Robert Frosts Most Anthologised Poems
‘Humankind erects and maintains real and symbolic barriers to protect and defend opposing stances, beliefs and territories. The resulting lack of communication reinforces those barriers, often to detrimental effects’. Discuss in relation to at least two of Robert Frost’s poems.
Much of Frost’s poetry includes the discussion of, and indeed reasoning behind varying types of barriers within diverse situations - many of which he himself experienced throughout his life. Mending Wall, “one of Frosts most anthologised poems”, is a primary example of both physical and emotional barriers being used in his attempts to explore the diversity in the relationships between both humankind and nature, and human beings themselves; the question “Are walls …show more content…
The wall is the most dominant piece of irony used throughout; it not only separates the speaker from his neighbour, but it also brings them together every year. Line 14 “We set the wall between us once again. We keep the wall between us as we go”, suggests that they are content in working together to repair the wall on the condition that they both mend their own side. The use of these techniques together with the repetitions of the lines "Something there is that doesn’t love a wall," and "Good fences make good neighbors,” emphasise the theme of a two sided argument, as does line 23 at the exact centre of the poem. “There where it is we do not need the wall”, is the first intimation that the speaker does not feel a need for the wall. This line divides the poem in two, with the first 22 lines being the factual events surrounding the mending of the wall, and the last 22 lines being the ‘argument’ for and against the presence of it. The style in which Home Burial is written in is opposing in every way, with the choice of language and delivery giving it greater importance and ‘weight’ within the works of Frost. It is notable that only one word in Mending Wall is more than two syllables long. The language of Home Burial is direct …show more content…
Barlow, A. Robert Frost Selected Poems, (Oxford, 1998), pg.11.
[ 4 ]. Bloom, H. Bloom’s Major Poets, (London, 1998), pg.146.
[ 5 ]. Barlow, A. Robert Frost Selected Poems, (Oxford, 1998), pg.11.
[ 6 ]. Cummings Study Guides, Mending Wall, (http://www.cummingsstudyguides.net/Guides5/MendingWall.html), accessed 03/05/2011.
[ 7 ]. Barlow, A. Robert Frost Selected Poems, (Oxford, 1998), pg.9.
[ 8 ]. Modern American Poetry, (http://www.english.illinois.edu/maps/poets/a_f/frost/wall.htm), accessed 20/04/2011.
[ 9 ]. The Association of young Journalists and Writers, (http://www.ayjw.org/articles.php?id=516518), accessed 20/04/2011.
[ 10 ]. Barlow, A. Robert Frost Selected Poems, (Oxford, 1998), pg11.
[ 11 ]. Barlow, A. Robert Frost Selected Poems, (Oxford, 1998), pg.9.
[ 12 ]. The Poetry of Robert Frost, (http://www.gradesaver.com/the-poetry-of-robert-frost/study-guide/major-themes/), accessed 22/04/2011.
[ 13 ]. The Poetry of Robert Frost, (http://www.gradesaver.com/the-poetry-of-robert-frost/study-guide/major-themes/), accessed 22/04/2011.
[ 14 ]. Shmoop Learning and Teaching Guides, (http://www.shmoop.com/mending-wall/rhyme-form-meter.html), accessed 04/05/2011.
[ 15 ]. Barlow, A. Robert Frost Selected Poems, (Oxford, 1998),
Much of Frost’s poetry includes the discussion of, and indeed reasoning behind varying types of barriers within diverse situations - many of which he himself experienced throughout his life. Mending Wall, “one of Frosts most anthologised poems”, is a primary example of both physical and emotional barriers being used in his attempts to explore the diversity in the relationships between both humankind and nature, and human beings themselves; the question “Are walls …show more content…
The wall is the most dominant piece of irony used throughout; it not only separates the speaker from his neighbour, but it also brings them together every year. Line 14 “We set the wall between us once again. We keep the wall between us as we go”, suggests that they are content in working together to repair the wall on the condition that they both mend their own side. The use of these techniques together with the repetitions of the lines "Something there is that doesn’t love a wall," and "Good fences make good neighbors,” emphasise the theme of a two sided argument, as does line 23 at the exact centre of the poem. “There where it is we do not need the wall”, is the first intimation that the speaker does not feel a need for the wall. This line divides the poem in two, with the first 22 lines being the factual events surrounding the mending of the wall, and the last 22 lines being the ‘argument’ for and against the presence of it. The style in which Home Burial is written in is opposing in every way, with the choice of language and delivery giving it greater importance and ‘weight’ within the works of Frost. It is notable that only one word in Mending Wall is more than two syllables long. The language of Home Burial is direct …show more content…
Barlow, A. Robert Frost Selected Poems, (Oxford, 1998), pg.11.
[ 4 ]. Bloom, H. Bloom’s Major Poets, (London, 1998), pg.146.
[ 5 ]. Barlow, A. Robert Frost Selected Poems, (Oxford, 1998), pg.11.
[ 6 ]. Cummings Study Guides, Mending Wall, (http://www.cummingsstudyguides.net/Guides5/MendingWall.html), accessed 03/05/2011.
[ 7 ]. Barlow, A. Robert Frost Selected Poems, (Oxford, 1998), pg.9.
[ 8 ]. Modern American Poetry, (http://www.english.illinois.edu/maps/poets/a_f/frost/wall.htm), accessed 20/04/2011.
[ 9 ]. The Association of young Journalists and Writers, (http://www.ayjw.org/articles.php?id=516518), accessed 20/04/2011.
[ 10 ]. Barlow, A. Robert Frost Selected Poems, (Oxford, 1998), pg11.
[ 11 ]. Barlow, A. Robert Frost Selected Poems, (Oxford, 1998), pg.9.
[ 12 ]. The Poetry of Robert Frost, (http://www.gradesaver.com/the-poetry-of-robert-frost/study-guide/major-themes/), accessed 22/04/2011.
[ 13 ]. The Poetry of Robert Frost, (http://www.gradesaver.com/the-poetry-of-robert-frost/study-guide/major-themes/), accessed 22/04/2011.
[ 14 ]. Shmoop Learning and Teaching Guides, (http://www.shmoop.com/mending-wall/rhyme-form-meter.html), accessed 04/05/2011.
[ 15 ]. Barlow, A. Robert Frost Selected Poems, (Oxford, 1998),