Tweak Your Speaker

Tweak Your Speaker

When we write our verses, we should try to keep in mind that a poem always has a speaker--or narrator -- but not every speaker has a strong “voice.” Allow me, in my own humble way, to explain.

First, the “I” of a poem is not necessarily the author of the poem, even if the poem is written from a first-person p.o.v. There is an “I” as well as an “eye.” We shouldn’t necessarily assume that the poet and the poem’s “I” are one and the same. In his critical essays T. S. Eliot was a stickler about this.

You’ll find in Eliot’s own poems, notably “The Waste Land” numerous speakers, some appearing in long passages and others in tiny snippets. It is not difficult to find other poems with speakers whom would never be confused with the poet himself. The two that immediately jump to mind are: Browning: “My Last Duchess” and Coleridge: “The Rime of the Ancient Mariner.”

All three of those poems I mentioned also have a strong voice. The voice of the poem is not the same as the speaker or narrator. According to my handy-dandy Oxford Concise Dictionary of Literary Terms, voice is “a rather vague metaphorical term by which some critics refer to distinctive features of a written work in terms of spoken utterance.” Voice often refers to style and tone, the overall dramatic impression of the piece. The definition may be vague,but the presence of a strong voice is crystal clear – you know it when you hear it!

Every poem has a speaker, but not every poem has a distinctive voice. A dynamic voice in a work makes the difference between a good poem and a great one.

PLEASE REPLY to this thread by posting your own poems which you think have “voice.”

In the following “reply” I’ve tried to write a ditty that I hope demonstrates the concept.
It’s called “The Village Idiot.” The speaker in this poem is not the author herself –
though some may debate the point!






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The Village Idiot

When I waddle through the cobbled lane
shopkeepers slam their shutters women avoid
me gaze and hide their tots behind their skirts
the column o' folk like a woodland log
split by some storm
now divide like two halves o' that ancient sea--
suddenly they all make way –
“Make way!” as if I were a king
A king! Me! with me bulging eyes
and the drool ever flowing
but never quite reaching
my chin
a camel’s burden o’ wisdom
borne in the bump on me back
much is assumed
about how little I know
with the hump o’ me unsightly self
insouciantly stacked in the pile
among the other miscreants:
the drunkard who was upright once,
the town trollop at one time
a virtuous maid.
I was I am shall ever be
thus.


Aunt Shecky
All rights reserved.

Aunt Shecky - do you live in the West Country? You've got the accent down perfect. I love the line 'hump o' me unsightly self'. Now where's that combine harvester?....

No, I live in the great Northeast of the USA. If I got the accent down, it's just a symptom of decades spent reading (rather than doing honest work.)

Well it's perfect West Country, all you need is a jug of good ol' English scrumpy, and a chunk of cheddar cheese.

Auntie, when is the next installment? I got a lot out of this one. I'm too old and too busy to go back to school again so I appreciate anything you can help us with.
Very informative.
Thank you for the time and effort you put into it and in to us.
Granny

To AuntShecky: Since sometimes I feel ( and less often act) like the village idiot, nevertheless, all your points are well taken and those attempting to write good poetry or even great poetry should consider your posting as a mantra before delving into thier creations. Very good thread: will the up-and-coming poets have this realization...well that will make the difference. Thumbs-up. (hate the smiley things). quasimodo1

Thank you Fifth Element, Granny, and Quasimodo for your replies, and Quasi, I wasn't thinking of you as the village idiot, but maybe the physical characteristics in my little ditty might fit the description of Charles Laughton's portrayal in the orig. movie version of The Hunchback of Notre Dame.