What's That Mean, Anyway?

An Eagle's Eye View on English, American Culture, & Writing

What the heck does that mean?

Let's start with "Eagle's eye view."

Eagles are big birds, right? Big strong birds that fly high, high in the sky. From way, way up in the sky they look way, way down below - at the trees, the rivers, the meadows, and hills - and then they swoop down onto their prey.

(What is prey? Something a predator eats. Lions eat deer. Cats eat mice. Eagles eat fish and snakes and mammals. They are excellent hunters and feed their families very well.)

When they are way, way up in the sky, they can see a lot. They have an eagle's eye view. And because they have very good vision they can see both the big picture and the little details.

When we say someone is "eagle-eyed," we mean they see can very well. They have sharp eyes. They look deeply into things.

We use "eagle's eye view" when we want to talk about understanding a lot about something, trying to see it from a different angle, trying to see it as part of something bigger.

If your family has a big, big problem, it is a big, big help if you can take an eagle's eye view on this situation so you can come up with some good solutions. Often, taking an eagle's eye view helps you find solutions to problems.

Now that we know what an eagle's eye view means, let's look at that phrase again.

An eagle's eye view on English, American culture, & writing.

View on -

what's the difference between view on and view of?

When I look out my front window, I have a view of my neighbor's house. If I look out my bedroom window, I have a view of the ships moving slowly on the bay. I can see the sunlight sparkling on the water and when the sun sets, I can watch the water turn the color of night.

What is my view on the view of the bay? I like this! I like it very much!

A view of something is what we can see.

A view on something is our opinion about it.

So an eagle's eye view on something is... well, it's a crazy idea, really... it's both what the person sees and their opinion of it.

In this case, it's my thoughts and opinions about English, American culture, and writing.

I am an American. I am a writer. I am a teacher.

I am an American who teaches English and writing to immigrants.

And my last name starts with the word "Eagle."

So there you have it.

Eye on English is my view on English, American culture, and writing and I hope my view helps you solve a few problems and catch a few fish.