1. In Birches, discuss the lessons for living that one learns from swinging on birches. Explore the meaning of "not launching out to soon," not carrying the tree "clear to the ground," keeping one's "poise," and "climbing carefully." Consider how the subsequent comparison to the overfull cup attaches a metaphor to a symbol. Point out how Frost packs a tremendous amount of meaning into a few lines.
�Not launching out too soon� means that someone should not try to grow up too fast
Not carrying the tree �clear to the ground� means to not go over-the-top with anything in life
Keeping one�s �poise� is having self confidence
�Climbing carefully� means to be cautious about what you do with yourself
It�s amazing how Frost can put so much meaning into just a few lines; I admire how his poems have two different meanings
2. Find at least three examples of metaphor and onomatopoeia in the poem.
Metaphor: �Loaded with ice a sunny winter morning�
Metaphor: �I'd like to get away from earth awhile�
Onomatopoeia: �Shattering and avalanching on the snow-crust�
3. What are the two strong similes in the poem?
* Like girls on hands and knees that throw their hair
* And life is too much like a pathless wood
4. How do the sounds of Frost's poems differ from the sound of any of Whitman's poems? Look in the archives to find Whitman's poems
Whitman�s were more spiritual and harder to grasp at first
Frost�s poems are more literal and are much easier to understand-even after reading them once.
Title: The title �Mending Wall� seems to me as if the wall can restore someone or something analyze
Paraphrase: Two neighbors disagree over the need of a wall to separate their properties. The wall acts as a divider in separating properties and also acts as an obstacle in the neighbors' friendship
Connotation: The poem describes the social walls people build around themselves to provide a sense of personal protection and reassurance against their fears. Frost illustrates that building walls is not always the best thing to do.
Attitude: light-hearted tone can be heard throughout the entire poem
Shifts: In the first eleven lines of the poem, Frost describes the degradation of the wall, creating a visual image. The phrases 'to walk the line' and 'set the wall between us' (lines 13, & 14) refers to the barrier in the neighbors' friendships.
Title: Examine the title again, this time on an interpretive level
Theme: Even though two people can still be welcoming neighbors, some form of barrier is needed to separate them and the personal freedom and confidentiality of the individual