Mending Wall: Poem Analysis Essay

Stone. Hunter. Wall. Savage. These are all words that are used to describe the speaker and his neighbor. Are these words that you would use to describe your neighbor? To describe yourself? Robert Frost is bringing up the subject of two neighbors talking in the springtime. In his poem, “Mending Wall,” Robert Frost writes: “Good fences make good neighbors”. There are two tones in this poem. One tone is the narrator’s view point and the other is the neighbor’s.

The theme of the story is walls and confusion. I will analyze the following four elements; repetition, metaphor, imagery, and alliteration.

The first element I found was repetition. Repetition is when words or collections of words are repeated. In his poem, “Mending Wall,” Robert Frost writes: “Something there is that doesn’t love a wall.” (1). It contributes to the theme because the wall keeps people separated.

The next poetic element is imagery. Imagery is a word or sequence of words that refers to any sensory experience.

In his poem, “Mending Wall,” Robert Frost writes: “Oh, just another kind of outdoor game.” (21).It contributes to the theme because like football two teams are on opposite sides.

The third poetic element I found was metaphor. A metaphor is a statement that one thing is another, which is literally not true. In his poem, “Mending Wall,” Robert Frost writes: “He is all pine and I am apple orchard.” (24). This metaphor compares the speaker to an apple and the neighbor to a pine tree. It contributes to the tone because both tones of the lines are discussed in the poem.

Another poetic element I found was repetition. Repetition is when words or collections of words are repeated. In his poem, “Mending Wall,” Robert Frost writes: “The wall between us.” (14).It contributes to the theme because the wall is between them.

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