Mending Wall and Birches

Many of Robert Frost’s poems can be interpreted on more than one level. For example, mending a wall and climbing birch trees may be literal activities, but they also function as metaphors. Remember that a metaphor is a figure of speech that compares two seemingly unlike things. In contrast to a simile, a metaphor implies the comparison instead of stating it directly. So a metaphor does not use connectives such as like or as.

Reread one of the poems to identify other levels of meaning besides the literal. Examine the poem for metaphors and interpret their meaning and significance. Write a paragraph or two in which you present an interpretation of the underlying meaning of the poem you have chosen, paying close attention to metaphor. Cite references to words and lines in the poem to support your ideas.