Joyce Kilmer uses many different methods to draw the audience to his poem "Old Poets". He compares people with trees, uses many different types of sounds and also utilizes a rhyme scheme. Kilmer entices the reader by using common trees as symbols, he makes the poem visually appealing and ends the poem with a peaceful thought. Without fancy words, or long stanzas he creates a likable poem for both listeners, and readers.
             Several settings and situations should be considered when hearing this poem because there is no one setting or situation for this work. Perhaps the setting is a place where the speaker just stops to reflect or the speaker may be in a majestic forest looking at trees. The speaker also could in the middle of a crowd of noisy young poets and be tired of being bombarded by noise from loud young people. It is unclear exactly where the speaker is when reciting this poem, nevertheless the unknown setting does not distract the listener at all. Using imagination the audience can go from the forest in the beginning of the poem to the majestic thrown of God at the end of this poem (33) easily or be thrown into a large group of yapping young poets. Kilmer the poem's author was killed in WWI so this poem was written before his death in 1918, but there is no reference to a date. There are no hidden words that date this poem, no cliches or remarks that would make it symbolic of a time. So this poem could take place anywhere and at anytime. It is up to the listener to come to their own conclusions on the setting and situation they see the speaker in.
             The author of this poem is male but nowhere is it mentioned if the speaker is male or female and we don't see any gender typing that would suggest either. However perhaps the speaker does give the audience clues to age. The first indication or clue that the speaker reveals to the audience is that old poets do not waste their time by rhyming (13,14), and yet...