Tasks: Mending Wall by Robert Frost

Below, you will find a text with some words and phrases from the poem. Your task is to find the suitable Norwegian words and phrases.

Read the poem a few times before you answer the questions below. You may also want to have the poem in front of you as you work on the questions.

1. The poem tells the story of two neighbours who are mending the wall between their properties. Why does the wall need mending?
2. From which point of view is the story told?
3. One of the neighbours does not think that the wall needs to be mended. Why not?
4. The other neighbour says "good walls make good neighbours". What does he mean by that?
5. The first-person narrator says of his neighbour: "He moves in darkness as it seems to me, Not of woods only and the shade of trees". What do you think he means by that?
6. The first-person narrator describes himself and his neighbour in this way: "He is all pine and I am apple orchard". What does this say about their respective characters or personalities?
7. What is the theme of the poem?
8. What is the message of the poem?

Work in groups and discuss the questions below.

1. This poem is by some regarded as a criticism of strict immigration policies, and the wall has been understood as a metaphor for borders. What do you think of this interpretation?
2. The poem is also often seen as an encouragement to people to be more open and friendly to others around them. What do you think of this interpretation?
3. Some believe the poem is about being married, and that the neighbour should be interpreted as a metaphor for a partner or someone you are emotionally close to. What do you think of this interpretation?
4. What do you think the poem is about?
5. If the first-person narrator in the poem would prefer there to be no wall, why does he participate in mending it?

Find answers to the three questions below, and present your answers in groups.

Even though he was born in California, Robert Frost is usually thought of as a New England poet, because so many of his poems have a New England setting.

1. Find out what we mean by 'New England', and what characterises this part of the United States.
2. Find out what connection Robert Frost had with New England.
3. Find and read two poems by Robert Frost that are set in New England, for example "Stopping by the Woods on a Snowy Evening" and "After Apple Picking". What impression do the poems give you of what New England is like? (You can find the poems by making a search on the Poetry Foundation webpage: Link to the Poetry Foundation webpage.)

Pick one of the tasks and write a longer text.

1. Write a poetry analysis of "Mending Wall" where you pay special attention to the theme and message of the poem.
2. "The Road not Taken" is one of Robert Frost's most loved and read poems. It is often interpreted as an inspirational story encouraging the reader to live their own lives in their own way. Write an analysis of the poem where you discuss whether this interpretation of the poem is the correct one. (You can find the poem by making a search on the Poetry Foundation Webpage: Link to the Poetry Foundation Webpage.)
3. In the 2016 U.S. Presidential election, Donald Trump promised to build a wall on the Mexican border and make Mexico pay for it. Find out more about the border wall between the U.S.A. and Mexico. What is the wall's purpose? Discuss whether this wall is likely to make good neighbours.

Pick one of the tasks and make a short film or a play that can be shown in class.

1. "A dramatisation of Mending Wall". Make a dramatisation of the poem, or your interpretation of the poem.
2. "A dramatisation of the Road not Taken". Make a dramatisation of the poem, or your interpretation of the poem.
3. "The life of Robert Frost". Research Robert Frost's life and make a dramatisation of it.
4. "Why you should visit New England". You have been hired by the New England Tourist Board to encourage people from Norway to visit New England. Why should Norwegians travel all that way to New England, rather than to New York, Hollywood, Grand Canyon, or Disney World?