Literature written in the form of a letter is called epistolary literature. Poems directed to a specific person, place, or object are also called apostrophe poems. The person to whom the letter is written is called the interlocutor. “Letter Written to a Person Living Fifty Years from Now” is an example of both epistolary and apostrophic writing. Because it mimics a typical conversation between two people, the speaker and the hypothetical future interlocutor, the poem employs free verse, a form of writing that does not use rhyme or regular meter but sounds more like typical speech and writing patterns. Using the epistolary form, addressing this future person makes the poem more personal and accessible to a wider audience. The reader is meant to feel this letter could reflect reality, not science fiction. Climate change could affect the common person. Depending on the age of the reader, they might be one of the people living 50 years from now.

The diction, or the choice of words a poet uses, communicates a lot of information about a speaker’s background, attitude, or