Mending Wall by Robert Frost

This poem is an allegory, which means that it possesses a hidden meaning, and therefore making
the whole poem a very long metaphor. It uses literary devices such as metaphors, and
personification. . Personifications shows up many times in the poem, examples are:
Nature: Nature cannot feel, therefor the word "love" used in the first line is a personification.
Apple Tree: cannot move to the other side of the wall and eat the cone.
Young Life
- 1874-1963
- Mom: A Scottish school teacher
- Dad: A New England journalist
- Tried school, but usually dropped out
- Had tiny jobs here and there.
- Moved to New Hampshire and was a teacher
- Attended Lawerce High School and graduated a year ahead of his class
- Attended Dartmouth College, but dropped out
Life After Becoming a Poet
-Moved to England in 1912 where he met a publisher (moved back to US in 1915)
- Won 22+ Awards for his poems
- Was US Poet Laureate in 1958-1959. His father, while poor, managed to design a flying
machine that was able to fly 120 feet in 12 seconds. This device is named Frost Airship Glider.
However, after a storm destroyed all of his inventions, he was too poor to repay for them,
therefor he died poor and fame less.
Analysis: Part 1
This poem relates to WW1. First, this poem is released in 1914, the same year which WW1
started. However, WW1 started due to many reasons such as nationalism, militarism, and
assassinations. This poem describes a neighbor, who possesses a dark aura, and is very
traditional, and would not see past his own traditions. The wall is often broken, and would need
constant fixing during spring. In WW1, each countries are very close to each other (Europe), this
would relate to the neighbors. Also, due to constant allies and treaties being made, the "wall",
referred to the borders of the countries, are constantly broken. Also, the dark aura the neighbor
possesses could be refer to militarism, meaning that all the countries would start an arm race, to
see which of their military inventions suppresses the others. The darkness is referred to the
military equipments.
Analysis: Part 2
- The author could be related to the speaker of the poem, this is because, being American,
America was very focused in the World War, and sometimes believed that America should not
enter. This could be the earliest reaction of the actual war.
WW1 vs Cold War
- The wall may symbolize the continuous deviation between Russia and USA.
- Both Russia and USA faces the fears of nuclear wars, and the fear could be resembled to the
dark aura.
- And, both Russia and USA was very isolated from one another, and that could be the wall
dividing between the two countries.
The three theme that the author established with his poems are:
- Isolation
- Traditionalism
- Confusion
Mending Wall by Robert Frost
As a farmer trudging through his fields, interacting with the local farm folk, and performing his
laborious daily chores, Frost was meticulously observing nature at work, and drawing
unparalleled inspiration for the bulk of poetry that would eventually belong to the world for all
time. He spent untold hours studying natures intricacies and developing an exceptional and
powerful sensitivity to its intoxicating influence.
Inspiration
Robert Frost was influenced by the emotions and events in an everyday life. A banal event from
his day, was transformed into something with a deep meaning and was sided with a feeling like
love, hate, conflict, etc. In 1912 Robert Frost moved to England to concentrate on writing full-
time. Mending wall was inspired by a natural world, when he was in his farm in New Hampshire.

Robert Frost met Edward Thomas in London in 1913, neither had yet made his name as a poet.
They became close, and each was vital to the other's success.Edward Thomas and Robert Frost
were sitting on an orchard stile near Little Iddens, Frost's cottage in Gloucestershire, in 1914,
when word arrived that Britain had declared war on Germany. They had no idea of the way in
which this war would come between them. In six months, Frost would flee England for the safety
of New Hampshire.
Lines 1-4
By using "something" our speaker suggests that there is a thing (not naming it) in humans or
simply in nature that is against "walls". The boulders start to crumble by natural causes. As a
result of said natural action, the wall has gaps big enough for two people to pass through
comfortably. The neighbor and him.
Lines 5-9
In addition to the Something alluded to in line 1, our speaker tells us that hunters are culprits as
well. However, their "work is very different from the Somethings wall-destroying techniques.
He says, "I have come after them," instead of "I came after them," giving us the impression that
this is a common occurrence. Little bunnies like to hide inside the wall from the hunters, and, so,
in turn, the hunters tear down the wall to find them.
