Point of View

“The Scholars” is told in third-person omniscient point of view, which allows the narrator to see into the thoughts, desires, and memories of each person involved. Words and phrases like “forgetful” (Line 1), “love's despair” (Line 5), “All think” (Line 9) and “All know” (Line 10) display the insight the speaker has into the inner workings of these scholars and poets. In spite of this insight, however, the speaker is not objective; they project their own beliefs and prejudices against the field of literary criticism into their omniscient observations. By comparing the feelings of two very different approaches to poetry, the speaker encourages the reader to consider where they themselves sit on this literary spectrum.

Language and Meaning

This poem doesn’t use any particularly challenging or antiquated word choices, but the structure of the sentences and ideas is fluid with extensive use of imagery and figurative language. The...