Robert Frost’s “Witness Tree” is an exemplary poem that captures the essence of what it means to be a witness to life’s changing landscapes. Through this poem, Frost meditates on the passage of time and the paradox between permanence and impermanence. The poem follows the timeline of a witness tree, from the sapling’s emergence in a “trusting summer” to its final collapse in the winter (Frost). The actual presence of this titular tree throughout the ages provides Frost a sense of continuity and reassurance in the rapidly changing world.
Frost makes use of simple and vivid language to depict the passing of time in the poem, beginning with the prevalence of various seasons. The tree’s “spring,” “summer,” and “autumn” all wither away just as the “[m]-owing of its meadows went away” (2-3). The poet’s personification of the tree further highlights the drama of the poem; it is “patient of its wounds in too much switching,” “not hasty at its journey’s finding closings,” and “wise beyond concerning” (7-9). Such eloquent exposures of life’s circumstances suggest to the reader the tree’s profound, firsthand comprehension of human affairs and the frailty of human life.
Aside from the poem’s thematic value, readers can immersively appreciate the complex craftsmanship of Frost’s verse. Throughout the poem Frost largely avoids enjambment, which accentuates the stasis of the tree in “steady, lonely” conditions (13). The poet also crafts a complex rhythm comprised of anapests, dactyls and trochees. Such rhythmical structure, in conjunction with the long, accented vowels of words such as “structures” and “crashings” (20-21), produces a soothing and emotionally impactful read.
Frost’s “Witness Tree” poignantly captures the essence of witnessing life’s untrammeled subtleties. While readers appreciate the poem for its thematic value, Frost’s rhetorical devices imbue the poem with an engaging rhythm and structure, compelling readers to sit and marvel at the various exercises of life.
Personification of the Tree
In “Witness Tree,” Robert Frost devises an extended metaphor of the tree as a witness to life’s inevitable change. Frost utilizes personification to elevate the tree to a level of profundity beyond its physical location. A tree is “patient” and “wise” towards its environment. “Patient of its wounds caused by too much switching” and “wise beyond concerning,” the poem suggests the depth of insight that the tree has attained over its lifetime (Frost 7, 9). It is described as having “courage” and its “sightlessness” serves as protective armor against its surroundings (Frost 13-15). Such vivid descriptions allow the reader to perceive the existential understanding that a tree, or witness, can develop over time.
In addition to an elevated spiritual awareness, Frost also grants his titular tree with a physical understanding of life. The poem suggests that the tree witnesses the “donning” and “doffing” of various stages of life (Frost 3-5). The tree soaks in the “warmth of its summers,” “the burden of its autumn” and the “shade of its springs” (Frost 5-7). In such descriptions, Frost creates a vivid mental image of a picturesque tree, standing stoically through the procession of time and its intertwined elements of beauty and despair.
Finally, Frost personifies the tree in a more abstract sense. It is described as being “foolishly ignorant of its power to give assurance” (Frost 9). As a witness to life, the tree is aware of its power yet chooses not to grasp it. The poem implies that the tree has attained a certain level of self-knowing and chooses to maintain its humbleness by not recognizing its virtue of assurance. Frost’s personification of the tree allows the reader to understand the poem on multiple levels — in the physical, spiritual, and abstract realms.
The Passage of Time
Robert Frost’s poem “Witness Tree” offers readers a vivid description of life’s aging, from the budding sapling to the collapsing tree. Frost seamlessly weaves a narrative of the tree’s timeless account of life’s events and conditions. The most poignant aspect of this journey is the gradual passage of time, reflected in the advancing seasons.
The poem begins with a “trusting summer”, a metaphor for the naivety and freshness of life (Frost 1). This summer withers away, connoting the fading days of youth. As the poem progresses, Frost describes an “autumn,” symbolizing a settling, maturing period of life (Frost 3). This season, as well, passes “in the offing of a loving arm,” alluding to the supportive embrace of life’s experiences and memories (Frost 6). Finally, Frost reiterates the arrival of the winter (Frost 9-10). This winter serves as a metaphor for death, the ultimate truism of life and the only ultimate constant.
Frost’s descriptions of the seasons allow readers to tangibly experience the subtle nuances of an aging tree. Each season serves as a metaphor for a specific stage of life, highlighting the wisdom that comes with the maturation process. Frost’s nature-based narrative drives home the idea that life, regardless of its permanence, will always continue to progress, if not from the same perspective and circumstances, then from another.
Rhetorical Techniques
Robert Frost’s poem “Witness Tree” is renowned for its rich and vivid language. Throughout the poem, Frost makes use of slight rhetorical devices to enhance the experience, allowing the reader to truly feel the passing of time.
