The storyline of most high school English classes is the analysis or overanalysis of poetry. Often this train of thought results in a one-sided argument between the teacher and the students. Students object to readers making meaning where none exists; the instructor insists that the poem merits further examination. Certainly, some poets write simple poems with the primary aim of entertainment (this is the case of Jack Prelutsky). However, some poets manage to compose dense meaning in a concise poem, and these poems warrant analysis of their deeper meaning. Robert Frost is a poet capable of creating these masterpieces of poetry, such as approaching a subject as grandiose as Revelation and commenting on it in terms of fire and ice ("Fire and Ice"). Frost succeeds at this task again in his poem “Mending Wall,” which literally tells the story of two men who, every winter, repair the stone wall that separates their fields. In this poem, Frost implements a specific physical structure as well as poetic devices including dialogue and metaphors to derive a deeper social commentary from a common event: the construction of a wall. The physical construction of the poem “Mend the Wall” reflects the literal wall and metaphorical barrier erected between the two men. Instead of dividing his poem into stanzas, Frost “presents an unbroken sequence of lines” (Andrews 1). First, the poem is left justified in its entirety and has no stanza breaks. These two features make the poem appear on the page as resembling a jagged, jagged wall. The effect can be truly revealed by tilting the poem on its side, placing the flat (left-justified) side at the bottom and the jagged edge at the top. The poem appears physically as a stone wall... middle of paper... a common border. Through double entenders and an effective story and title, Frost is able to entertain with strong poetry while conveying his subliminal commentary. To sum up, Frost's "Mending Wall" is a work of respectable value not only for its poetic ingredients but also for its many facets. faceted secondary meanings. Beneath the first layer of context lies a deep social commentary that emerges from in-depth analysis. Whether one favors or disagrees with the excessive scrutiny of poetry, Robert Frost's "Mending Wall" has the poetic devices of traditional works and a deeper social commentary that one expects from Robert Frost. The meeting of rational thought and primitive instinct occurs regularly in society. Human beings share this duality within themselves, and this poem depicts the struggle between the two points of view, the two sides of the wall..