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Essays on symbolism in literature
Importance of symbolism in literature
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Many of the social divisions that have existed for years, and continue to exist are unnecessarily harmful, but we are ignorant, and are too cowardly to change. In “Mending Wall”, the speaker begins to question the necessity of the wall that separates himself and his neighbour- the wall being a metaphor for the divisions between them in their personal lives. He starts off with the same opinion as his neighbour-interact as little as possible, getting angry that the “wall” is being constantly destroyed by both nature and humans. He initiates the contact with his neighbour for what is seemingly their only formal meeting, and even so, “To each the boulders have fallen to each” (16), he doesn’t help his neighbour, he deals with only the rocks that …show more content…
The mood contrasts the tone which is very straightforward, and blunt- we know at all times where the poet stands, even if we aren’t sure what the speaker’s opinion is. The poem is a free verse ballad. The first 23 lines is the speaker telling the story of the wall, and the routine he and his neighbour go through each spring. The last 27 lines is the speaker questioning the existence of the wall, and concluding by leaving the wall in place. The language used is elementary, excellent for conversations. The images cast in this poem are of nature. The poet describes the crumbling of the wall as “the frozen-ground-swell under it, and spills the upper boulders in the sun” (2-3). He chalks down the differences between himself and his neighbour to: “he is all pine, and I am apple orchard.” …show more content…
The poem is also completely ironic in the sense that, although the speaker wishes for the wall to be taken down, he will “let my neighbour know beyond the hill” (12); meaning he will initiate the wall building. Also the speaker only makes fruitless attempts to “put a notion in his head” (29). There is some repetition of key words and phrases such as the words “spring” (11, 28), “wall” (1, 14, 15, 23, 32, 33, 34), and the phrase ““Good fences make good neighbours”” (27, 45).There is only one simile in this poem “In each hand, like an old-stone savage armed” (40) which describe the roughness of the neighbour and his insistence on the wall’s existence. There is some imagery, like “I see him there” (38), and “No one has seen them made or heard them
The persona in the poem reacts to the power the wall has and realizes that he must face his past and everything related to it, especially Vietnam.
This stood out to me because it is very true. If there is a wall then there are people that have to guard it. If the guards don't do their job then people can break through the wall. If there are no guards then people can just climb over it with ease. One of the connections that I had with this poem was the Great Wall of China. When I read this
The poem “A Fence” by Carl Sandburg talks about how metaphorical defenses or ”fences” can keep unfavorable elements from your life, such as “vagabonds and hungry men”, but also favorable elements such as “wondering children”. One example of metaphorical fences is being wary of people, it can keep the unsound type of people out of one’s life, but it may also cause building friendships a bit more difficult. The poem mentions how complex some fences can be and how it can hurt others that may try to go through them. Everybody has a fence, some are high, some are short. However, they can never keep three things out: “Death and the Rain and To-morrow.”
The speaker questions many things in relation to the wall that is being rebuilt. For example, “Something there is that doesn’t love a wall”, is used to question what despises the wall’s presence. The speaker goes on to discuss the earth’s swells that make gaps in the wall, as well as the hunters, “not leaving a stone on a stone,” (l. 7) merely to please the yelping dogs with a rabbit. In line thirty, the speaker questions, “Why do they make good neighbors” because he believes that the wall is interfering with a possible relationship with his neighbor. Another key question asked is “What I was walling in or walling out,” to show that there is no difference when the wall is construct or not, both neighbor’s tasks a...
Location is used to showcase that oppression should not be practiced due to ethics because the physical aspects of the location in the poem demonstrate the lack of freedom and shelter that one was given past the wall, and how the oppression everyone went through caused them to either become violent or depressed. For example, in the poem it states “ There are zeppelins, helicopters, rockets, bombs, battering rams (Kogawa (15-17)” as well as “Bird to carry messages taped to their feet (Kogawa 26)”. These quotes from the poem show how the wall is a violent place possibly during war as warcraft is used like bombs, and it is also a sign of oppression as one has to communicate secretly in the location. The location is shown as mysterious, dangerous and very similar to a warzone, and this helps show how the inhabitants of the wall were living inhumane lives without proper basic needs met because of the alienation given. The poem also ends with the year “1970” at the very bottom, which could indicate that the poem was written in 1970, which could help support the theory that the wall in this poem is the Berlin Wall as it was in use at that time (Jeffrey). All throughout the location revealed, one can evidently see how unsustainable the
There was one wall that blocked everything; houses, yards, and properties. The wall was not actually a wall. Seen as a fence in ones eyes and a colossal barricade in the others. The speaker in the poem thought the wall was foolish and not needed. He did not understand if he was offending the neighbor and if...
