Mending Wall Analysis

North of Boston1914Something there is that doesn't love a wall,

That sends the frozen-ground-swell under it,

And spills the upper boulders in the sun;

And makes gaps even two can pass abreast.

The work of hunters is another thing:

I have come after them and made repair

Where they have left not one stone on a stone,

But they would have the rabbit out of hiding,

To please the yelping dogs. The gaps I mean,

No one has seen them made or heard them made,

But at spring mending-time we find them there.

I let my neighbour know beyond the hill;

And on a day we meet to walk the line

And set the wall between us once again.

We keep the wall between us as we go.

To each the boulders that have fallen to each.

And some are loaves and some so nearly balls

We have to use a spell to make them balance:

"Stay where you are until our backs are turned!"

We wear our fingers rough with handling them.

Oh, just another kind of out-door game,

One on a side. It comes to little more:

There where it is we do not need the wall:

He is all pine and I am apple orchard.

My apple trees will never get across

And eat the cones under his pines, I tell him.

He only says, "Good fences make good neighbours."

Spring is the mischief in me, and I wonder

If I could put a notion in his head:

"Why do they make good neighbours? Isn't it

Where there are cows? But here there are no cows.

Before I built a wall I'd ask to know

What I was walling in or walling out,

And to whom I was like to give offence.

Something there is that doesn't love a wall,

That wants it down." I could say "Elves" to him,

But it's not elves exactly, and I'd rather

He said it for himself. I see him there

Bringing a stone grasped firmly by the top

In each hand, like an old-stone savage armed.

He moves in darkness as it seems to me,

Not of woods only and the shade of trees.

He will not go behind his father's saying,

And he likes having thought of it so well

He says again, "Good fences make good neighbours."

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Probably this means that the wall symbolizes a barrier between two neighbors in terms of personal and emotional aspects. That the two men always try to repair this wall meaning, they always try to set limits on each other.

| Posted on 2010-02-08 | by a guest

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I think that Robert Frost doesnt really like his neighbor at all. I think that he just uses the "spring-mending time" as a chance to mess with hie neighbor. For *-sake he wants his neighbor to think that Faires are the ones tearing down the wall. (I have no problem with Faires either. They are awesome!!) Whats up with this Liam dude anyways???

| Posted on 2010-02-04 | by a guest

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I think that Robert Frost doesnt really like his neighbor at all. I think that he just uses the "spring-mending time" as a chance to mess with hie neighbor. For *-sake he wants his neighbor to think that Faires are the ones tearing down the wall. (I have no problem with Faires either. They are awesome!!) Whats up with this Liam dude anyways???

| Posted on 2010-02-04 | by a guest

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kill robert frost.. kill his neighbors and destroy the wall.... jajajaja...
by zombies....
ive gonna eat your brains...

| Posted on 2010-02-04 | by a guest

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This is my favorite poem about teamwork. Knowing your roles and where you fit. Sometimes you need well-defined roles, sometimes you don't. The wall itself brings these two neighbors together. it brings each of them comfort, even though it is inherently un-natural. One of my favorite all-time poems.
Good neighbors make good fences...

| Posted on 2010-02-02 | by a guest

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the poem the mending wall explores how barriers can prevent one from revealing their true idenitty. when walls are put up one is reluctant to go against tradition and feel obliged to conform to those around them despite personal desires. the wall acts as a barrier between belonging to those around you and upholding individual desires.

| Posted on 2010-01-30 | by a guest

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Well i say this poem is about two neighbors who don't want to see eachother, or be open to accepting they live right next to eachother and learn to be friends. After working together to build the fence, they might question why they are seaperating in the first place.

| Posted on 2010-01-21 | by a guest

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This poem is talking about how two men that are one with nature are divided by this un-natural divder. It is clear that nature attempts to break down this divider.At least this is what i believe.

| Posted on 2010-01-21 | by a guest

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this poem is about keeping a wall between you and your wife

| Posted on 2010-01-11 | by a guest

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I read this poem as a metaphor. In many religious traditions there are many "fences" ie extra rules to make sure people never do anything that is actually forbidden. Ie men and women should not even talk to each other or sit next to each other on the bus or be friends, lest they come to be attracted and have an affair... yes, the fences make us careful but they also make us miss out on alot of human life, the learning and excitement we can feel from having another friend... I think the writer is poking fun at the serious neighbor who lives by all the rules around the rules- spring is making Frost mischievous enough to challenge the set laws and suggest maybe we can trust humans enough to make the right choices even if the rules are a bit more relaxed and only the fences that really need to be there, ie to keep out the cows (the major and most likely misbehaviors) are left standing and constantly strengthened.

