·
what is the poem literally saying?
o two
neighbors, one of the neighbors says that wall is continually torn down,
annually meet and re-build
o neighbor
questions why the wall is there in the first place
o second
neighbor “good fences make good neighbors”
·
how does the wall demonstrate the barrier between
the two people
o neighbor
doesn’t have a reason – but all he has ever know, keep things separate
o narrator
questions purpose – wants to challenge the other neighbor
§
third to last line, “he will not go against his
fathers saying”
·
used to the wall, tradition
·
why still fix the wall?
o about
inability of people to change ways and break down institutions
§
24 shift from we -> he is all pine, and I am
apple orchard
§
in nature people are different and cant really
change that although neighbor wants to take wall down neighbor is still going
to be who he is
§
more symbolic – taking down divide
§
aren’t bothering one another, no need for divide
but it is still there
§
afraid of change
·
afraid of breaking down internal wall, and
letting wall decompose
o good
fences make good neighbors
§
keep each other honest, no dispute – literal
sense
§
making sure in future generations that there is
no land dispute
o don’t
think poem is really about orchards but instead
§
different types of farms, different points of
views -> narrator suggest take down the walls and try and talk about things
and share points of view with one another
o narrator
apple orchard, whereas neighbor evergreen, doesn’t change with season ->
apple change throughout season, change through life and opinions
·
segregation
o word
neighbor
§
struggle between blacks and whites
§
even if not a wall and given full rights still
air of segregation
·
throughout the poem, narrator and neighbor don’t
talk as friends, no relationship besides they are neighbors
o wall
was divide
·
conflict between two ideologies
o narrator
– open minded and wants to tear down wall
o neighbor
– likes boundaries and personal space
o questioning
of why make boundaries
§
“before I build a wall…”
·
is the neighbor building walls to keep view
insulated or to keep worlds view away from him
·
written WWI
o commentary
on communism v. democracy
§
two
orchards represent opposing views
§
which side of fence represents democracy and
communism?
·
both sides put walls up, ambiguous
·
why the wall is being destroyed every winter?
o nature
o frost
is saying unnatural to seclude oneself from people
o man
fighting nature, natural instincts
·
nature/natural cycles/events
o “spring
is the mischievous in me”
§
apple tree goes through seasons -> like
adolescence
o winter
breaks wall down, during spring rebuild, naturally walls get torn down, winter
represents hardship, in spring have an opportunity to move in a different
direction, but continually choose to build wall back up
o trees
-> apple experience seasons, evergreen constant
o narrator
alerts neighbor is time to mend walls
§
does he begin like pine tree man and something
happens to him over course of walking wall? doesn’t know himself?
·
knows that it needs to be done, posing question
of purpose of mending fence, maybe is simply a question and questioning
reasoning
·
wall as a family feud -> over time people
compelled to maintain wall but gaps form, synonymous with not knowing why feud
started in the first place
·
reason wants to rebuild is because what he knows
but while rebuilding it reflects and questions why he does it in the first
place
o mending
fences -> fixing a relationship
§
in the poem instead creates a barrier
·
is the poem criticizing isolationism?
o WWI,
US doesn’t enter until late
o if
wall torn down would foster better relationships
·
argument that do need fences
o cows
are an example where need barriers
o between
countries there is a need for a border to keep people confined just as cows
need to be confined
·
gaps so wide that two people could walk
though - cattle need for walls
o narrator
not talking about literal walls but instead referring to more of a trade
barrier between countries, fostering positive relationships
·
why do they need to rebuild?
o doesn’t
ask neighbor but would rather figure out himself
o only
point where he insists is point that the apple trees will not cross barrier
·
catch phrases
o “good
fences make good neighbors” – grammatically correct sentence
o “something
there is that doesn’t love a wall” – not a real sentence, verb switched
o gap
in communication
§
narrator – poetic and nebulous
§
neighbor – speaking in simple terms apples,
trees, fences
o what
happens when these two people walk beside one another?
§
need to learn to communicate first
§
what does the speaker need to learn from the
neighbor
·
taunting neighbor
o game
o mischief
·
pun on Robert frost name?
o frost
and frozen ground swell breaks up the fence in the first place
o examine
first 11 lines
§
hunters dismantle line to get rabbit, speaker
repairs those himself
§
gaps caused by frost take both narrator and
neighbor
·
significance?
o no
one wants to take responsibility for it if natural occurrence
o hunter
only touching one side, however frost and ice touch everything
o such
a big job that is a two person job?
§
the strength that ice and frost have can move
boulders that one person can’t move themselves
o hand
is mightier than the sword
§
pun in name seems that the effect can have on
the wall is more than one hunter can have, he can effect both sides (his poem)
but can do more than one
·
two sides of one personality ?
o frost
at war with himself
§
stick by rules? or mischievous?
§
in each of us there are these two sides
§
about the divided self
§
balanced personality is able to bring them both
together in mending wall activity
·
allusion to Greek mythology
o Sisyphus,
push a boulder up a hill, once to top boulder would roll back down, repeat
process
o allusion
if this happening have a correlation to the mending of the wall
§
repetitive nature of poem
§
ritual
§
futile endeavor
No comments:
Post a Comment