Mending 1141

Question 1

The poem is written in

Answer 1

Blank verse which loosely follows iambic pentameter with 10 syllables per line with alternating stressed and unstressed syllables at some parts.

Question 2

How does the structure of the words manipulate the speed/tempo of the poem

Answer 2

The words usually gave 1 to 2 syllables, the shorter words make the poem flow smoothly. He also uses colloquial (informal/casual) and folksy(simple or down to earth) words that you hear from everyday person than an elitist academic.

Question 3

Which lines contains real speech

Answer 3

Line 1 to 9, line 9 to 11, line 12 to 14 bc it contains four full sentences

Question 4

The writer writes this poem as if

Answer 4

He’s a friend telling a story

Question 5

The first line establishes

Answer 5

A mysterious mood about an unknown force that doesn’t love the wall creating a gap in it by pushing the ground upwards and causing the upper rocks to fall.

Question 6

The word something

Answer 6

Makes the reader question what it could be

Question 7

‘Even two can pass abreast/side by side’

Answer 7

Allows the reader to visualize how large the gap is, it’s disruptive and can’t be ignored.

Question 8

Three parties that could have been involved

Answer 8

A hunter who has removed the stones to reveal a rabbit that might have borrowed inside the wall and by doing so the hunter would give their dog a target to catch. This also tells us that the narrator is analytical and also evaluates potential scenarios

Question 9

In terms of syntax

Answer 9

Frost employs enjambament where a line runs into the next line without any form of ounctuthat signals a break

Question 10

Example of enjambament

Answer 10

Like repair line 6 and where line 7 which allows the reader to follow the writer’s authentic thought process

Question 11

How is it valid that we can trust the narrator

Answer 11

Rhymes and punctuation would have made it a curated composition but the coversational poem makes the reader trust the narrator more because he’s just relating his experience and feel like he doesn’t have an agenda

Question 12

Noone has seen the gaps made line 10

Answer 12

He implies nature works when Noone is watching and also that nature is force beyond human control. He also expresses awe and appreciation for nature

Question 13

Biblical illusion

Answer 13

There is a time for everything and a season for….. And a time to mend”
Spring is one of nature’s cyclical seasons and a time for rebirth, rebuilding and new beginnings

Question 14

The word mend

Answer 14

Which is a part of the title of the poem. Mending walls describes the activity that the narrator discusses throughout the piece, he’s not only talking about repairing the wall in literal sense. Mending refers to the idea of repairing human relationship ls and solidifying societal bonds

Question 15

The phrase walk the line

Answer 15

It’s an idiom meaning there’s a delicate balance between two alternatives such as morality and immorality with the purpose of maintaining a neutral stance usually to follow socie5wl norms and customs rather than taking one side

Question 16

Metaphor used in some are loves and some are so nearly balls

Answer 16

It compares the boulders/rocks to loaves and balls and this connects the contrast between 2 alternatives, as you think of loave as food and sustenance which is necessary for human survival whereas the ball is an object used in games for leisure which isn’t necessary for human survival . This contrasting objects echoes the contrasting choices in the narrator’s mind which highlights the question if whether the wall is necessary or not

Question 17

‘stay where you are….. Turned!’

Answer 17

Has a playful teasing tone implying that the stones have a mind of their own but he’s not concerned about this. He also reminisces about childhood and outdoor games evoking nostalgia and suggestion that the wall shouldn’t be taken seriously

Question 18

He is all pine… I’m an apple orchard

Answer 18

He uses metaphor to compare the attributes of the pine tree and apple tree to the neighbor and himself. A pine tree symbolizes prewfr and serenity and it’s cone is rigid and impenetrable outlasting seasonal shifts outside religious beliefs which apples symbolizes sin and deceit mentioned in the Bible when eve the first woman on earth is deceived by the snake to bite into the apple from a certain tree which God told her not to. The neighbor is wwary of the narrator who could pose a threat therefore he wants to protect his solitude pine trees and property from any imposed threat from the outside world.

This could also be literal device in the sense that there are actual pine and apple trees that form a border between the neighbor and narrator’s properties.

Question 19

‘Good fences make good neighbors’

Answer 19

Reveals irony behind the whole situation, a good neighbor would be generous and friendly which is opposite to this situation where the fence is also a border that separates you from other people like him and the neighbor.

When the 2 neighbors come to fix this wall together, this indicates that they are trying to resolve differences and forge a bond but they are only coming together to repair a border that is meant to keep them apart.

Question 20

He usesfence the first time rather than wall, why?

Answer 20

Fences are made of wooden slats and are man made also walls but in this context the stones come from the earth.
Using fence implies that barriers aren’t a matter of circumstances but that they are thoughtfully constructed by humans with the purpose of separating ourselves from each other.

Question 21

Spring is the mischief in me

Answer 21

Offering an alternative meaning of spring, it not only means rebirth but also troublemaking and Tom foolery since April fools is also in spring.

Question 22

He’s mischievous because

Answer 22

He wants to tease his neighbor and poke fun at him which is supported by the questions he asks which display mischief and curiosity because he genuinely wants to understand why the neighbor wants a wall in this area.

Question 23

‘before I built a wall…. Like to give offence’

Answer 23

The narrator asks what he’s walling in or out underscoring two sides of the wall and two purposes :protection from danger outside or trapping something inside.

Question 24

‘I could say elves to him’

Answer 24

The narrator’s tone is humorous
He wishes to the neighbor would say it himself. The wish conveys the narrator’s desire for warmth and connection with his neighbor.

Question 25

The simile

Answer 25

Compare his neighbor to an old stone savage armed painting a picture of an early human with a stone as weapon

Question 26

Ancient human makes the reader

Answer 26

To consider the idea that our natural human instinct is to protect ourselves to compete for resources and survival, we often tunr inward and shield ourselves from other people who could cause harm

Question 27

He moves in darkness… Shade of trees

Answer 27

Narrator considers 2 meaning of darkness

Literal - the lack of light that we find in nature
Figurative - oblivion (ignorance) and fear of the unknown.

Humans seek out darkness and stay in our own world and ignore our surroundings.

Question 28

Last two lines the tone is

Answer 28

Self satisfied and adamant, he indicates that the neighbor is pleased with himself for remembering the saying ‘good fenced make good neighbors’
The neighbor repeating it shows the belief that the wall is necessary and won’t change his opinion

Question 29

The narrator is described as

Answer 29

A curious individual who ponders the wall’s purpose and seeks human connection

Question 30

The neighbor is

Answer 30

A stubborn individual who values privacy and property.

Question 31

Walls are a symbol of

Answer 31

Borders or forces (suspicions, prejudice) keeping people from forming genuine relationships

Question 32

Apples are

Answer 32

Symbolized threats

Question 33

Elves are a symbol of

Answer 33

Imagination and playfulness that is lost in adulthood

Question 34

The tone throughout the poem

Answer 34

Shifts from playful as the narrator makes jokes and references to childhood games to disappointed and dispirited from forming a warm relationship with his neighbor

Question 35

Diction

Answer 35

Homespun rooted in local customs and expressions and down to earth approach

Question 36

Themes

Answer 36

Humans can either follow their defensive instinct and keep others out entirely or connect with others even if they may face conflict

It is difficult to unlearn the behaviors and prejudices taught by families

Our desire to camaraderie in childhood often wanes in adulthood when we prioritize our individual needs over those of our community.

Nature is ungovernable, no matter how much humans try to tame it