What message does Frost convey through his poem “Mending Wall”?

Ans. In his poem “Mending Wall”, Robert Frost conveys the message that boundaries are not always necessary or beneficial, and that some traditions may be based on outdated or irrational beliefs. The poem depicts the annual ritual of two rural neighbors who meet to repair the wall that separates their properties. The speaker questions why they need a wall at all, since he has apple trees and his neighbor has pine trees. He argues that walls are only useful when they serve a clear purpose, such as keeping cows in their place. He also challenges the neighbor’s motto, “Good fences make good neighbors”, which he inherited from his father without questioning its validity. The speaker suggests that walls can also create distance and hostility between people, and that some things in nature do not love walls and try to destroy them. He uses imagery and symbolism to contrast his own open-mindedness and curiosity with his neighbor’s conservatism and stubbornness. He compares himself to an elf who does not follow the human rules of property and ownership, while he compares his neighbor to an old-fashioned farmer who moves in darkness and carries a stone firmly grasped by the hand. He also uses metaphors such as hunters, gaps, spells, boulders, and spring to illustrate the forces that erode the wall and challenge its necessity. Through this poem, Frost invites the reader to reflect on the meaning and value of walls in their own lives, both literally and figuratively.

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(2) Mending Wall Poem Summary and Analysis | LitCharts. https://www.litcharts.com/poetry/robert-frost/mending-wall Accessed 03/03/2023.

(3) Mending Wall Summary – eNotes.com. https://www.enotes.com/topics/mending-wall Accessed 03/03/2023.

(4) Summary and Analysis of the Poem “Mending Wall” by Robert Frost. https://owlcation.com/humanities/Summary-and-Analysis-of-Poem-Mending-Wall-by-Robert-Frost Accessed 03/03/2023.

(5) Frost’s Early Poems “Mending Wall” Summary & Analysis | SparkNotes. https://www.sparknotes.com/poetry/frost/section3/ Accessed 03/03/2023.