Point of View

The poem is written from a first-person, present tense point of view. That means it is written using the pronouns “I/me/myself,” indication that the speaker is also a character in the story. It is also written using present-tense verb forms, which indicate to the reader that the poem is taking place in the same moment that they are reading it.

These are the most common point of view choices in poetry because they create an increased sense of intimacy and immediacy between the poem and the reader. These choices are particularly suitable in a poem like this one, which focuses so intently on the internal experience of the speaker. The poem primarily serves as an in-depth exploration of the speaker’s philosophy and psychology – his beliefs about death, his reflection on his own life, and his religious faith. By choosing the first-person present-tense...