Perspective

“What is perspective?”, is the question you must ask yourself before we continue any further. It’s someone’s (or, in some cases,something’s) point of view. In the realistic fictional poem, “Hippopotamus”, the author, Ogden Nash, manages to portray two possible perspectives through one speaker. The poem depicts how, although the speaker thinks Hippopotami look funny, the Hippopotamus may very well feel the same way about the speaker, and other Hippopotami most probably think the Hippopotamus looks great. Perspective is also utilized in the fictional short story, “Zoo”, by Edward Hoch. In this story there are 3 perspectives; the humans’, the kaanians’, and Prof. Hugo’s. Prof.Hugo brings some kaanians to different planets, including planet Earth,

In the poem the Hippopotamus’ perspective is that the speaker looks strange and hippopotami look good. However, since the reader hears both views from the speaker the reader can only presume that this is how the Hippopotamus truly feels, although it is safe to presume that the Hippopotamus would feel this way. In the poem, “Hippopotamus”, it says, “And yet in moments dank and grim I wonder how we look to him.”(lines. 3-4) The author neither straight out says the Hippopotamus’ perspective, nor did he ever give us the Hippopotamus’ perspective directly from the Hippopotamus, but the author does imply the Hippopotamus’ feelings through the speakers choice of language using the words “grim” and “dank” that the Hippopotamus would think that humans look wierd. It also can be deduced that Hippopotami think other Hippopotami look nice from lines 6-7, “As you no doubt delight the eye of other Hippopotami.” Hippopotami look wonderful to other Hippopotami. The speaker’s perspective is the opposite of the Hippopotamus’ perspective. The speaker thinks Hippopotami look ridiculous and humans look normal. In line 2 and line 6 of the poem, “Hippopotamus”, it states, “We laugh at how he looks to us...We really look all right to us,” The speaker finds the Hippopotami funny and abnormal because as a human, humans are what he’s used to, and the way they look, therefore, is the standard the speaker

There are three perspectives in “Zoo”. In the short story Prof. Hugo’s perspective is that all the various species he deals with, including humans and kaanians, are only profit. On page 830 and 832 of “Zoo” it states, “this year you see a real treat for your single dollar...It is well worth the nineteen commocs it costs.” Prof. Hugo has every planet’s inhabitants thinking that they’re being given the treat of a zoo, while in some cases they are the zoo. He’s getting lots of money from every planet, because who wouldn’t be excited to see alien life? He’s even being paid in “commocs” to transport the aliens he’s making money off of, with the aliens (kaanians) under the idea that they are seeing a zoo. For these reasons all of these aliens and humans are considerable profit in prof. Hugo’s eyes. To the humans’ perspective they are being treated to a cheap zoo with dangerous, wild, aliens. In the short story it says, “...the familiar barred cages. In them were some wild breed of nightmare.” (p.380)To the humans’ perspective the kaanians are nightmarish and strange, zoo animals who should be contained. The kaanians however have a totally different point of view. To them humans are wierd and possibly deadly, and they are behind bars for their own protection, to separate them from humans. According to the story, “The creatures there wear garments over their skins, and they walk on two legs...There are bars to protect us