Poem Viewpoint and Representation Analysis

Name:

Date:

1. Identify the viewpoint

Remember: The speaker is the voice in the poem. The speaker is not automatically the poet. A poem may show only one person’s perspective.

Speaker: Who is speaking in the poem? What do you know about them?

Poet: What can you say about the poet? What should you avoid assuming?

Viewpoint: What does the speaker think or feel about the person or place?

Position: From where, or from what situation, is the speaker viewing the person or place?

Perspective: How might the speaker’s time, place, experiences, or beliefs shape what they say?

Representation: How does the poem present the person or place? For example: positively, negatively, respectfully, fearfully, or uncertainly.

Copy three exact words or phrases from the poem. Explain what each one suggests about the representation.

Evidence 1: Exact word or phrase: ______________________________

What does it suggest?

Evidence 2: Exact word or phrase: ______________________________

What does it suggest?

Evidence 3: Exact word or phrase: ______________________________

What does it suggest?

Whose voice or experience may be absent from the poem? How might that change the representation?

Final response: The poem positions the reader to see ___ as ___ because the words ___ suggest ___.