Final answer:
The structure of the poem, including the use of free verse, balanced quatrains, and strategic indentation, reveals the tension within the speaker by enabling an intimate tone, prompting comparisons of memories, and emphasizing the emotional weight of the narrative.
Step-by-step explanation:
The structure of a poem can significantly affect its tone and the development of tension within the speaker. Initially, the poem may establish a direct and intimate tone, making the reader feel privy to the speaker's personal revelations.
As the poem progresses, the use of inquisitive language and rhetorical questions, such as 'or was it the coldness?', can further amplify the inner conflict and tension experienced by the speaker. The balanced form of the poem, with equal quatrain division for each memory, compels the reader to compare these memories and contemplate their interconnectedness.
Free verse is often used to give poets unbridled freedom in expressing emotions and conveying a narrative without the constraints of meter or rhyme. The strategic use of indentation, line length, and enjambment versus end-stopped lines can control the poem's rhythm, pace, and the emphasis of words or ideas, thereby reinforcing the poem's thematic elements and the speaker's emotional journey.
Symbolism, seen through objects like the loom or the eagle feather, enriches the text and invites readers to interpret these symbols within the context of the speaker's experience and the poem's broader message.