Based on your reading of "On My First Son," whom can you hypothesize is the speaker of this poem? Explain why your answer choice is correct. a. Ben Jonson b. a minister c. a father d. a son

a. Ben Jonson.

Explanation:

The epigram "On My First Son" by Ben Jonson was a tribute or valediction at the loss of his young son. Benjamin Jonson, the son of the poet Ben Jonson dies at the young age of seven, which led his father to write this poem in his memory.

The direct reference to the child "Here doth lie / Ben Jonson his best piece of poetry" is proof of the authorship of the poem. It can also be inferred that the speaker is a father, but with the direct reference to the dead son's name, it is more evident that the speaker is Ben Jonson.

The other options hold no water for their cause for there are no evidences or even hints that they may have been the speaker of the poem. There is no reference to the speaker being a minister nor can the speaker be a son, for it is the son who is dead. And the speaker being a father is right in some way, but as the name of the young boy was given, it made clear the speaker as being Ben Jonson.