Preview

Robert Frost Mending Wall Analysis

Good Essays
Open Document
Open Document
757 Words
Grammar
Grammar
Plagiarism
Plagiarism
Writing
Writing
Score
Score
Robert Frost Mending Wall Analysis
An Analysis of Robert Frost's Mending Wall

Mending Wall, by Robert Frost portrays the routines of two neighbors who are constantly mending the fence, or wall, that separates their properties. If a stone is missing form the fence, you can bet that the two men are out there putting it back together piece by piece.

Frost's description of every detail in this poem is quite interesting, very pleasant to read, and extremely imaginable. He leaves the reader to decide for himself what deductions he is to make from the reading. On one hand, Frost makes literal implications about what the two men are doing. For instance, they are physically putting the stones back, one by one. Their dedication, commitment, and constant drive shines through when reading how persistence these men seem about keeping the wall intact. Quite the contrary however, is the inferences that something even deeper is going on. There is a sharing experience taking place here. Indeed, by laboring so hard, each man is experiencing physical repercussions, but they are also using this time as a "meet and greet" period.

We can gather from the beginning of the poem that the wall has many forces that keep's it in shambles. For instance, Frost writes;
"...that sends the frozen ground swell under it and spills the upper boulders in the sun...", and "I have come after them(hunters) and made repair where they have left not one stone on a stone..."

The man and his neighbor don't seem to have time for anything else, for it sounds as if they are constantly making repairs. Is there a reason for this?
It is important to note that not only are these men completing a manly task, but they are also "building" some type of relationship. If this were not an issue, the neighbor would not repeat;
"Good fences make good neighbors."

As the man tells his story, we find that even though the two men may be conversing and interacting, there is some distance between them at all times. The man says;
"...on

You May Also Find These Documents Helpful

  • Good Essays

    Conveying to the reader his themes allows the responder to create a meaning and purpose for his poem. In Mending Wall, the composer uses imagery to convey his theme of the barrier in the relationship between humans. In the poem, the ‘wall’ is a symbolic representation of the barriers that separate friendship between the neighbours. The repetition of the word ‘wall’ throughout the poem allows the reader to interpret and understand why there is a barrier between the neighbours. “Sends the frozen-ground-swell under it, and spills the upper boulders in the sun” (lines 2-3) is an example of imagery used to help the responder to create a distinctively visual description of the setting. The responder can see that the ‘wall’ is visually described as a giant barrier. Through the use of the imagery in the quote and the distinctively visual image Frost has created through it, the responder is able to interpret the distance in the relationship between humans. “Good fences make good neighbours” (line 27), once again frost uses the distinctively visual image of the fence being the neighbour in order to convey his theme of man’s relationship with each other through the characterisation of the neighbour. The repetition of this quote throughout the poem…

    • 1275 Words
    • 6 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    In the poem “Mending Wall” Robert Frost uses form, function, and philosophy to create meaning. To do this he uses many different techniques like blank verse, enjambment, end-stopped lines, syntax, meter, and iambic pentameter. These techniques are used to support the main theme of tradition versus innovation.…

    • 415 Words
    • 2 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    The judge’s gavel hit the sound block and just like that I had been sold to the highest bidder, or at least it seemed that way. My Aunt was awarded custody of me and I felt abandoned by my mother. As a result of this trauma, I erected imaginary boundaries to prevent that emotional pain and hide that shame from others. I use this boundary as a protection from people, just as the neighbor in “Mending Wall,” emotionally protects himself. Poems by Robert Frost: A Boy’s Will and North of Boston, is a collection of Robert Frost’s poems which he offers both a surface and a deep meaning for readers to infer. In Frost’s poem “Mending Wall,” he states a literal wall damaged by others and nature is being repaired by two neighbors; however, through profound analysis the wall is a symbol in which the neighbor established as a psychological barriers to protect his emotional scars.…

    • 619 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Better Essays

    Cited: Clarke, Peter. “Mending Wall.” Rev. of Frost’s Mending Wall, ed. Robert Frost. Explicator Fall 1984: p48. Print.…

    • 1768 Words
    • 8 Pages
    Better Essays
  • Good Essays

    In the poem ‘Mending Wall’, Frost portrays two neighbours working together to fix a wall, despite being at odds with each other.…

    • 1027 Words
    • 5 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    Even though the story of "Mending Wall" focusing on the hard labor that comes once a year to neighbors repairing a common wall between their properties they also share good times together. "Good fences make good neighbor 's". (page 1881)…

    • 422 Words
    • 2 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Satisfactory Essays

    In “Mending Wall”, Frost mentions how the wall affect people. He states that the narrator thinks negatively about his neighbor, and how it keeps them separated. “Good fences make good neighbors” (Frost). President Ronald Reagan states from his text, “Tear Down This Wall”, that the people on one side doesn't have their freedom, affects…

    • 239 Words
    • 1 Page
    Satisfactory Essays
  • Good Essays

    robert frost - journey

    • 928 Words
    • 4 Pages

    The Human spirit can be seen from many different perspectives. Theses perspectives differ from person to person, but a mainstream definition still stands. Others have different meanings which they believe and follow. This scenario is represented in Robert Frost’s journey poem, “Mending wall.” The theme of the poem is we create barriers between us for no rational reason. This is the belief which Robert Frost has incorporated into the personas perspective. In complete contrast, the neighbours opinion is, “good fences make good neighbours,” he sees the wall as a necessity for a good relationship. This mentality is not original, to the persona it is “his father’s saying” and is deemed as a thoughtless superstition. Not explained in the poem, the neighbour powerfully believes it is better for people to mind their own business and to respect the privacy of others, the wall being the physical support for this attitude. Although the theme is dominant, we as the audience must look beyond. Have they had a dispute other than the wall itself? No problems between each other, hence they make good neighbours. Could…

