Home Burial, Mending Wall And The Tuft Of Flowers, By Robert Frost

Discoveries can lead to unpredictable and transformative experiences for individuals. Through these adversities, unexpected encounters within one’s respective contexts forces direct confrontations, leading to both positive or negative outcomes. This is proven to a large extent through the study of the pastoral poems Home Burial, Mending Wall and The Tuft of Flowers by Robert Frost whot contrasts the various types of relationships developed between a married couple, neighbours, and a man and the mower. Furthermore, the animated film Spirited Away by Hayao Miyazaki encompasses Chihiro’s own inner discovery regarding her identity and place in the world through her transformative experience of the ‘Spirit World’.

Discoveries can be unexpected
This is conveyed in Frost’s The Tuft of Flowers where the persona discovers and develops a sense of relationship with the person who mowed the grass. In the beginning of the poem where the imagery of the persona turning the grass “once after one / Who mowed it in the dew before the sun” sets the place, purpose and time, along with a sense of speculation throughout his imagination of the mower. Contrastingly, Frost conveys the sense of curiosity explicitly through the persona’s questions such as “Why do they make good neighbours?”, suggesting his willingness to change his neighbours perspective of “Good fences make good neighbours” and his failure of understanding how a wall that is traditionally used to divide could aid in relationships. The film Spirited Away and the element of mystery starts with Chihiro and her parents’ stumbling upon the abandoned amusement park.The scene when they were walking along the restaurant district, their gaze at their surrounding, and their facial expression while scanning the place depict a strong sense of interest. This impression is heightened when Chihiro leaves her parents behind and wanders off to see a bathhouse and a train that seems to possibly be maintained and occupied. As the scene tilts from the top of the bath house to the bottom, we can see
An example of a negative impact is evident in Home Burial, where the tension between the couples grow more profound throughout the poem. The short and fragmented sentences depicted in “You—oh, you think the talk is all. I must go— / Somewhere out of this house. How can I make you—” represent the nature of urgency and the wife’s ultimate desperation to leave the house. However, The Tuft of Flowers begins with a sense of loneliness and introspection through the persona’s inner monologue, “As all must be,” and shifts to a cheerful tone presented through the use of personification, “from sheer morning gladness at the brim”, as he discovers the “tall tuft of flowers” that the mower leaves behind. As a contrast to the couple’s escalated conflict in Home Burial, the persona in this poem conveys a positive outcome from developing a relationship with the mower. Spirited Away discusses how Chihiro is being victimised by Yubaba as she becomes a new worker in the bathhouse. This is portrayed in the scene when Yubaba ‘zips up’ Chihiro’s mouth as she begins to speak, a symbolic representation of Yubaba’s control over Chihiro’s requests. The low angle shot of Yubaba at her desk emphasises her dominant appearance as she is placed in a higher position than Chihiro and the audience. As the film progresses, Chihiro uncovers her inner strength and carries herself through crossing the