The storyline in most high school English classes is the analyzing or overanalyzing of poetry. Often this train of thought winds into a one-track argument between teacher and students.
The pupils object about readers manufacturing meaning where none exists; the instructor insists that the poem merits deep examination. Granted, some poets write simple poems for the primary sake of entertainment (i.e. Jack Prelutsky). However, some poets manage to compound a dense significance into a concise poem, and these poems warrant the analysis of their deep meaning. Robert Frost is one poet capable of creating these masterpieces of poetry, such as tackling a subject as grand as the Apocalypse and commenting on it in terms of fire and ice (“Fire and Ice”). Frost succeeds in the task again in his poem “Mending Wall,” which literally tells the story of two men who, following every winter, repair the stone wall that separates their fields. In this poem, Frost implements a specific physical structure along with poetic devices including, dialogue and metaphors to derive a deeper social commentary from a common occurrence- building a wall.
The physical construction of the poem “Mending Wall” reflects the literal wall and the metaphorical barrier being erected between the two men. Instead of dividing his poem into stanzas, Frost “presents an unbroken sequence of lines” (Andrews 1). First, the poem is left justified over its entirety and lacks any stanza breaks. These two characteristics cause the poem to appear on the page as resembling a jagged, serrated wall. The effect can be truly revealed by tilting the poem sideways, placing the flat (left justified) side on the bottom and the jagged edge on top. The poem physically appears as a stone wall...
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...a common border. Through double meanings and an effective story and title, Frost is able to entertain with strong poetry while conveying his subliminal commentary.
To summarize, Frost’s “Mending Wall” is a work of respectable value not only for its poetic ingredients but also for its multi-faceted secondary meanings. Beneath the first layer of context lays a deep social commentary that is apparent through engaged analysis. Whether in support or dissent of the excessive examination of poetry, “Mending Wall” by Robert Frost possesses the poetic devices of traditional works and a deeper social commentary that is expected from Robert Frost. The meeting of rational thinking and primitive instinct occurs in society regularly. Human beings share this duality within themselves, and this poem depicts the struggle between the two points of view, the two sides of the wall.
The poem Fire and Ice is nine line long and is an example of a briefly ironic literary style of Frosts work. Fire and Ice ranges between two meter lengths. The poem uses interwoven rhymes founded on “ire,” “ice,” and “ate.” Although the meter is irregular it does keep up an iambic foot throughout the poem. The first line of the poem is a tetrameter followed by a dimeter which is followed by five line of tetrameter, ending with two lines of dimeter. The division of the line lengths is to render natural interruptions in the poem causing the reader to stop and reread what they have just read in order to comprehend the meaning of the lines containing the dimeter. For example when the reader reads “ Some say in ice” they go back to the first line of the poem to reread the topic of what some are saying about the end of the world. The rhyme scheme of “Fire and Ice” is ABAABCBCB style. The words “fire” and “ice” are being rhymed with themselves. By using this scheme it means that the poem falls soundly and flows. By using the rhyme scheme Frosts creates a connection between the words. For example “fire” and “desire,” which make it clear that the words are related on a deeper level. As well the rhyming of “fire” and “ice” with themselves made it work to cre...
The speaker in Frost’s, “Mending Wall” expresses through thoughts primarily the necessity for a wall between himself and his neighbor. Every year the wall is damaged by weather and hunters as the speaker indicates, “Something there is that doesn’t love a wall (Frost, 51).” Additionally, the speaker asks his neighbor of what purpose is there is such ...
The "Mending Wall" is the opening poem in Robert Frost's second book entitled, North of Boston. The poem portrays the casual part of life as seen by two farmers mending their wall. A great number of people might look at "Mending Wall" and see a simple poem about a simple aspect of life. If this is truly the case then why are so many drawn to the poem and what is found when more than a superficial look is spent on Robert Frost's work? The "Mending Wall" is an insightful look at social interactions as seen in the comparison of the repeated phrases and the traditional attitudes of the two farmers.
In “Mending Wall” by Robert Frost, one neighbor wants to break down the wall that separates both of them. They each need something from each other whether it is food or resources. Each year, they come together to discuss ways to fix the wall that separates each other. This neighbor wants his other neighbor to join together as an "entire "community despite their belief and differences. His perspective is that coming together will solve issues and gain different ideas to make their society. Removing this barrier would create a better, just stainable
Mending Wall written by Robert Frost, describes the relationship between two neighbors and idea of maintaining barriers. Where one of them feels that there is no need of this wall, 'There where it is we do not need the wall: He is all pine and I am apple orchard.' On the other hand his neighbor remains unconvinced and follows inherited wisdom passed down to him by his father, 'Good fences make good neighbors.' They even kept the wall while mending it, this reflect that they never interact with each other, ?We keep the wall between us as we go?. Robert Frost has maintained this literal meaning of physical barriers but it does contain metaphor as representation of these physical barriers separating the neighbors and also their friendship.
