Mending Wall

As you read through the poem "Mending Wall," you are asked to look for contrasts and contradictions between the narrator and his neighbor. Why is it important to identify these contrasts or contradictions when analyzing a poem?

• To understand the deeper meaning and motivations behind the characters' actions.

• To memorize the poem more easily.

• To find grammatical errors in the poem.

• To focus only on the poem's rhyme scheme.

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CCSS.RI. 9-10.9

CCSS.RI.11-12.9

CCSS.RL.11-12.2

CCSS.RL.8.2

CCSS.RL.9-10.2

The assignment asks you to categorize your annotation with Contrast/Contradict (pink). How does categorizing annotations help in understanding literary texts?

• It helps organize evidence and reasoning about the text, making analysis clearer and more strategic.

• It makes the page look more colorful.

• It allows you to skip reading the poem.

• It helps you memorize the poem word for word.

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CCSS.RI. 9-10.10

CCSS.RI.11-12.10

CCSS.RL.11-12.10

CCSS.RL.8.10

CCSS.RL.9-10.10

Is it important to maintain boundaries between people? Be prepared to share out your rationale.

• Yes

• No

• It depends

• None of the above

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CCSS.RI.1.4

CCSS.RI.2.1

CCSS.RI.3.1

CCSS.RL.2.1

CCSS.RL.3.1

Analyze the line "Good fences make good neighbors" in the context of the poem. What deeper meaning does this phrase take on as the poem progresses?

• It suggests that physical boundaries are essential for healthy relationships, but also questions whether such boundaries are always necessary.

• It means that neighbors should never interact with each other.

• It implies that the wall is only needed for practical reasons, like keeping animals in.

• It shows that the speaker agrees completely with his neighbor's views.

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CCSS.RL.11-12.8

CCSS.RL.8.10

CCSS.RL.8.4

CCSS.RL.9-10.10

CCSS.RL.9-10.9

Consider the metaphorical implications of the wall in the poem. What might the wall represent beyond its literal meaning, and how does this affect the interpretation of the poem?

• The wall may represent emotional or social barriers between people, suggesting that such divisions are sometimes unnecessary and maintained out of habit.

• The wall only represents a physical boundary for property lines.

• The wall is a symbol of agricultural success.

• The wall is a metaphor for the changing seasons.

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CCSS.RI. 9-10.9

CCSS.RI.11-12.9

CCSS.RL.11-12.2

CCSS.RL.8.2

CCSS.RL.9-10.2

In the excerpt, the speaker questions the purpose of building a wall when there are no cows to contain. What deeper reasoning does the speaker suggest should be considered before building a wall?

• The cost of building materials

• The weather conditions in the area

• What is being walled in or out, and who might be offended

• The number of people living nearby

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CCSS.RL.2.6

CCSS.RL.8.3

The speaker mentions, "He will not go behind his father's saying." What does this reveal about the neighbor's approach to inherited beliefs and customs?

• He is eager to challenge and change old customs.

• He blindly follows traditions without questioning their relevance.

• He is unaware of any traditions.

• He invents new customs for every situation.

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CCSS.RL.11-12.3

CCSS.RL.6.3

CCSS.RL.7.6

CCSS.RL.8.6

CCSS.RL.9-10.3

How does Frost create multiple layers of meaning in the poem?

• He uses the frost of winter to represent the coldness between himself and his neighbor.

• He uses the mending wall to represent both a physical and metaphorical barrier that the narrator questions.

• He uses the elves to represent the individual stones of the mending wall that the narrator regrets placing.

• He uses apple trees to represent the new spring season that will bring the narrator and neighbor together.

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CCSS.RI. 9-10.9

CCSS.RI.11-12.9

CCSS.RL.11-12.2

CCSS.RL.8.2

CCSS.RL.9-10.2

Frost's belief about whether men should build walls can be supported with evidence from the text.

• Yes, Frost believes men should build walls, as shown by his support for the neighbor's view.

• No, Frost does not believe men should build walls, as he questions their necessity in the poem.

• Frost is indifferent about building walls and does not express any opinion in the text.

• Frost believes walls are only necessary for farms, not for people.

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CCSS.RI. 9-10.9

CCSS.RI.11-12.9

CCSS.RL.11-12.2

CCSS.RL.8.2

CCSS.RL.9-10.2

Select two phrases from the poem that create a sense of mystery in the text.

• "No one has seen them made or heard them made" (line 10) and "He moves in darkness as it seems to me" (line 42)

• "We keep the wall between us as we go" (line 15) and "Oh, just another kind of out-door game" (line 21)

• "Oh, just another kind of out-door game" (line 21) and "'Why do they make good neighbors?..'" (line 30)

• "We keep the wall between us as we go" (line 15) and "'Why do they make good neighbors?..'" (line 30)

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CCSS.RL.11-12.8

CCSS.RL.8.4

CCSS.RL.8.5

CCSS.RL.9-10.10

CCSS.RL.9-10.9