Poems from Robert Frost

The first poem, Birches, by Robert Frost is not too difficult to decipher.  I am from Massachusetts therefore I can relate to the idea of ice storms and the ice accumulating on a tree till the branches look like they are about to touch the ground.  It is quite beautiful to see the branches bent to such an extent.  About a third of the way through the poem the Frost says, “…with all the matter-of-fact about ice storm…I should prefer to have some boy bend them…” Clearly Frost is comparing the way snow and ice bends the branches of trees to little boys playing on them and bending them in the same manor.  Although the branches will never bend as much by little boys the beauty of it is still there.  Frost says, “I’d like to get away from earth awhile and then come back to it and begin over. “  He sees envisions how the boys are light-heartedly playing on the branches and how the ice bends the branches in the same way and sees the beauty in it.  There is something special about playing up high in a tree in New England and never wanting to come back down.  You feel free, like nothing could ever touch you from way up that high.  Frosts other poem, Mending Wall, was not as familiar to be as Birches.

Mending Wall is about two neighbors with a wall up in between their property.  Frost sees no need for the wall to be up between the two homes.  Frost says, “There where it is we do not need the wall: he is all pine and I am apple orchard.”  He is saying that on his neighbors side of the wall there are only pine trees and on his side of the wall there are only apple trees.  Frost goes on to say that the trees will never touch one another and there are no cows that would pass between the two properties.   He see’s no need for the wall but the neighbor simply replies, “Good fences make good neighbors.”  I can understand how this saying would be beneficial.  A lot of people like their privacy and do not want others spying on them or checking to see what they are doing.  I feel that Frost however, is just being friendly and wants to interact more with his neighbor.  He ties to think of ways to plant this idea in his neighbor’s head of taking down the wall but has had no luck.  His neighbor seems outdated in the way he repairs the wall and therefore most likely seems outdated in his ways of thinking as well.

Alexa Barach