| Posted on 2010-01-09 | by a guest

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I think that this means that its good to have boundaries(fences) with people but not walls(the boulders) because boundaries keep people out of your personal stuff but not away from you as a person, a wall keeps people away from everyting, you, your emotions, even helping you. So keeping a fence makes good neighbors because it meand you are strong enough to reach out to people but not to drag them into your problems.

| Posted on 2010-01-02 | by a guest

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As far as i understood frost is criticizing this traditional view of his friend. Frost says his neighbor is ignorant and he needs putting a notion on his head. Moreover, the whole poem symbolizes 'INTERNATIONALISM' that by giving fences we are dividing ourselves. also the line which is very much paradoxical "good fences make good neighbors", as to make good friends or neighbors we need not to have good fences rather we need the breaking of the wall and that is what Frost is talking about " nature" as he said" something that doesnt love a wall' .

| Posted on 2009-12-29 | by a guest

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I like the 2009-11-26 better than my 2009-10-18 analysis. An Attorney once advised that the first thing two neighbors should do in the face of uncertainty is not threaten, not write letters, not hire Attorneys but what they should do is meet over a bottle of Chardonnay. The act of mutually mending the wall shows a good faith effort on the part of two neighbors to establish their boundary. No amount of precise measuring by Land Surveyors will undo this.

| Posted on 2009-12-11 | by a guest

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The poem is good. It looks easy to understand but it is not easy to explain in a simple explanation. Frost could talk about his own neighbors, or himself, or the situation of the country at that time.

| Posted on 2009-12-09 | by a guest

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It seems that once a year, in the spring, the two men meet to repair their wall. In the process of repairing the wall between them, they are also required to associate with each other, and cooperate.
By performing maintenance together on their mutual boundary, the two men are bonded in a way and brought closer together. It is not so much the state of the fence, but the act of keeping the fence good is what makes good neighbours.

| Posted on 2009-11-26 | by a guest

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Owen Williams is the cutest guy ever, PB :)I love the way you are and if u ever read this, search the song pale blue eyes by the velvet underground i dedicated it to you am sure that after you read it you will know that it is from me:)

| Posted on 2009-11-18 | by a guest

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It just means that even when you feel so close to a friend that you feel you need not hide a single thing from him, you still need boundaries between him and you. Just like the persona in the poem wonders why there is a need for a wall when their properties are only trees and not cows and neither may wander onto each other's land, we might think there is no way we may offend our friend with our complete transparency and lack of filtering/self-censorship. There is a need for boundaries, so that there will not be any offence taken. As much as you love your friend, it is obvious you do not want him to be around you all the time or to tell you about every single thing in his life. But this is not spoken out loud in all relationships, just like the persona would rather his neighbour spell it out first, because he didn't want to. It is unspoken, but you know it, and I know it, so let's not overstep our boundaries, shall we?

| Posted on 2009-11-12 | by a guest

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I believe that this poem is much deeper than the surface. if you look at the time this poem was written World War one had just started and the cival war was only fourty years prior. I see this as Frost's way to look at segergation.

| Posted on 2009-11-03 | by a guest

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the wall is a physical and emotional barrier between the two men.

| Posted on 2009-11-02 | by a guest

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I actually think this poemis just like a journal reflection- a writing of his curiosity. He's frustrated and sore from continuously rebuilding this wall every spring. And it like a tradition but he's stunned when his neighbor makes the comment about "Good neighbors" the rest of his poem is wondering why we as a people need walls anyway if the person close to us has done nothing to offens us, why is a wall necessary?

| Posted on 2009-10-25 | by a guest

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I believe this poem is about the human need to define boundaries as humans are territorial creatures.

| Posted on 2009-10-21 | by a guest

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This poem is obviously about avoiding a boundary dispute between two landowners. Good fences make good neighbors. There is good advice about contacting the neighbor when the wall is down and needs to be jointly repaired. I wish I could force the people that call me complaining about 3" in an older neighborhood with no good survey control to read this poem.

| Posted on 2009-10-18 | by a guest

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I believe this poem describes the urges and apprehensions that one person, whoever that may be, feels when exposing him/herself to another, or assimilating: fear (perhaps of rejection, etc.) and desire (perhaps for acceptance-bonding or companionship). It signifies the two-faced, or two-faced, nature of human experience. (End note (Biblical): This presupposes that shame is recognized/actualized; but, only after nakedness is exposed/accentuated.)

