Walls have a questionable reputation, for good reason.
"Good fences make good neighbors," is an adage famous for its appearance in the Robert Frost poem "Mending Wall." The phrase is often intoned by conservative thought leaders such as Sarah Palin to justify the building of a wall along our southern border. Careful reading of the poem reveals that it means the opposite of what it states. In the poem, two neighbors mend a wall separating their farms. The narrator of the poem expresses doubts about the need for the wall, while his neighbor insists on its necessity. The narrator's musing on the wall's constant need for repair suggests even nature conspires against the existence of a wall.
It is often repeated that Hadrian's Wall, built by
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The surviving wall was built primarily in the 14th through 17th centuries AD, during the Ming dynasty (1368-1644). The Great Wall was somewhat effective at preventing raiding parties, however it did not prevent invaders from entering China. Ultimately the Mongols would breach the wall and conquer the Mings. The wall came to symbolize a barrier between China and the rest of the …show more content…
People would come to her grandmother for relief from skin conditions such as acne and warts. Her grandmother treated the afflicted skin by uttering a prayer in Arabic, stabbing an apple with rose thorns, and then encircling the wart or blemish with dark ink. Shafak contends she never remembers anyone disappointed or unhealed by her grandmother's treatment. When she asked her grandmother if it was the prayer that healed, her grandmother agreed that prayer was important but cautioned her granddaughter to "beware the power of circles." Shafak says this taught her that if you want to destroy something, whether it is a wart or the human spirit, "surround it with thick walls, it will wither and
This stood out to me because it is very true. If there is a wall then there are people that have to guard it. If the guards don't do their job then people can break through the wall. If there are no guards then people can just climb over it with ease. One of the connections that I had with this poem was the Great Wall of China. When I read this
Around 220 CE the Han dynasty that rules China starts many attacks on the northern nomads. The Han have conquered and received new territories. Then repairs and builds about 10,000 kilometers of walls. This is the first time the Chinese are extending far west through the Gobi Desert. The Great Wall then takes on a new role which is protecting the Silk Road trade routes that connect China and the West.
, ‘My apples will never get across and eat the cones under his pines, and I tell him. He only says, good fences make good neighbours.’ This shows that there is clearly no substantial reason for the wall to be built but one neighbour carries the view that ‘good neighbours make good fences’ and no
China still uses the Wall today, as well. The vast structure serves as a popular tourist attraction, thus, stimulating Chinese economy. Throughout its lifetime, the masterpiece repelled invaders such as the Mongols from the empire that would soon be most of China. This protection allowed China to undergo some of the most vital advancements, such as standardization of things like currency, which unified to the six very different cities that this nation is comprised of. This great work of mankind is often overlooked and forgotten, unfortunately. Not too many people know of the influence the Great Wall has had on China. Hopefully one day, all across the globe will know of the incredible good that this ancient marvel has done for one of the world’s most prolonged societies.
families, or ethnicities. Robert Frost wrote of fences in his poem ―Mending Wall‖ showing how
The history of the Great Wall dates back to long before 221BC when people settled in vast China territory. The settlers adopted two main lifestyles; Farming and Nomadic lifestyles. According to O'Neill (18), the farmers planted crops and grains such as wheat, millet and barley. They also kept animals such as sheep and dogs. After the harvest, the farmers stored surplus food in their granaries, enabling them to have food throughout; even when the growing season was over. Due to their farming activities, the farmers were stationed in one place. On the other hand, the nomads travelled the land in search for food for themselves and pasture for their animals. Farmers’ villages became attractive location for the nomads to get food because farmers had stores of grains. As a result, nomads began invading the villages to take food. Invasion by the nomads and other neighbors caused the farmers to group themselves in villages and develop mechanisms of protecting themselves against the...
A description of the wall is necessary in order to provide a base for comparison with the rest of the story. Because we only get the narrator s point of view, descriptions of the wall become more important as a way of judging her deteriorating mental state. When first mentioned, she sees the wall as a sprawling, flamboyant pattern committing every artistic sin, (Gilman 693) once again emphasizing her present intellectual capacity. Additionally, the w...
The Ming wall was the last section to be built. It was built in an age when China would become a world economic power. This wall took an estimated 200 years to complete. The Ming portion of the wall contained individual forts that at one time held and estimated one million soldiers! An economic power is something that is not attained in one day but over time through careful planning and excellent leadership.
"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.
It describes how the conservative farmer follows traditions blindly and the isolated life followed by him. It reflects how people make physical barriers and that later in life come to their social life too. Where neighbor with pine tree, believes that this separation is needed as it is essential for their privacy and personal life. The poem explores a paradox in human nature. The first few lines reflect demolition of the wall, ?Something there is that doesn?t reflect love a wall? this reflects that nature itself does not like separation. The "something" referring to the intangible sense of social interaction. Furthermore "that sends the frozen-ground-swell under it" refers to Frost or to the author. Although the narrator does not want the wall, ironically, the mending of the wall brings the neighbors together and literally builds their friendship. An additional irony of the poem is that the only time these two neighbors sees each other is when they both mend the wall. The narrator sees the stubbornness in his neighbor, and uses the simile 'like an old-stone savage' to compare him to a stone-age man who 'moves in darkness', that is, set in his ways, and who is unlikely to change his views.
Many sources disagree as to when The Great Wall of China first began. The dates of the original construction vary from 656 BC3 to 214 BC4. This discrepancy is caused by the arguments whether the bordering walls built by the early feudal states are actually part of The Great Wall of China we know today. Th...
The poem itself is a technique Robert Frost uses to convey his ideas. Behind the literal representation of building walls, there is a deeper metaphoric meaning, which reflects people's attitudes towards others. It reflects the social barriers people build, to provide a sense of personal security and comfort, in the belief that barriers are a source of protection which will make people less vulnerable to their fears. Robert Frost's ideas are communicated strongly through the perspective of the narrator in the poem, the 'I' voice, who questions the need for barriers. The use of conversation and the thoughts of the narrator reflect the poet's own thoughts. In line thirty to line thirty-five, the narrator questions the purpose of a wall. He has an open disposition and does not understand the need to 'wall in' or 'wall out' anything or anyone.
The poem renders an apparent question: Why do people build unnecessary obstructions between one another? Each the poet and his neighbor stays on his side of the wall, taking up the stones that had fallen on his own side, which suggests that there is no trespassing at all. The mysterious force that appears to be attempting to destroy the wall is a symbolic representation of the craving for harmony among all of mankind. This craving is almost depressing, because the dissatisfaction is never quenched. Its will is, however, strong and persistent, and it "makes gaps even two can pass abreast," which is a plead for the men to put aside their differences and walk side by side. Frost sympathetically watches as his neighbor "moves in darkness." The poet does not mean that he dwells under the shadow of his pine trees, but under the shadow of his hostile ignorance, and the poet perceives no hope for his brutality. The neighbor, however, thinks himself highly for his wit, disregards the wisdom of his father, and states indifferently, "Good fences ...
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.
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