The skilled poet creates a distinct rhythm, meshing anapests, dactyls, and trochees to create the perfect cadence. The frequency of these syllables, combined with the presence of accented vowels such as in “structures” and “crashings” subtly forces the reader to slow down and savor the poem’s imagery (Frost 20-21). Frost’s extensive use of enjambment further enhances the reading experience, allowing readers to linger on a thought before transitioning to the next line. This meandering effect allows readers to truly enter the mind of the poem and comprehend its emotional nuances.
The vast majority of Frost’s poetic language is standardly unrhymed, its lines simply laden with grit and truth. However, Frost saves the poem’s resolution for a select few rhymes. Containing an intricate rhyme scheme of ABCCBDD, the poem’s final two lines conclude the poem in an unanticipated fashion, providing an appropriate and unexpected ending to an already powerful meditation.
Frost’s use of rhetoric in “Witness Tree” creates a sensory experience, allowing readers to emotionally process the passage of time and the tree’s pertinence to the experience.
The Power of a Witness Tree
In Robert Frost’s “Witness Tree,” the poem’s titular “visioner” plays a plethora of roles, both as an onlooker and as a tangible representation of life’s everlasting processes. Frost’s arrangements of words engender remarkable scenes — of a tree providing a unique firsthand story of life’s hardships and joys.
The most tangible roles of a witness tree are capturing the current landscape and projecting its future. In its inimitable way, the witness tree “follows the last glance of the sun” and “wakes in the darkness first” (Frost 3, 11). The tree silently stores memories and experiences, taking its wisdom and joy into the next generation. It stands “steady and lonely, firm in the round of a naked sky” despite the changing conditions of its midst (Frost 13).
The tree also possesses the power to influence life’s ever-changing conditions in spite of its stationary position. For example, Frost portrays the tree as having “courage”, which serves to be both a comforting support and an unremitting conviction in the face of life’s tribulations (Frost 15). Its roots and branches offer nourishment, both literal and metaphorical (Frost 18). The witness tree is a fulfiller of roles, both protecting its underlying conditions and providing for its growing environment.
The witness tree holds numerous implications for Frost’s readers. Its symbolism of endurance, inherited wisdom, and resilience serves as a reminder that life will invariably progress, from season to season, from stage to stage. Its representation of the intrinsic beauty of motion — or lack thereof — implores readers to take a step back and soak in every given moment.
Connection to Frost
Robert Frost’s “Witness Tree” is deeply connected to his own life experiences. The poem’s extensive use of vivid nature imagery speaks to Frost’s own experiences in rural New England.
Frost was a consistent nature-lover, taking in outdoor elements wherever possible. His family was one of farmers and handymen, and much of Frost’s writing was focused on rural life. The poem is set in a rural landscape, and Frost’s dialogue of the changing landscape serves to be a familiar setting for his readers.
Furthermore, Frost’s attitudes towards life’s changes can also be seen in “Witness Tree.” Frost found solace in change, despite the potential for pain, drawing strength from his surroundings in order to accept life with poise. This sentiment is echoed in the poem, as the witness tree finds strength in its endurance of life’s changing conditions.
The aura of peacefulness that Frost builds in his poem reflects a unique sort of appreciation — the appreciation and determination to accept life in its ever-shifting form. The poem, while primarily referring to a tree, can equally apply to ourselves.
The witness tree is a constant and creative witness to life’s ever-evolving conditions. It stands steadfast in the round of a naked sky, conveying a message of unwavering resilience. Frost exposes the feat of acceptance, and how we, as witnesses, must learn how to accept life’s continuous progress, from birth to death, from summer to winter.
A Source of Wisdom
Robert Frost’s poem “Witness Tree” offers readers a sense of comfort and appreciation for life’s unexpected journey. Incorporating nature-based imagery with strong and vivid language, Frost reverts to his titular tree for an alternate source of wisdom.
The tree, throughout its life, has accumulated immense knowledge and understanding. It remains “wise beyond concerning,” being conscious of the subtleties of life and its passing moments (Frost 9). The tree also offers a unique perspective, one that is oftentimes unaccustomed to humans. Frost describes the tree as consistently standing high, “watchful of the weather… in a knowing way” (Frost 16-17). It is an unparalleled source of knowledge, searching for meaning through life’s often incomprehensible events.
The tree is also an emotional testimony, encompassing happiness and fear, despair and joy. Through its capabilities to learn, understand and experience, its wisdom is often formatted in the form of sentiment. It supersedes “loss and hope as that of a voyager”, having experienced its own version of life’s many sorrows and joys (Frost 10-11). Its compassion towards life’s easy and difficult times provides a thought-provoking illustration for Frost’s readers.
The witness tree’s wisdom is outsourced to humans through Frost’s poem. Its understanding of life’s complexities offers a glimmer of purpose in life’s unpredictable conditions, developing a unique source of inspiration in otherwise bleak times.
Role of Nature in Solace
Robert Frost’s poem “Witness Tree” plays an important role in discovering solace
