“Mending Wall”

Robert Frost’s “Mending Wall” begins with, “Something there is that doesn’t love a wall” (Line 1) this line is initially very puzzling and doesn’t seem particularly coherent. Frost goes on to describe certain “gaps” that are so wide “even two can pass abreast.” (Line 4). We see these same gaps mentioned again later,

“But they would have the rabbit out of hiding,

To please the yelping dogs. The gaps I mean.” (Lines 8,9)

From this I interpreted the rabbits as a certain people that are victims of “yelping dogs” which seem to be an oppressive force. These “yelping dogs” referred to are what Frost has called “gaps”. The scene then changes to the narrator “beyond the hill” (12) with his neighbor,

“And on a day we meet to walk the line

And set the wall between us once again.

We keep the wall between us as we go” (Lines 13-15)

With this line we see a reference back to the “wall” mentioned in the first line. This wall is between him and his neighbor, “To each the boulders that have fallen to each.” (Line 16) Quite simply one must face all burdens alone and not turn to their neighbor for help. The narrator shows no particular emotion about this situation, but it seems backwards and cold. The narrator begins to question a simple statement made by his neighbor, “‘Good fences make good neighbors’” (Line 27) the narrator asks himself why this is so, and he ultimately declares,

“Before I built a wall I’d ask to know

What I was walling in or walling out,

And to whom I was like to give offense.” (Lines 32-34)

This revelation seems to be out of the norm for the narrator’s society, for example, the neighbor states twice that “‘Good fences make good neighbors’” with a relatively casual and matter of fact demeanor. The narrator struggles with how to tell his neighbor about what he has discovered about the “wall” but concludes,

“I’d rather

He said it for himself.” (Lines 37, 38)

Sadly, the narrator’s hopes for his neighbor’s revelation are never realized.

I can’t help but point to the irony of our modern day political situation. There has been a feud over a wall that Donald Trump wants to build on the border between the United States and Mexico. It has dominated the headlines of the news industry and the issue went so far as to cause the longest government shutdown in US history. The repetition of a “wall” in between the two neighbors in Frost’s poem kept my mind flashing between the poems words and those headlines. This poem is as relevant today as it was for Frost in 1914. Putting walls up between us and our fellow humans diminishes love and creates separation. The poem says, “To each the boulders that have fallen to each.” (Line 16) however, the poem is a direct statement against that theory. Humans need to help other humans, differences aside. Good fences, quite simply, do not make good neighbors. They shut people out and isolate people from one another.

Humans that love and respect one another have the power of community and friendship. In the system behind our society, the people in power fear the effects of diverse people coming together in love, respect, and harmony because it is far more powerful than them. Frost is uniting neighbors throughout time, by helping them to realize, “Something there is that doesn’t love a wall” (Line 1). In other words, human beings have a desire inside them to be connected with other beings, something that doesn’t want to put up walls but instead wants them down. There is no reason to conform to the standards of society by shutting out your neighbor, because together you can be stronger than the mechanics of society themselves.

Provide, Provide

This poem tells the story of various people who have fallen from power. The narrator warns the reader that if they shouldn’t doubt that all things that rise to power must come down for, “Too many fall from great and good

For you to doubt the likelihood.” (Lines 5,6)

In the last line of the third stanza, the narrator gives two options, one who rises to power can either die early and avoid the fall, or

“if predestined to die late

Make up your mind to die in state.”(Lines 8,9)

In other words, if you are going to rise to power, it is all you can do to make an impact before death. Make a statement that you stand for before you go and influence the people around you with the power that is temporarily within your reach. The narrator goes on to give advice on how to provide this kind of leadership,

“Some have relied on what they knew;

Others on being simply true.

What worked for them might work for you.” (Lines 12-15)

The narrator warns, once again, no matter how high to power one rises, it is temporary and will never stop people from eventually forgetting about you, the end of power will always be hard. The final moral of this poem is to inform the reader that it is,

“Better to go down dignified

With boughten friendship at your side

Than none at all. Provide, provide!” (Lines 19-21)

So although the narrator has been giving advice on how to lead and provide, he tops off the advice with one essential detail, if one is put in the situation where they must provide, it is better to live a dignified life with friends than to live only for power. The power must end, dignity and friends will last much longer.

In this poem, Frost reveals a hard truth. No amount of power is infinite, all one can do with power is make sure they use it to provide a statement about what they believe to be true, make an impact in order for others to realize this truth, and do so in a dignified manner with friends at your side. Frost provides a formula for the most effective way he believes their is to wield power. Most importantly, Frost leaves readers with the question, does one really want what comes with power and fame?

Desert Places

From the beginning line of this poem, Frost gives the impression that the reader is out of breath. Snow and night are,

“falling fast, oh fast In a field

I looked into going past” (Line 1,2)

Not only does the reader feel out of breath but now time seems to be slipping away into a “going past” giving a whole new level of anxiety to the situation. The narrator goes on to discuss his loneliness and how it is leaving him “With no expression, nothing to express.” (Line 11) The narrator seems lifeless and depressed and overall seems to have no hope of escaping this loneliness. The true essence of this poem hits with the last stanza,

“They cannot scare me with their empty spaces

Between states–on stars where no human race is.

I have it in me so much nearer home

To scare myself with my own desert places” (Lines 13-16)

Contemplating the vastness of space and its magnitude is something fairly relatable to all humans. Once one discovers the science behind our universe, it’s safe to say a person could go insane thinking about it for too long. This vast space that surrounds us in the universe is naturally scary, kind of like the feeling a person gets when they drop from the top of a roller coaster to the bottom. The narrator is comparing this grand fear of empty spaces between states and stars with his internal “desert place”. The real fear for the narrator is the emptiness inside him that he can never escape.

During Frost’s lifetime his sister was insane, his daughter and wife died, and his son committed suicide in 1940, 23 years before Frost’s own death. This poem “Desert Places” was written after his daughter’s death, before the death of his wife and son. The emptiness, depression and fear faced in this poem is a hard lump to swallow. Even more tragic that despite this pain, Frost was able to complete such beautiful poetry from his internal struggles. Poetry that people learn from and relate to. It is tragic to see such a gifted person suffer so immensely, but as we all know, life is not fair and it simply doesn’t seem to make exceptions. Frost had a very difficult life, however, he was very gifted in channeling his internal struggles into something productive and he is respected and appreciated to this day for his literary achievements.