Point of View

The point of view is rather complicated in “The Second Coming.” There is no clearly definable speaker who speaks from the perspective of an “I.” The speaker of the first stanza is more detached and objective, looking down on the world from a bird's-eye view. Conversely, the speaker of the second stanza seems more personalized and emotional, exclaiming exasperatedly, “Surely some revelation is at hand; Surely the second coming is at hand” (9-10). In many ways, the speaker of the second stanza can be read as responding to the ambivalent and apathetic speaker of the first, attempting to grasp redemption in the face of apocalyptic chaos. If the first stanza’s speaker inhabits a god-like position, and the second stanza’s speaker is crying out for the Second Coming, then the second stanza can be read as prayer, a prayer fallen on deaf ears. Ultimately...