Lines 10-15
Our speaker, sensing our sensory overload, steers us back on course. At the end of line 9, he
says, "the gaps I mean," reminding us about the mysterious Something that destroys this wall.
The Something is so covert that no one sees or hears it make gaps in the wall. Our speaker has a
neighbor. This neighbor lives beyond the hill, and, at spring, our speaker tells the neighbor that
the wall needs some mending. The two walk the whole length of the wall which separates their
properties. Each walking on their side of the wall as they go.
Lines 16-19
 As they walk along they pick the boulders that fall to their side, but our speaker and his
neighbor have a difficult time putting the rounder boulders back into the wall. The process of
replacing the little boulders is so frustrating that the speaker and his neighbor resort to talking to
the little rocks, and, in talking to them, they come up with a kind of spell. The speaker and his
neighbor wish the boulders to stay in the right place "until our backs are turned?" Its as though
the speaker and the neighbor know that the wall will fall apart again soon. They simply want the
wall to stay intact in their presence.
Lines 20-22
As the speaker and his neighbor walk the length of their wall, their hands get sore from
handling all of the rocks. The speaker likens the whole process to a game, like volleyball maybe.
The wall is like a net, and the speaker and his neighbor are the two opposing teams. The speaker
says that such a ritual "comes to little more." Mending the wall is just a game to him. Theres no
deeper purpose.
Lines 23-26
He indicates that the precious wall, the one that he spends all of this time talking about, is
actually unnecessary. Now, we find out that our speaker isnt really that into the wall itself. Our
speaker wants to convince his neighbor that the wall is plain unnecessary. He tells his neighbor
that the apples that he grows will never eat or disturb the pine trees which grow on his neighbors
property.
Lines 27-29
In response to the speakers argument the neighbor simply says, "Good fences make good
neighbors." This is a famous proverb thats been around for centuries. We take it to mean that
this neighbor likes his privacy and his own space. Our speaker becomes a bit mischievous. He
desperately wants to stir the pot and challenge the "good fences make good neighbors" proverb.
He wishes that he can somehow inspire his neighbor to rethink the whole wall thing.
Lines 30-36
The speaker understands the neighbors philosophy, if one person has cows and wants to keep
the cows from wreaking havoc. But there are no cows. We infer that the wall was never his idea
to build the wall, it was his neighbors idea. He tells us that, if he ever builds a wall, he will first
ask himself why hes building the wall and what that walls purpose is, also if whether such a
wall will offend anyone.
Lines 37-40
Our speaker can tell his neighbor that elves keep destroying the wall, but he knows that its not
elves, and he wants his neighbor to come up with some silly explanation on his own. He wants
his neighbor to lighten up, and to question the real necessity of keeping a wall between them. As
the neighbor holds onto a stone, our speaker thinks that the guy looks kind of a caveman. Its as
if walls are holdovers from more primitive times.
Lines 41-45
The neighbor doesnt only look a bit like an "old-stone savage," but theres also darkness in
him. We learn that the neighbors favorite saying ("Good fences make good neighbors") actually
isnt his own, but harkens back to his fathers saying. When the speaker tells us this, we see this
neighbor as a man of tradition and old-school rules.
Nature inspires me, not just because of its beauty (its really beautiful), it inspires me because
there is nothing human in it, so there is no single thing that could remind me of my problems or
of this human world. Nature is not a silent place, it is a place where, if you observe carefully, you
can learn many things. It is the only place where I hear my thoughts without my problems; nature
is a mystery, just as we are. So nature doesnt inspire me to a specific task, it just inspires and
fills me with hope and with peace; because nature is not corrupted, nature can only be beautiful.
Robert Frost was born on March 26, 1874, in San Francisco.
He became interested in reading and writing poetry during his high school years in Lawrence.
His first published poem, "My Butterfly," appeared on November 8, 1894, in the New York
newspaper The Independent.
In 1895, Frost married Elinor Miriam White, who was a major inspiration for his poetry until her
death in 1938. The couple moved to England in 1912, after they tried and failed at farming in
New Hampshire. While in England, Frost also established a friendship with the poet Ezra Pound,
who helped to promote and publish his work.