The wall was probably built with practicality in mind, yet Frost highlights the ambiguous perception it may create in someone who is being “walled out.” Many people are known to “build walls instead of bridges” and this is what can ruin many relationships. When a person is more inviting and social, they would be more inclined to “build bridges,” but people who are enclosed and private tend to “build walls.” It is often difficult for the person on the other end to interpret the intent of the “builder,” complicating the interaction. The “Mending Wall,” suggests a generally good relationship between the speaker/narrator and his neighbor.
The person in the poem wants to be left alone, like an island, or a rock. In the second stanza, he says "I've built a wall, a fortress deep and mighty." He has built a mental block to all outsiders, and he compares this to an inpenetrable wall. Inpenetrable walls keep unwanted things out: bad feelings, love, etc. Then, in the third line of this stanza, he says "I have no need of friendship - friendship causes pain, It's laughter and loving I disdain." He said that he doesn't want friendship because it just causes pain, and that the laughter and loving he hates or despises. He wants to be left alone, like...
In the poem “Mending Wall” the speaker frequently talks about a wall. In lines 40-42 he says, “before I built a wall I’d ask to know what i was walling in or out, and to whom I was like to give offence.” A wall can symbolize many things. It can symbolize an emotional or physical barrier. The wall physically ser...
"Mending Wall" is a poem written by the poet Robert Frost. The poem describes two neighbors who repair a fence between their estates. It is, however, obvious that this situation is a metaphor for the relationship between two people. The wall is the manifestation of the emotional barricade that separates them. In this situation the "I" voice wants to tear down this barricade while his "neighbor" wants to keep it.
My first reading of the poem has left me with many unanswered questions. The beginning lines were very confusing. I couldn’t quite tell if what Frost was saying was meant to be literal or not. Much of the first half is unclear to me. But by the second half I think I see more of the story. I do like the language Frost uses to describe the seasons and how they lead to the main character asking for the wall to be taken down. At this point I think that the story is about two men owning two plots of land and one wants to keep a wall up dividing them and closing them off from each other while the other wants to open the gap. I still don’t see much of the true meaning behind the story. But at the end of the story the main character says the neighbor repeats that his father said by saying, “good fences make good neighbors”. The second reading of the poem is slightly easier. I think I am beginning to understand some the metaphors that Frost is using. In line ten Frost s...
Walls separate people, making who would normally be a good friend a complete stranger. Take for example, the wall from Robert Frost's short story, The Mending Wall. The narrator is completely alienated from his neighbor, who he would consider a friend, but with the wall set so firmly between them, and their annual rebuilding, there is little hope they will become friends. Or perhaps the Berlin Wall would serve a better example. The Berlin Wall cut the entire city almost in half, and because of this, some people, including brothers & sisters, were separated for 20 plus years. The only thing stopping them from seeing each other, and the only thing preventing the narrator from having a healthy relationship with his neighbor, was a
“We meet to walk the line and set the wall between us once again”, the theme of “Mending Walls” is friendship and betrayal and trustworthy, because they are friendly to each other and are good friends and they trust each other but they also fight like some neighbors do about stupid things like oh he put something up and its almost touching my property line and I don’t like it or he put something up that is blocking a view and I don’t like it so let’s fight about it. This poem takes place in Eastern U.S. The tone of this is calm and co-operative, because this poem is basically about the two farmers who come together after so many years to repair this stone wall that breaks down and it separates their two orchards because one farmer’s father always did it so he does it as a tradition to remember his father, but the other farmer thinks it’s a dumb idea and it’s just a waste of time because his orchard won’t go into his. How this relates to everyday life is because there are a lot of farmers and neighbors that fight about land, and there are a lot of people that have traditions or do things to remember someone. A couple ideas are, and makes gaps even two can pass abreast, which means people can pass through it. Where they have left not one stone on stone but they would have the rabbit out of hiding to please the yelping dogs, ...
Frost begins the poem by relating the damage that has been inflicted upon the wall. The stunning image of the force "that sends the frozen-ground-swell under it and spills the upper boulders in the sun, and makes gaps even two can pass abreast" shows us that something natural, beautiful, and perhaps divine is taking place (2-4). From the very beginning he suggests that living without the wall is something positive. As the poem continues, we are introduced to two farmers engaged in the annual task of making repairs to the stone wall which separates their properties. In lines 14-17, Frost gives us the description of the neighbors meeting to walk the line, each picking up and r...
“Mending Wall” is a poem that presents two opposing attitudes towards keeping barriers up between people. Each neighbor has a different opinion. One neighbor wants a visible line to separate their property lines and the other sees no reason for it. The poem implies a lack of security and trust one person may have towards another, even when it may not seem illogical or necessary.