Point of View

“Brooklyn Bridge” is told in first-person perspective using pronouns like “I” and “we.” However, this does not become apparent until the second stanza: “Then, with inviolate curve, forsake our eyes” (Line 5). It is not until the third stanza that the perspective truly turns inward towards the speaker: “I think of cinemas” (Line 9). Although the first person never changes, the first three stanzas are told in a third-person style; the speaker is merely a vehicle of an external narrative, rather than someone sharing a personal experience.

However, in the fourth stanza the poem shifts to directly address the subject of the poem: “And Thee, across the harbor” (Line 13). From this point forward the poem becomes a conversation between these two figures. While this is reminiscent of second-person point of view, it is still from the person’s first-person perspective rather than the bridge’s or the...