| Posted on 2009-10-16 | by a guest

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I think most of people only see here in this poem, what the neighbor speaker of the poem wants you to see, he doesn't need the wall separating them, but at the same time he is the one who take the first step in mending the wall every year, I think the over the vision of friendship in this poem is the inability of human beings of walking together,and it's not one side only, both neighbors built the wall and mend it every year.

| Posted on 2009-08-20 | by a guest

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poetry is for faggts and i'm forced to read this sh*t

| Posted on 2009-08-14 | by a guest

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Mending Wall is obviously about the interpersonal relationship between two people. The wall, is the emotional distance we keep, which prevents others from getting to close to us on a personal level. Frost as the speaker has his opinion. The reader, you, have been given the question as to what side, or rather, what kind of person are you? Are you like Robert Frost, open to the idea of friendship? Or, are you more like the antagonist who, "Moves in the darkness as it seems" remains closed to the idea of breaking down barriers. Maybe it's just the elves, that could consider this on a global scale considering one nations right to interfere with another nation, or maybe not.

| Posted on 2009-07-29 | by a guest

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the hell is with that poem! is totally fcking stupid!
grrr!!! i hate robert frost!!! he is so dumb!! keep up the fcking work..

| Posted on 2009-07-26 | by a guest

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Connection to Fences: The good times with neighbor/friend Jim Bono seem strained now. Out in the yard on Saturday morning, working on Rose’s fence, Jim Bono suggests that Rose wants the fence to hold on, protect, the one’s she loves; keep her family together in her loving embrace. Bono’s comment challenges Troy’s recent actions with Alberta. Jim leaves saying “I want to see you put that fence up by yourself” which might suggest that Troy must right whatever wrongs he’s caused.
Frost’s poem relates a scene of two neighbors working on a fence (wall) as well, but is somewhat ambiguous. The poem presents opposing views about the wall. Which mindset does the poet seem to favor: the neighbor’s view or the speaker’s view? Furthermore, if the speaker dislikes walls, why does he initiate mending the wall each spring? Quote the poem and provide commentary explaining how the quoted material helps show that your assertion (opinion, interpretation) is well-supported by the text.
????
Thats what I have to write about at summer school help!!!

| Posted on 2009-07-24 | by a guest

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Connection to Fences: The good times with neighbor/friend Jim Bono seem strained now. Out in the yard on Saturday morning, working on Rose’s fence, Jim Bono suggests that Rose wants the fence to hold on, protect, the one’s she loves; keep her family together in her loving embrace. Bono’s comment challenges Troy’s recent actions with Alberta. Jim leaves saying “I want to see you put that fence up by yourself” which might suggest that Troy must right whatever wrongs he’s caused.
Frost’s poem relates a scene of two neighbors working on a fence (wall) as well, but is somewhat ambiguous. The poem presents opposing views about the wall. Which mindset does the poet seem to favor: the neighbor’s view or the speaker’s view? Furthermore, if the speaker dislikes walls, why does he initiate mending the wall each spring? Quote the poem and provide commentary explaining how the quoted material helps show that your assertion (opinion, interpretation) is well-supported by the text.
????
Thats what I have to write about at summer school help!!!

| Posted on 2009-07-24 | by a guest

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This
may only be an analysis of the writing. No requests for explanation or
general short comments allowed. Due to Spam Posts are moderated before
posted.

| Posted on 2009-07-24 | by a guest

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u r guyz fckin serious, what is wrong with ppl nowadayz

| Posted on 2009-07-07 | by a guest

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will matthews has a massive willie hanging off his forehead

| Posted on 2009-06-24 | by a guest

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I am daniel Tsoi....and i love WOW and men..yay me
Robert Frost

| Posted on 2009-06-24 | by a guest

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U guys have no life will mathews lik banging horses
robert frost

| Posted on 2009-06-24 | by a guest

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danial tsoi likes playing wow
with robert frost

| Posted on 2009-06-24 | by a guest

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Ok?? give as a call when u get further than me
Robert Frost

| Posted on 2009-06-24 | by a guest

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Robert Frost (code for liam) is a noob. He likes to read poetry and occaisionly play with it (poetry = ...) Last but not least you are a fieces like person that

| Posted on 2009-06-24 | by a guest

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srsly though liam does get it off with men i mean that is fair rank
thankyou liam and robert frost

| Posted on 2009-06-24 | by a guest

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Mate when is the new prono being released i heard all the horses are so excited.
Robert Frost

| Posted on 2009-06-24 | by a guest

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srsly though liam does get it off with men i mean that is fair rank
thankyou liam and robert frost

| Posted on 2009-06-24 | by a guest