Analysis of Robert Frosts Mending Wall Essay - 1173 Words

Robert Frost’s Mending Wall 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. â€Å"Mending Wall† is about two neighbors who disagree over the need of a wall to separate their properties. Not only does the wall act as a†¦show more content†¦The use of conversation and the thoughts of the narrator reflect the poets 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 â€Å"wa ll in† or â€Å"wall out† (line 33) anything or anyone. Imagery is one of the poetic techniques that Robert Frost uses in ‘Mending Wall’ to convey his ideas. In the first eleven lines of the poem, Frost uses imagery to describe the degradation of the wall, creating a visual image for the reader. The sentence structure of the first line in the poem places emphasis on â€Å"something†. This, compound with the use of personification, makes â€Å"something† appear alive and even human-like. Animate qualities have been given to â€Å"something† through the use of the words â€Å"love†, â€Å"sends†, â€Å"spills†, and â€Å"makes gaps† (lines 1-4), illustrating a vivid impression of the degradation of the wall. Nature, in the form of cold weather, frost and the activities of small creatures, gradually destroys the wall. The narrator seems to believe that walls are unnatural and suggests that nature dislikes walls. This is portrayed through the phrase â€Å"sends the frozen ground swell under it† (line 2). The poem describes nature-making holes in the wall large enough that â€Å"even two can pass abreast† (line 4). Literally, this refers to the size of the holes. However, it may also be interpreted thatShow MoreRelatedAnalysis Of Robert Frosts Mending Wall995 Words   |  4 Pages Mending Wall† is a poem by the twentieth century American poet Robert Frost. Whenever we learn about poetry in school, Robert Frost has always been one of my favorite poets (along with Charlotte Brontà «). Poems like The Road Not Taken† and Nothing Gold Can Stay† were always my favorites. I remember reading Mending Wall† sometime freshman or sophomore year, and it had intrigued me. We hadnt looked to deep into the poem as much as I would have liked. All of his poems have thisRead MoreLiterary Analysis Of Robert Frosts Mending Wall1031 Words   |  5 PagesTo build a wall   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã¢â‚¬Å"Mending Wall† is a poem written in Robert Frost’s second book of poetry, â€Å"North of Boston†. This poem tells a story about the so called crucial part of every piece of property, a fence, and the advantages and disadvantages that seem to come with having a fence in your property.This poem involves two neighbors who hold opposite answers as to weather the wall should stay or go. Though the speaker presents himself as an enlightened person and his neighbor as a foolish prisonerRead MoreEssay about The Dark Side of Humanity Exposed in Robert Frosts Poetry991 Words   |  4 PagesHumanity Exposed in Robert Frosts Poetry Robert Frost is often referred to as a poet of nature. Words and phrases such as fire and ice, flowers in bloom, apple orchards and rolling hills, are all important elements of Frosts work. These ‘benign objects provide an alternative way to look at the world and are often used as metaphors to describe a darker view of nature and humans. In Frosts poetry, the depth is as important as the surface. The darker aspects of Frosts poetry are often portrayedRead MoreThe Dark Side of Robert Frost’s Nature Essay2339 Words   |  10 PagesRobert Frost is known for his poems about nature, he writes about trees, flowers, and animals. This is a common misconception, Robert Frost is more than someone who writes a happy poem about nature. The elements of nature he uses are symbolic of something more, something darker, and something that needs close attention to be discovered. Flowers might not always represent beauty in Robert Frost’s poetry. Symbolism is present in every line of the nature’s poet’s poems. The everyday objects presentRead MorePoem Analysis of Mending Wall1121 Words   |  5 PagesProfessor ****** Poem Analysis Mending Wall I chose this poem because the wall reminds me of my personal struggles with other people. When people annoy or bother me I instantly put up an imaginary wall between me and that person. They ask me to stop ignoring them and I just shrug their request, just like in this poem. I decide that the wall between us is better up than down because I was afraid of getting mad and saying things that I would regret later on. Mending Wall, by Robert Frost portrays theRead MoreAnalysis Of Robert Frost s The Mending Wall 1311 Words   |  6 PagesIn Robert Frost the Mending Wall it is about the obligation of boundaries and the deceiving influences employed to abolish them. The poem shows how two individuals have different opinions on a wall that divides their properties. As the poem goes on, one would think that there is a connection between the two, through the rebuilding of the wall every spring. Richard Cory and Miniver Cheevy have many similarities as well as differences, on one hand you h ave a rich and depressed individual that is admiredRead MoreRobert Frost s Writing Style1589 Words   |  7 Pages Robert Frost once said, â€Å"The figure a poem makes. It begins in delight and ends in wisdom... in a clarification of life - not necessarily a great clarification, such as sects and cults are founded on, but in a momentary stay against confusion† (Robert Frost Quotes). This same kind of thinking opened the door for metaphorical poetry that helped to show the poets transparency. His love for the social outcast and the struggles of his life are exhibited greatly in his poems. Robert Frost helpedRead MoreStopping By The Woods Essay1012 Words   |  5 Pagesaspects of revelation. Exploration of self and the wider world is a multifaceted component, manipulated to be found in all aspects of life. Composers such as Robert Frost and David Wilkie incorporate these notions into their literary works. Robert Frost dexterously composed the poems Stopping by the woods on a snowy evening and Mending Wall to reflect the ambiguous nature of man’s interpretive expeditions. Similarl y, David Wilkie adapts Titan’s 16th century ‘Supper at Emmaus’ to his 19th CenturyRead More An Analysis of Mending Wall Essay2101 Words   |  9 PagesAn Analysis of Mending Wall Robert Frost once said that Mending Wall was a poem that was spoiled by being applied. What did he mean by applied? Any poem is damaged by being misunderstood, but thats the risk all poems run. What Frost objects to, I think, is a reduction and distortion of the poem through practical use. When President John F. Kennedy inspected the Berlin Wall he quoted the poems first line: Something there is that doesnt love a wall. His audience knew what he meant andRead MoreUsing Denotative And Connotative Meanings LA Essay1298 Words   |  6 Pagesmake sure you have met the expected criteria for the assignment. When you have finished, submit your work to your teacher. 1. Effect of Connotative Meanings a. Find and record six examples of connotative meaning from Ronald Reagan’s â€Å"Tear Down This Wall† speech. Then note whether the word or phrase has a negative or a positive connotation and the effect Reagan was trying to achieve by using it. Type your response here: Germany in a gash of barbed wire has a negative connotation Concrete has positive