The conflict in "Mending Wall" develops as the speaker reveals more and more of himself while portraying a native Yankee and responding to the regional spirit he embodies. The opposition between observer and observed--and the tension produced by the observer's awareness of the difference--is crucial to the poem. Ultimately, the very knowledge of this opposition becomes itself a kind of barrier behind which the persona, for all his dislike of walls, finds himself confined.
Robert Frost’s “Design” is a poem of finding natural cruelty in the serenity of nature, a melody of understanding. Upon reading the first line, not unlike the whole poem, a joke in tone, rhythm is building up an image that grows into something else. In “Design”, the joking discovery progresses gradually through a sequence of conflicting images. . Frost uses imagery, allegory, and characterization to accomplish what could only be described as an American emblem poem. This essay will analyze Frost’s “Design”, interpreting the underlying message and overall theme Frost may have been trying to convey.
par. 1). With clever poetic purpose, Frost‘s poems meld the ebb and flow of nature to convey
"Mending Wall" is a poem written by the poet Robert Frost. The poem describes two neighbors who repair a fence between their estates. It is, however, obvious that this situation is a metaphor for the relationship between two people. The wall is the manifestation of the emotional barricade that separates them. In this situation the "I" voice wants to tear down this barricade while his "neighbor" wants to keep it.
In his poem 'Mending Wall', Robert Frost presents to us the thoughts of barriers linking people, communication, friendship and the sense of security people gain from barriers. His messages are conveyed using poetic techniques such as imagery, structure and humor, revealing a complex side of the poem as well as achieving an overall light-hearted effect. Robert Frost has cleverly intertwined both a literal and metaphoric meaning into the poem, using the mending of a tangible wall as a symbolic representation of the barriers that separate the neighbors in their friendship.
In the poem "Mending Wall," Robert Frost utilizes the literary devices of imagery, meter, and symbolism to demonstrate the rational and irrational boundaries or metaphoric "walls" humans place on their relationships with others. The precise images, such as the depiction of the mending-time ritual and the dynamic description of his "old-stone savage armed" neighbor, serve to enhance our enjoyment as well as our understanding of the poem (40). The poem is written in blank verse (iambic pentameter); the form that most closely resembles everyday English. Frost deliberately employs this direct, conversational, and easy to understand style of meter which appears simple on the surface. Although symbolism is used throughout, the three most significant symbols are: the wall, his neighbor, and Frost himself as the speaker. Analyzing each of these devices as well as how they harmonize with one another is necessary in order to appreciate what Frost was revealing about human behavior.
In his poem 'Mending Wall', Robert Frost presents to us the ideas of barriers between people, communication, friendship and the sense of security people gain from barriers. His messages are conveyed using poetic techniques such as imagery, structure and humour, revealing a complex side of the poem as well as achieving an overall light-hearted effect. Robert Frost has cleverly intertwined both a literal and metaphoric meaning into the poem, using the mending of a tangible wall as a symbolic representation of the barriers that separate the neighbours in their friendship.
Robert Frost joins all his lines together in this narrative poem while still focusing on different ideas. He uses this style of poetry to develop the theme. Everything flows together yet stands apart line by line. Narratives are pleasingly unrestrained and their strive to tell stories are easeful. In "Mending Wall", Frost tells a story of how nature has instilled an entropy in barriers to provoke peaceful living among all creatures. The construction of the wall may be in fact destruction of man's relations with his peers.
It can easily be argued that Frost believed that little difference existed between humanity’s inner nature and the nature of the world which surrounded him. Time and again Frost personifies nature in human terms and points out the many ways in which what happens in an individual’s life is a reflection of what is occurs in the natural world. In fact, it can be said that this poet viewed nature as being separate from humanity only by the virtue by which humanity removes itself from the outside world. In other words, nature never leaves, humans are the ones to leave nature. Many of Frost’s poem clearly demonstrate the ways in which the peace of being fully juxtaposed to nature when a human steps outside their rigid human realm and learn to appreciate their natural surroundings.
The poem “Mending Wall” begins by the narrator telling is that there is a wall that is constantly being taken down by nature, and the narrator and his neighbor have to keep re-building it. But as the poem progresses, the narrator becomes unsure with himself, and begins to say that there is a wall “There where it is we do not need the wall” (23). He starts to question why a wall is there, knowing that he can never get across it to his neighbor. As the poem keeps progressing, he learns that the wall is there because of his neighbors tradition from his father, and he ends up saying “Something there is that doesn’t love a wall that wants it down (35), and he is talking about himself. In the progression of this poem, we see the narrator’s character change from someone who is persistent to someone who has hatred for what he is doing. He becomes more aware, having an epiphany, learning that there is truly no need for a wall, and it is only there because his neighbor is following his father’s tradition that requires him to keep the wall up. Through this characterization, we see that by only one side having hatred for the other, it can cause a division between them, because one person disagrees with the other. Through this poem, we see many character changes amongst the narrator, but one character that stays the same