    • 928 Words
    • 4 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    “Mending Wall” is in the form of a narrative. It is in iambic pentameter and is a blank verse. Frost utilizes repetition of two specific lines to make a statement. “Something there is that doesn’t love a wall,” and “Good fences make good neighbors.” “Good fences make good neighbors” means that if people know their limits and do not get overlay comfortable with one another, a moderate…

    • 438 Words
    • 2 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    This is reflected in Robert Frost’s poem ‘Mending Wall’ where the persona ultimately accepts his discovery of the inevitability and futility of barriers that separate individuals and, by association, humanity. This is exemplified through the strong visual imagery of, “two can pass abreast” to refer to the fact that the hole in the wall can allow these neighbours who have differing perspectives, to come together and pass through the wall, side-by-side. The indirect link to unity by not mending the “wall” is important as the personas idea is challenged by the nature. This is reflective of the responder’s context as it challenges the widely held assumptions about human experience and the wider world. The idea is further stated intellectually in the poem where the, “gaps I mean” refers to the “walls”. The personal pronoun and the metaphor accentuate the “gap” in relationship between neighbours. It is important to note that the walls that bring the two people together and apart are not necessarily bad things as it allows space for privacy for self-reflection and human solitude. This allows the persona to lead to renewed perceptions and the values upheld by the neighbour. This notion is further strengthened in the last line of the poem where the repetition of the adage, “Good fences make good neighbours” exemplifies that the ‘neighbour’…

    • 1015 Words
    • 5 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Better Essays

    The speaker says “we do not need the wall”(23). In a later line the speaker says “He is all pine and I am apple orchard”(24). This line could be portrayed that the speaker doesn’t need the wall because he and his neighbor are so different. The speaker actually wants his neighbor to accept that the wall is unnecessary. The speaker wishes the neighbor could have an epiphany and take the wall down under his own free will. The speaker represents his neighbor as an “old stone savage” because of values when it comes to neighbors(40). The speaker sees his neighbor as a closed-minded puritan, because he can’t accept that the speaker can respect his space and the neighbor can’t see the value of connection. The speaker hopes to challenge the notion that “Good fences make good neighbors”(45). The speaker begins by saying that he actively participates in the rebuilding of the wall, as the poem goes on the speaker sees the discrepancies in the idea of having a wall. The speaker wishes that his neighbor would be able to see for himself that a wall helps no one. Frost seeks isolation but as his life continues and he experiences more, Frost sees the futility of seeking…

    • 1040 Words
    • 5 Pages
    Better Essays
  • Good Essays

    Intro: Robert Frost's "Mending Wall" and Ronald Reagan's "Tear Down This Wall" both talk about the theme of separation. The two stories have a different walls, but they both separate people. Both walls in the stories impact the people both physically and mentally. Frost and Reagan both have their very own style and tone of the stories that they write about. They each have very unique ways of telling their stories but the separation is what is focused on.…

    • 525 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    Mending Waall Essay

    • 606 Words
    • 3 Pages

    In the poem “Mending Wall”, by Robert Frost, the act of two neighbors routinely repairing a wall between their lands is noted, detailed, and observed. There is a popular belief that boundaries, such as walls, do nothing but divide and tear apart people. In agreement, Robert Frost’s own purpose of portraying this ritual through poetry is to express the same belief that boundaries do nothing but unnaturally separate people. Robert Frost’s theme is conveyed to his readers through his displaying of a natural need for walls to be torn down, his comparisons of walls to segregation, and his literal expression of a belief that walls are a method of division.…

    • 606 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    The title, “Mending Wall” in a way contradicts itself, to mend is to repair something, while a wall is a barrier; which the speaker is not willing to admit is a dilemma. The poem begins rather serene introducing the area, which the wall was built for. The speaker claims the need for the wall is to keep the rabbits out, please the dogs and his neighbor. The wall could symbolize a barrier which the speaker does not feel he can get past, for fear of the others reaction, or his own fear. In contrast; the neighbor who claims “Good fences make good neighbors”, following the philosophy of his father could be subconsciously justification his desire for his isolation and physical barriers.…

    • 226 Words
    • 1 Page
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    Robert Frost Depression

    • 954 Words
    • 4 Pages

    The poem tells of a man who is walking somewhere with his horse one night, and stops to ponder the sight of the woods for some time. Then, he is reminded of his duties, and continues on his way. The man in this poem is depressed, much like the man in "Dust of Snow". When he looks into the woods, it serves as a metaphor for the man contemplating his own suicide. Frost describes the woods as "lovely, dark and deep". This description makes the woods seem very appealing, to the point where one would want to step into the them and walk through them. Frost is likening these woods to embracing one's depression and committing suicide. This is because the thought of ending one's life might seem appealing to one stricken with deep depression. But, the man does not embrace his depression. Instead, he carries on and continues with his life, saying to himself, twice, that he has "miles to go before [he] sleeps". The repetition in this line seems to be a mantra for the man, which he repeats in order to convince himself that he must go through with his life. But what ultimately brings this man out of his depressed state? It is the "promises" mentioned in line 10, which the man feels he needs to uphold. So, it is society and other people who save the…

    • 954 Words
    • 4 Pages
    Good Essays