Mending Wall Explication

Mending Wall Explication

      This poem illustrates a minor conflict between two neighbors who disagree over the need for a wall that separates their properties.  The wall acts as a divider between their properties; however, it also acts as a barrier in the neighbors’ friendship.  One neighbor believes that the wall is important since it provides him a sense of security and privacy.  He believes that neighbors can be friendly; however, a barrier is needed to allow for personal space and privacy.  The other neighbor, the narrator, believes that there is no need for the wall.  

      In the poem, the poet’s thoughts are communicated through the perspective of the narrator.  Through his use of literal and metaphoric meanings he is able to share his opinion regarding barriers that are created by man.  Behind his literal representation of the wall, he intentionally includes a deeper metaphoric meaning which reflects people’s attitudes towards others.  It is a reflection of the social barriers that people put in place.

      The poem is structured as a long one stanza poem.  There are a few internal rhymes.  The vocabulary is not very fancy.  It is just a simple forty five line first person narrative.  It loosely follows an iambic pentameter structure.  The majority of the lines have ten syllables which is true to the iambic pattern.  The poet maintains iambic stresses which comes close to the natural rhythm of speech, giving the poem a conversational feel.  Through conversation and his thoughts, the narrator reflects his own ideas about people and society.  One example is found in lines 30 through 35.  Here the narrator questions the purpose of the wall.  He does not understand “walling in” or “walling out” anything or anyone.          

      Repetition is used to emphasize the main ideas within the poem.  The two lines that are repeated are “Something there is that doesn’t love a wall” and “Good fences make good neighbors.”  The repetitions of these lines emphasize the differing opinions about the wall.  In line 35, the word “something” refers to the attitude of the narrator towards the wall.  He does not care for the wall and wants it down. The word “something” mentioned in the first line of the

poem refers to nature.  Here, nature does not care for the wall either.  However, the one neighbor still believes that “Good fences make good neighbors.”  He emphasizes the opinion that society adopts that social barriers or boundaries help maintain personal privacy.  Serving as a boundary, walls protect what people do not wish to share with others.