Persona Poem
For this assignment, write a poem in the voice of a person (or animal or thing) other than yourself.
Consider choosing from the following:
• a historical or literary character, like Abraham Lincoln or Sherlock Holmes – see “Ludwig
Van Beethoven’s Return to Vienna” as an example
• a celebrity or television/movie character, like Kim Kardashian or Darth Vader
• an animal – see “Pig Song” as an example
• an inanimate object or something in nature
A persona poem automatically creates the necessary distance to allow you to experiment with
voice, as well as diction. This is an especially good exercise in imagining another person’s (or
animal’s or thing’s) inner life and emotions.
Poetry is not necessarily autobiographical, nor do a poem’s contents have to be true. For this
assignment, you may very well have to imagine things or make them up. However, the language
and voice of the speaker should feel somewhat true or accurate to the person (or animal or thing).
Consider what the best word choices would be for a woman in the 1900s, a superhero in a comic
book, an animal in a zoo enclosure, an electric chair in a prison, etc.
Remember that a poem’s tone can be funny or sad, lighthearted or ironic, romantic or morose, or
any other number of tones. Whatever tone or range of tones your poem ultimately evokes, make
sure your poem ultimately has some substance: why does your poem matter? What is at stake?
What is its significance?
When placing yourself in the place of the speaker, consider how you can to empathize with that
person’s (or animal’s or thing’s) experiences, which may very well be quite different from your
own.
Consider whether your poem may benefit from your conducting some research in order to better
understand the person’s (or animal’s or thing’s) historical and/or cultural contexts.
Formal requirements:
• use “I:” the traditional persona poem is written in the first person point of view
• the poem must be at least 12 lines long (though it can be longer); make conscious line
break choices
• the poem can be written as a single stanza or use multiple stanzas – but the choice should
be a conscious one
• incorporate at least two (2) uses of figurative language (metaphor, simile, hyperbole, or
personification)
• incorporate at least one (1) sound device other than repetition (alliteration, assonance,
consonance, or rhyme; be especially careful if using rhyme that it has not been used
arbitrarily)
makes use of an
original poetic voice
appeals to imagination
and emotion;
expresses an idea of
consequence
uses appropriate
rhyme, rhythm, and/or
other sound
techniques
employs figurative
language
uses concrete
language that appeals
to the senses
avoids abstractions
employs an
appropriate tone
uses exact, vivid word
choices; avoid clichés
uses appropriate form
(line and stanza
choices reflects
content, for instance)
adheres to the
specifics assignment
guidelines (length
requirements, for
example)
has no or few errors in
grammar, mechanics,
spelling, and
formatting
