouncements of "Nevermore."
3. The Observer:
* The "I" of the poem is a witness to events: The speaker may be a detached observer, simply recording what they see, or they may have a more active role in the events unfolding.
* Example: In William Wordsworth's "I Wandered Lonely as a Cloud," the speaker is a wanderer who encounters a field of daffodils and reflects on the beauty and joy that nature brings.
4. The Lyrical "I":
* The speaker expresses personal thoughts and feelings: The speaker may be directly addressing the reader or speaking to themselves, but the focus is on their inner world.
* Example: In Langston Hughes' "I, Too, Sing America," the speaker is a Black person who speaks of their desire to be included in the American dream and their resilience in the face of discrimination.
5. The Impersonal Voice:
* The "I" of the poem is absent, or the voice is more objective: The speaker may be a disembodied voice, or the poem may focus on events or descriptions without a clear sense of "I."
* Example: In Emily Dickinson's "Because I could not stop for Death," the speaker is a personification of Death, who is calmly taking a person on a journey through eternity. The poem is written in a detached and even somewhat playful tone.
Key Takeaways:
* The speaker is a vital part of any poem, shaping the reader's understanding of the poem's theme, tone, and meaning.
* Understanding the speaker's perspective and motivations is essential for interpreting a poem.
* It is important to recognize that the speaker is not always the poet, and their voice may be distinct from the poet's own.
If you want to explore more examples of speakers in poetry, I suggest reading works by poets like Walt Whitman, Emily Dickinson, Maya Angelou, and William Blake.