Mending Waall Essay
“Mending Wall” Essay
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.
Throughout the poem, “Mending Wall” Robert Frost uses a particular diction to support the idea that walls don’t belong. For example, the first line of the poem, “Something there is that doesn't love a wall.” In this quote the author is saying that there is something, whether it be human, animal, or the will of nature that doesn’t like the idea of walls. The word choice within this quote brings an almost omniscient quality to the “something.” This quality along with Frost’s continued discussion of how the wall constantly falls apart proves that the “something” desires the wall to be removed.
In the poem, “ Mending Wall” Robert Frost also makes a comparison to segregation. He refers to them as different types of people when he says, “He is all pine and I am apple orchard.”(Line 24) In using different breeds of the same plant Frost is essentially saying they’re different either in race, class, or ideologies. When added with the quote, “He will not go behind his father's saying, and he likes having thought of it so well He says again, 'Good fences make good neighbors.’”(Lines 43-45) the reader can infer that the idea of separation between the two comes from the family tree of the narrator’s neighbor. In addition, while Frost sees nothing wrong with breaking down the
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.
Throughout the poem, “Mending Wall” Robert Frost uses a particular diction to support the idea that walls don’t belong. For example, the first line of the poem, “Something there is that doesn't love a wall.” In this quote the author is saying that there is something, whether it be human, animal, or the will of nature that doesn’t like the idea of walls. The word choice within this quote brings an almost omniscient quality to the “something.” This quality along with Frost’s continued discussion of how the wall constantly falls apart proves that the “something” desires the wall to be removed.
In the poem, “ Mending Wall” Robert Frost also makes a comparison to segregation. He refers to them as different types of people when he says, “He is all pine and I am apple orchard.”(Line 24) In using different breeds of the same plant Frost is essentially saying they’re different either in race, class, or ideologies. When added with the quote, “He will not go behind his father's saying, and he likes having thought of it so well He says again, 'Good fences make good neighbors.’”(Lines 43-45) the reader can infer that the idea of separation between the two comes from the family tree of the narrator’s neighbor. In addition, while Frost sees nothing wrong with breaking down the