Free Essays on Robert Frosts “Mending Wall“

Robert Frost’s â€Å"Mending Wall† Robert Frost has entertained many with his vivid portrayals of life. Frost never attended school until his family moved to New Hampshire where at age ten, he entered Lawrence High School, and would later leave as the head of his class. Frost’s legacy began in 1912 when he moved to England to devote his life to writing, and his first book was published. â€Å"Mending Wall† comes from his second book North of Boston. â€Å"â€Å"Mending Wall† is different from the other poems in North of Boston because it is opposed to visions of human existence and focuses on the psychological necessities of sustaining fictions†(Lentricchia). â€Å"Mending Wall† is one of Robert Frost’s greatest poems and has inspired many people with its views on personal boundaries and a profound togetherness. His neighbors’ father’s clichà ©s are what his neighbor bases his reasons upon, the reasons for the wall which separates them. One day during the spring they meet to mend the walls in which they live. Stones fall off all the time and they range in size from loaves to balls. They try not to see each other and all the neighbor says when he tells him that this is silly is â€Å"good fences make good neighbors.† He wants to ask why they make good neighbors, but knows the neighbor would not say anything but the silly saying again. He does not really know a point to the wall and does not understand what he is covering up, but as the neighbor goes away, he thinks of it again, â€Å"good fences make good neighbors!† â€Å"â€Å"Mending Wall† is a poem that distinguishes between two kinds of people: one who seizes the particular occasion of mending as fuel for the imagination and as a release from the dull ritual of work each spring and one who is trapped by work and by the New England past as it comes down to him in the form of his father’s clichà ©s† (Lentricchia). This explains the lives of the two men involved in ... Free Essays on Robert Frost's â€Å"Mending Wallâ€Å" Free Essays on Robert Frost's â€Å"Mending Wallâ€Å" Robert Frost’s â€Å"Mending Wall† Robert Frost has entertained many with his vivid portrayals of life. Frost never attended school until his family moved to New Hampshire where at age ten, he entered Lawrence High School, and would later leave as the head of his class. Frost’s legacy began in 1912 when he moved to England to devote his life to writing, and his first book was published. â€Å"Mending Wall† comes from his second book North of Boston. â€Å"â€Å"Mending Wall† is different from the other poems in North of Boston because it is opposed to visions of human existence and focuses on the psychological necessities of sustaining fictions†(Lentricchia). â€Å"Mending Wall† is one of Robert Frost’s greatest poems and has inspired many people with its views on personal boundaries and a profound togetherness. His neighbors’ father’s clichà ©s are what his neighbor bases his reasons upon, the reasons for the wall which separates them. One day during the spring they meet to mend the walls in which they live. Stones fall off all the time and they range in size from loaves to balls. They try not to see each other and all the neighbor says when he tells him that this is silly is â€Å"good fences make good neighbors.† He wants to ask why they make good neighbors, but knows the neighbor would not say anything but the silly saying again. He does not really know a point to the wall and does not understand what he is covering up, but as the neighbor goes away, he thinks of it again, â€Å"good fences make good neighbors!† â€Å"â€Å"Mending Wall† is a poem that distinguishes between two kinds of people: one who seizes the particular occasion of mending as fuel for the imagination and as a release from the dull ritual of work each spring and one who is trapped by work and by the New England past as it comes down to him in the form of his father’s clichà ©s† (Lentricchia). This explains the lives of the two men involved in ...

Traveling to a Retreat

Traveling to a Retreat When I found the announcement for a weekend writing retreat in Scotland in the British online Writing Magazine, I began to think how I could take a writing course in real life, not only online- and also make my dream of visiting Scotland come true. With two months lead time, I sent in the online application to Helen Walters, an English short-story writer now established in a village in the highlands of Scotland.   The answer was positive!   The October workshop would include three nights and all meals with sessions from Friday to Sunday evening, for the equivalent of $345. Each participant sent in a short story under 2,000 words ahead of their arrival, which would be critiqued one-on-one When I wrote my Scottish friend Madge to see if I could visit her the week after the workshop, she invited me for five days following the retreat. Doubly motivated, given that I’d be financing my own trip entirely, I got an early-bird fare for a return flight from where I live (in the country of Georgia) for approximately $400, so my total basic expenses would amount to $745 for a week including the retreat and an authentic visit to Scotland! Helen’s home in the Highlands has been turned into a retreat on the Black Isle, and is shared with her husband, crime writer Mike Walters who was the skilled cook for our group. When I arrived and entered the cozy living room, the other participants were already relaxing, glass in hand. My accent quickly gave me away and one woman exclaimed, â€Å"You came all this way?† However, the workshop showed we had all come for most of the same reasons. My own goal was to learn about which markets are likely to buy the kind of short stories I like to write, but I discovered much more. Helen is an outgoing and encouraging teacher - we spent group sessions sharing how we get story ideas (great fun exercises!); turning ideas into stories; creating characters (just a few are needed in short stories); as well as rhythm, theme and the mood of the narrative. During the planned sessions we faced common challenges like finishing a story (it seems this is a frequent predicament), PoV, flashback and setting. We had plenty of time for writing alone too. Helen expertly pointed out which markets are more likely to take an interest in our work. For example women’s magazines tend to like upbeat and positive themes, while anthologies might be interested in the â€Å"darker† stories some of the participants preferred writing. My visit to Scotland brought many experiences, ideas and more- it helped me create a much more vibrant relationship with my writing. I realize I don’t have to remain glued to any PoV, setting or style. This experience opened Pandora’s box – I am re-writing a short story with more humor in the twist, and already have two more ideas.   For other writers I recommend looking up retreats offered at reasonable prices, in places you would like to visit. Your sharpened senses will begin to pick out new details for stories around you in the new settings- for me it was the elderly man in the shab https://www.solusorwritingretreat.co.uk/ email: helen@helenmwalters.co.uk