Tuesday, September 8, 2009
On Robert Frost
In his poem "For Once, Then, Something", Frost does an excellent job, in my opinion, of showing how one can find an unexpected flash of inspiration simply by shifting one's perspective. The narrator explains how he was ridiculed by his friends because he never looked through the well-water at the correct angle, and as a result, was never able to perceive more than what was at the surface. When he finally puts his chin at the level of the well, however, he is rewarded with a glimpse of what he has been missing the entire time: the pebble at the bottom of the well. Is it simply a pebble, or is it, as the narrator briefly entertains, the Truth? Frost's use of the pebble in the well to symbolize the shifting of perspective to reveal a new secret makes this poem stand out to me.
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I'm wondering what you all make of the way the poem opens, the syntax-- Other taunt me with having knelt at well-curbs/? It seems a feature of Frost's poetry to open indirectly, if not off-handedly, and I'd like to know what you make of it. In this poem's case, "Other" is clearly significant. Who is "Other"? Any thoughts. Also wondering about the Title and final line, cryptic and yet conclusive. "For once" truth was visible, "then," I like how the word itself interrupts,not just the word but the grammar, set off by commas,syncopating the line's rhythm. Thanks for choosing to focus on this poem, Kristoph.
ReplyDeleteThe narrator’s shallow view of the water in the well seems to parallel a shallow view into the nature and personality of other people. Life is a perpetual struggle to look at other people and see more than a shallow reflection of oneself. The opening line, “other taunt me with having knelt at well-curbs” could mean two things. 1. The narrator is the only one who doesn’t see deeply into other people, and consequently gets teased for it, or 2. (The far more likely option, in my opinion) The narrator is the only one who TRIES to see past the façades and gets teased for trying so hard by people who think they have accomplished it, but have really accomplished nothing. When the narrator finally succeeds in seeing into the depths of the well, the experience feels real, perhaps because of its fleeting nature. When one person catches a glimpse of another person’s inner nature, the encounter is usually brief and memorable. Most of the time, people pretend to reveal depth but actually hold tightly to their mask. They usually view other people as a reflection of themselves (ie. That person is taller than me, smarter than me, has darker hair, speaks differently, runs slower, etc.) Truly understanding someone, is nearly impossible, but the narrator has found that after concentrating long and hard, he can occasionally see truth at the bottom of the deep well people use to hide their feelings.
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ReplyDeletePersonally I believe the poem has a slightly reflective and defensive tone. Frost begins the poem with, "Others taunt me with having knelt at well-curbs/Always wrong to the light so never seeing/Deeper down..." which refers to the fact that many critics of his poetry often accuse him of lack of depth and substance in his poetry, an unacceptable frivolity and familiarity if you will. The summation of this criticism is continued for the first six lines of the poem, at which point Frost begins to wax philosophical. "Once...I discerned...something white, uncertain...something more...then I lost it." It appears as though Frost is rejecting the very notion that an ultimate meaning in poetry even exists, instead proposing that there is no single "Truth" in poetry. He may have "once" thought that there was an ultimate truth, but then he "lost it," after which point he changed his personal outlook. The overall impression I received from this poem is that whilst it may be possible to search for a deeper meaning in poetry, or create a poem with profoundly hidden depths, oftentimes in so doing we miss the beauty in the simple things, the "summer heaven...wreaths of fern and cloud puffs." "For Once, Then, Something" characterises perfectly Frost's belief that in the chaos of humanity, the meaning of life is, well, meaningless (no pun intended) and that the issues of paramount importance are really a celebration of life, and its eternal beauty and simplicity.
ReplyDeleteMy thoughts on "Other": at first I thought that perhaps this was a typo, and meant to be "others". However, as it is not, then I don't think that it refers to the persona's friends and companions, or other people at all. It seems to me that "Other" taunts the persona by being anything but what lies beneath; the persona cannot see into the bottom of the well because there is so much above for the water to reflect. (Probably, this is a metaphor for the small things in life which distract from what really matters.) For me, this calls to mind a quote from the Skloot reading: "It can be tempting to forget that an essay or creative nonfiction piece must have shape and density ... and must lead somewhere other than the mirror" (306). In "For Once, Then, Something," the persona finally gets to see beyond the reflection of everything that is "Other" in the world and catch a brief glimpse of something else- be it Truth or only a pebble. It doesn't matter so much what it really is that the persona has seen, or that the glimpse was inconclusive; rather, he has seen beyond to something, and this is, perhaps, enough.
ReplyDeleteI also really liked the idea of the poem, how one simple change in perspective can give a whole new insight to the world. It was very interesting to read this anecdotal poem that had a much deeper meaning in terms of seeing truth in the world.
ReplyDeleteThe poem in general was one of my favorite of the Frost poems we read, as I do not recall ever reading it before. One thing that stood out in particular to me was the strong visual it provided as well as the perspective of the poem, which allowed me to see from the narrator’s perspective. When the narrator described the reflection in the well, I could see my own reflection in my mind’s eye.
As for the syntax, I find the indirect start to the poem a very interesting structural choice. I found that it drew me into the poem more and immediately hooked my interest. The use of the word “other” combined with words like “taunt” and “wrong” gave me a negative image of the other that Frost was speaking of and created a sort of “us against them” mindset, which I felt added to the meaning of the poem of finding a new perspective, as Frost seemed to encourage finding the perspective on your own, without outside influence.
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ReplyDeleteI find it interesting that the person must get closer to the water, “chin against a well-curb”,” to see the truth in the situation. Frost is trying to explain that by viewing a circumstance from a different angle, and by paying attention to the details, one can more easily find truth in a situation. Frost is also trying to examine the ambiguity that comes with truth and how transient and fragile it tends to be. The destructive effect that a single drop of water has on masking the white pebble is a working analogy for how truth is so easily veiled and broken. Frost emphasizes the haziness that is associated with truth by asking three questions at the end, “What was that whiteness? / Truth? A pebble of quartz?,” which intentionally leaves the poem open ended.
ReplyDeleteI think Vegemite sandwich points out that Frost's poem reads as allegory but a mistake that many readers seem to be making is that the poem as Kelsey (is this a pen name?) points out begins "Other" and is not a typo. So I think the poem is about the self (as opposed to Other) and the self's relationship to truth, which, the poem seems to suggest, is relative (depending on how you look at it). Frost's poems are deceptively simple. His use of narrative and colloquial image and the precise beauty of his lines makes his poems accessible, such that the reader thinks he/she knows what Frost means. And Frost means what he says so you have to read very carefully. I CAN'T WAIT TO SEE MORE OF YOUR COMMENTS!
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