Discussion on Poem - "MENDING WALL"

MENDING WALL posted by Felicia McCaw Sat May 22 20:46:33 2010 MENDING WALL

This poem reflects concrete imagery throughout, maybe a couple of metaphors and is an allegory.

Starting out the poem reflects anger (reverberating under the surface of civility) as indicated by "Something there is" doesn't love a wall - whoever destroyed the wall is now known as "Something there is" now. The anger is cold, hostile but controlled and slowly seething to have to repair damage to his fence on a continuous basis. Diplomacy is used with neighbors to meet about fence but unknowingly to the owner of the fence...no one wants to own to destroying it by putting gaps in at will down the line of his fence.

This poem reflects a lot of narrative relayance of character and events in throughout. It reflects a conflict over a fence that will never be resolved because all his neighbor will state "Good fences make good neighbors" which is a little intimidating because there is no conversation just this repeated "grunt". The owner of the fence is trying to keep the situation light or lighten the situation with a little levity but is failing miserably.

The very motions of his neighbor is running shivers of fear down his back because the image reflects him walking with two stones grasped in each hand and moving stealthy around continuously grunting "Good fences make good neighbors".

This is my interpretation of this poem and it is clearly a problem everywhere in this country (America) of neighbor clashing with neighbor over their little piece of earth they own.