Contents: IntroductionPoem Text Poem Summary Themes Critical Overview Criticism Sources Further Reading |
Style
"His Speed and Strength" is written from the first person point of view, which means that the speaker refers to herself as "I." The "I" who narrates a poem or story is often a fictional persona or character, rather than the author. In this poem, however, Ostriker seems to refer to her own son and their real hometown in New Jersey. This poem is written in free verse, which means that it does not have a regular pattern of rhymes or meter. The poem is divided into three stanzas that each have seven lines. The number of syllables and the rhythm in each line are irregular.
To determine whether a poem is written in free verse or a set form, readers can scan the meter, highlighting the syllables that are emphasized when spoken aloud. The first three lines of "His Speed and Strength" use four types of stresses: iambs, trochees, spondees, and anapests.
The first line can be read as using two iambs, one trochee, and two iambs. Or, if one stresses "is" instead of "which," then there are five iambs in a row; this is called iambic pentameter. The second line has three feet made up of a spondee and two anapests.
If you cannot find a regular pattern of stresses, rhyme, or feet in the first few lines, the poem is probably written in free verse. Though Ostriker's poem does not have a regular meter, many lines have the same number of syllables. Lines 4, 7, 10, 11, 12, 13, 14, 16, 19, and 21 all have eleven syllables. The first line of each stanza has 10 syllables. Since most of the poem's lines are approximately the same length, the poem has consistency despite varying stresses. This structure parallels the poem's themes of continuity amid variation.
