Great Works of Literature II, Fall 2019 (hybrid) JTA

Consider both the comedic and tragic aspects (and the potential relation between the two) in Frost’s poem “Mending Wall.”

The narrator seems to be quite attached to the aforementioned wall. Perhaps the wall serves as a physical reminder of a tragic event in his/her life.  When I read the poem, it reminded me of the narrator’s childhood as s/he probably grew up around the wall and is afraid of the destruction of his/her memories. What’s tragic about this is that everyone had a different upbringing but don’t know about each other’s upbringing and are unintentionally destroying the memories of the narrator. What seems how to lighten up the mood, however, is the back and forth interaction between the narrator and his neighbor. Tragedies need a bit of comedic relief and this served the job.

One thought on “Consider both the comedic and tragic aspects (and the potential relation between the two) in Frost’s poem “Mending Wall.””

  1. I like the connection you made of what the wall could have represented in the narrator’s childhood, like what a wall means for so many children and families trying to immigrate. Thinking back to when the poem was written, in 1914, we know that there were many border conflicts all over the world, so the struggle between someone who wants the wall, and someone who does not was very prevalent in many countries. It symbolizes more of a fight of nationalism.

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