Mending Wall

    original site

    (photo courtesy of Jones Library, Amherst 1915)

    Robert Frost was born in the town of San Fransisco on march 26'th 1874 an d he died in Boston January 29'th 1963. In his lifetime Frost had many ex citing travels all over Europe. When he Wrote the poem "Mending Wall" he was in Scotland at the time. Frost had a lifetime full of adventures, ups and downs.

    One of Frosts' favorite poems was "Mending Wall". Frost noted at a confer ence that he had gotten the central metaphor of the poem from the idea th at human biological life is cellular. He says that the cells of the body constantly breakdown and are built up again, so that everyone is a wholly new person every seven years or so. Frost notes that good walls are neces sary to keep things properly in and properly out. Good walls define good geography, which is important for a sound national life.

    Frost wrote "Mending Wall" when he was in Scotland on vacation. Frost wro te the poem in a mood of homesickness while thinking of the old wall back home, which he hadn't mended in years. The walls he spoke of were the one s back on his farm in New Hampshire.

    In the poem Frost talks of the hunters that damage the walls, "The work o f hunters is another thing: I have come after them and made repair where they have left not one stone on a stone". He was always uneasy about the hunters because of his children. He also says that the frost helps to tum ble the wall as if the ground doesn't want the walls there. Frost enjoys walking the wall in the spring repairing it while his neihgbor walks on t he other side, "I let my neighbor know beyond the hill; And on a day we m eet to walk the line And set the wall between us once again. Also in the poem Frost seems to think that they don't really need the walls, but his neighbor assures him that "good walls make good neighbors", and they do. The walls make the neighbors comfortable about there boundaries, the wall s also give a sense of definition and lets the neighbors know where they stand.

    Frost wrote this poem in his early years and I think it shows some of his arrogance. When he was writing the poem he had an arrogant opinion of his New Hampshire neighbors. He basically thought that they were simple minde d and primitive. It seems that it Frost a while to realize that his neigh bors were not as bad as he thought and that later on he would even learn a few things from them.

    Robert Frost is a phenomenal poet with great inspiration and this is just one of his many great creations. One of the first poems I ever read was "Stopping by Woods on a Snowy Evening", and I loved the poem and even sta rted writing poetry myself. Here is a picture I took that reminded me of the "Mending Wall"