Point of View

"Protest" is written from the first person perspective, although that it not immediately clear. The first stanza features a third person perspective as the speaker criticizes those who remain silent against injustice and celebrates free speech as a useful tool for effecting change. It is not until the second stanza, when the poem shifts slightly, that she first person speaker declares, "Therefore I do protest against the boast / Of independence in this mighty land" (16-17). With the introduction of the first person point of view, the poem takes on an intimate and more passionate tone, as the speaker announces that the poem itself is her personal form of protest. Between the first and second stanzas, the speaker sets up an argument in which she highlights the problems of the past and present in an omniscient way before localizing those issues in her own life.

Language and Meaning