People and their environments

Robert Frost's poem 'Mending Wall' intricately explores how human kind's primal instincts shape their envrionment. Judith Beveridge's Poem 'Domesticity of Giraffes' also cleverly examines the treatment Women receive from their environment or society. Both Robert Frost and Judith beveridge represent people and their environments in unique and evocative ways through the use of allegories, tropes and poem structure. this is evident in 'Mending Wall' by frost, and 'Domesticity of Giraffes' by Beveridge. Frost uses extended metaphors with multi-layered meaning to them in relation to the wall, as well as an intentional wall-like construction of the poem's structure. Beveridge also uses allegorical language to uniquely and evocatively represent women and their harsh and unnatural environment. Furthermore, Both Poets use tropes and other language devices such as juxtaposition, personification, oxymorons, repetition and similes. The poets use these tropes and other language devices in a way that is, once again, unique and evocative. Both Frost and Beveridge use Allegories as the focal point of their poems in order to emphasise and express their opinions on people and their environments. in 'Mending Wall' Frost uses the wall as both a physical and metaphorical structure. on a literal sense the wall is physically acting as a barrier to separate the neighbours and their properties: "And set the wall between us again. We keep the wall between us as we go." However, metaphorically the wall is seen as an emotional and social barrier. This is evident within this same quote. The two neighbours come together to build the same wall together. However, the two are reconstructing this wall with one on either side, making sure that they are continually and consistently apart and distant. This point is also supported by line 30. " 'Why do they make good neighbours?' ." When put into context this reveals how the speaker questions the actual purpose of the existence of such a wall as well as the neighbours' ideology on the walls purpose which has a traditional foundation . this is where the multi-layered meaning of the wall is discovered. It shows the reality of the walls' purpose, Which is to separate the two neighbours, preventing them from interacting socially and connecting personally. This therefore reveals how the wall, representing the negative human-affected environment, is represented as both a metaphorical and literal barrier between the two neighbours. Frost has also therefore shows how the two neighbours represent society and its negative approach to resolving human issues. This clearly reveals how Frost has represented people and their environment in a unique and evocative way through the use of the wall allegory. Similarly, Beveridge also uses an allegory to assist in emphasising her opinion on the treatment of housewives by society. She achieves this through the use of the Giraffe which represents mistreated women. On a literal sense the giraffe is perceived as a domesticated and captivated animal that evidently belongs in the wild. "She ruminates towards the tall buildings she mistakes for a herd: her gaze the loneliness of smoke." This reveals how this state of captivity in which the giraffe finds itself in is not natural. This is shown through the giraffe mistaking buildings for a herd which is only found in their natural environment. However, figuratively speaking, the Giraffe symbolises mistreated women and the unnaturalness of this abusive treatment. This is evident through the juxtaposition of the first two stanzas. "Like a black leather strap as she chews and endlessly licks the wire for salt blown in from the harbour", "Bruised-apple eyed." These quotes from the First Stanza reveal to the reader the consequences of this unnatural treatment towards women. The second stanza, however, shows the naturalness of society free from woman abuse. "I think of her graceful on her plain, one long-legged stride after another." From this quote, it is evident that Beveridge is clearly emphasising the natural and intended environment for women; free rather than encaging and captivating like the house wife.