The vantage point robert frost. "The Vantage Point" by Robert Frost 2022-12-26
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Robert Frost's poem "The Vantage Point" explores the theme of perspective and the way in which one's viewpoint can shape their understanding of the world around them. The poem is written in the first person, with the speaker reflecting on their own experiences and observations from a specific vantage point.
The poem begins with the speaker describing their physical location, perched atop a hill with a view of the surrounding landscape. From this vantage point, they are able to see "far and wide" and observe the "goings-on" of the world below. The speaker notes that the view from the hill is "a world away" from the everyday lives of those living in the valley below.
As the poem progresses, the speaker reflects on the different perspectives that people can have based on their location and experiences. They note that "no two persons see the world alike," and that each person has their own unique perspective on the world around them. The speaker suggests that this diversity of perspective is what makes life interesting, as it allows for different interpretations and understandings of the world.
The poem ends with the speaker returning to their physical location on the hill, and reflecting on the beauty of the view from their vantage point. They describe the scene as "a world of wonders," and express a sense of contentment and peace at being able to observe it from their elevated position.
Overall, "The Vantage Point" is a thought-provoking poem that encourages readers to consider the ways in which their own perspective shapes their understanding of the world. It suggests that while each person's perspective is unique, it is also important to try to understand and appreciate the perspectives of others. The poem also highlights the beauty and value of taking a step back and observing the world from a different point of view.
Robert Frost
Unless, of course, the narrator has been excluded from mankind. The poet knows of a place from where he can see the far-off homes and graves of men. The poet "is equally content with contemplating live men, dead men, or ants, and none to the three prompts him to Ideological speculation". The Vantage Point If tired of trees I seek again mankind, Well I know where to hie me—in the dawn, To a slope where the cattle keep the lawn, There amid lolling juniper reclined, Myself unseen, I see in white defined Far off the homes of men, and farther still, The graves of men on an opposing hill, Living or dead, whichever are to mind. The poem is written in iambic pentameter with variations.
And if by noon I have too much of these, I have but to turn on my arm, and lo, The sun-burned hillside sets my face aglow, My breathing shakes the bluet like a breeze, I smell the earth, I smell the bruisèd plant, I look into the crater of the ant. If tired of trees I seek again mankind, Well I know where to hie me—in the dawn, To a slope where the cattle keep the lawn, There amid lolling juniper reclined, Myself unseen, I see in white defined Far off the homes of men, and farther still, The graves of men on an opposing hill, Living or dead, whichever are to mind. . And if by noon I have too much of these, I have but to turn on my arm, and lo, The sun-burned hillside sets my face aglow, My breathing shakes the bluet like a breeze, I smell the earth, I smell the bruisèd plant, I look into the crater of the ant. . To our narrator, both are something to gaze upon when bored.
I think that we all need to take a step back at some point and observe life from a distance, to try and put things a little more into perspective. What adds more to the idea that mankind matters little to the narrator is the last line of the first stanza: 'Living or dead, whichever are to mind. If tires of trees I seek again mankind, Well I know where to hie me—in the dawn, To a slope where the cattle keep the lawn. Although this poem is narrated by an animal, I still like to think that a person could be narrating it. How many times have we thought of ourselves as something different to everyone else — so different that you no longer believe yourself to be of the same species. As you can tell from the title of the poem, The Vantage Point places the narrator in a position where he has a good view of something — this something being mankind: 'If tired of trees I seek again mankind'.
Many would argue we are indeed quite similar. I love this poem so much that I have memorised it. And if by noon I have too much of these, I have but to turn on my arm, and lo, The sunburned hillside sets my face aglow, My breathing shakes the bluet like a breeze, I smell the earth, I smell the bruisèd plant, I look into the crater of the ant. And if by noon I have too much of these, I have but to turn on my arm, and lo, The sunburned hillside sets my face aglow, My breathing shakes the bluet like a breeze, I smell the earth, I smell the bruisèd plant, I look into the crater of the ant. . All information has been reproduced here for educational and informational purposes to benefit site visitors, and is provided at no charge. The language is simple, with the exception of the word 'hie' in the second line of the first stanza.
The Vantage Point If tires of trees I seek again mankind, Well I know where to hie me—in the dawn, To a slope where the cattle keep the lawn. Also contained in this first line is a clue that the narrator is an animal: 'If tired of trees' a clue to where he lives and 'mankind' why would a person use this word? There amid loggin juniper reclined, Myself unseen, I see in white defined Far off the homes of men, and farther still, The graves of men on an opposing hill, Living or dead, whichever are to mind. The alliteration with 'breathing', 'bluet', and 'breeze' is beautiful to speak, and the comparing of breathing to a breeze, although probably no longer original, is striking and sticks to one of the poem's themes: nature. Perhaps not too much actually. There amid loggin juniper reclined, Myself unseen, I see in white defined Far off the homes of men, and farther still, The graves of men on an opposing hill, Living or dead, whichever are to mind.
And if by noon I have too much of these, I have but to turn on my arm, and lo, The sun-burned hillside sets my face aglow, My breathing shakes the bluet like a breeze, I smell the earth, I smell the bruisèd plant, I look into the crater of the ant. Small, insignificant, obsessed with work, easily crushed? The use of the word 'bluet' informs us that the poem is set in North America a bluet is a small North American plant with blue petals. In the grander scheme of things, are we really just like ants? My favourite line in the poem is 'My breathing shakes the bluet like a breeze'. There amid loggin juniper reclined, Myself unseen, I see in white defined Far off the homes of men, and farther still, The graves of men on an opposing hill, Living or dead, whichever are to mind. The poem is split into two stanzas: an octave and a sestet, and its rhyme scheme is ABBAACCA DEEDFF. From this vantage point he can also see, just by turning on his arm, sights of nature-cattle, sun-burned nil-side, "bruised plant" and "the crater of the ant". It grasped me immediately, and I still read it now.
But what does our narrator think of mankind? These are ordinary, familiar country sights. I first encountered The Vantage Point in a collection of Robert Frost's poetry. Here is a link to the. By noon he has already had enough of watching men and so turns to the 'sunburned hillside', where he can 'look into the crater of the ant', forcing us to consider the comparisons between ants and mankind. . . .
