Study Questions

1. Explain what the first line of this poem means to you. Do you agree with that idea or do you think that "Good fences make good neighbours"?
2. Describe the speaker of this poem and his values. Does he have a sense of humor? Describe his neighbor's values.
3. Besides the speaker and the neighbor, we can say that there are two other "characters" (agents) in this poem: the "Something" which does not like the wall, and the hunters (as a group).  Compare and contrast their attitudes toward the wall.  What could the "Something" be?
4. The poem contrasts two different ideas about "mending walls."¨ How is the process of mending the wall described (ll. 15-22)?   How is the neighbor described at the end of the poem?  Does the wall stand for something else? Is it a symbol?
5. More about literary techniques. 

1. What does this poem suggest about the relationship between individuals in our society?  Of the several ideas about "mending wall" and the wall itself, which do you prefer?
2. There are several other texts dealing with the idea of wall; for instance, Pink Floyd's The Wall, Norman McLaren's "Neighbors" and Robert Lepage's Polygraph.  Try to think of other examples.