Read “Mending Wall” by Robert Frost and “The Wife’ Tale” by Seamus
Heaney- by close analysis of the poetic methods used and relevant contextual
knowledge, compare and contrast how these poets write about human
relationships.
Heaney explores human relationships in “The Wife’s Tale” in a
contrasting manner to Frost in “Mending Wall”. Heaney explores the divisions
of six, and aims to convey the different but complementary roles of men and
women in typical rural marriages. This poem was inspired by Heany’s mother,
whom Heaney had a close relationship with. This is conveyed to the reader in
the title of “The Wife’s Tale”, which is an allusion to “The Wife of Bath”, a
woman attempting to find a role in a patriarchal society. This demonstrates
how Heaney aims to place emphasis on the overlooked perspective of the
relationship.
Contrastingly, Frost explores the less intimate relationship of
neighbours, and how boundaries impact relationships amongst humans. Thi is
conveyed to the reader in the title of “Mending Wall”. The positive action within
the title implies to the reader that the act of rebuilding the division is essential,
implying that the wall is both a necessity and a hindrance for the relationship.
Both poets establish a critical divide between the characters quickly.
Heaney uses a dramatic monologue to adopt the persona of the wife,
highlighting how she is isolated within the relationship. He writes “I had spread
it all on a linen cloth… The hum and gulp of the thresher… the big belt slowed
to a standstill”. The onomatopoeia creates a threatening tone, whilst the
personification of the thresher emphasises the danger of the men’s work to the
reader. This is supported by the harsh plosive alliteration, which indicates the
force of the men’s labour to the reader. The sibilance portrays the agricultural
machinery as sinister to the reader, which juxtaposes the gentle act of the wife
preparing a linen cloth. This separates the wife from the men’s work and
heightens the divisions of the gender roles within the marriage by portraying
the wife as a gentle nurturer, and the husband as a strong provider. Heaney’s
decision to use four stanzas with varying metres highlights the constant fit of
power within this dynamic.
, Likewise, Frost quickly demonstrates the ideological divide between the
two men in “makes gaps even two can pass abreast… Oh, just another kind of
outdoor game, / One on a side. It comes…”. Frost utilises irony to heighten the
division between the neighbours, as they will never pass the gaps or cross the
boundary. The metaphor of the game highlights how the two men are set
against each other, both by their beliefs and by their refusal to cross the
border between them. This is representative of Frost’s dispute between his
social mindset and his sense of independence, both of which are intrinsic
parts of the American Dream. The caesura and end-stops throughout the
poem are visual representations of the division. Like Heaney, Frost uses a
dramatic monologue (except for the inclusion of brief dialogue) to easily
portray two distinct characters to the reader, highlighting the divisions which
are fundamental to their relationship. However, unlike Heaney, Frost writes in
a single stanza of blank verse to signify how only one event occurs repeatedly
across the years, as opposed to the constant negotiation of rules within
marriage.
Heaney implies that the intrinsic divide between men and women can
not be overcome in any relationship, by implying that their spheres of
habitation are too contradictory. This is seen in “forks were stuck… As javelins
might mark lost battlefields. / I moved between them”. Heaney develops a
semantic field of war with the simile and the previous simile of “hard as shot”.
This implies that the rough farm work is hostile to the gentle wife, further
cementing the gender roles within the relationship and on the farm. The simile
indicates that the farmer acts as a warrior, destined to protect and provide,
whilst the wife exists outside of his violent work. Additionally, the preposition
“between” indicates how the wife avoids her husband’s world, implying to the
reader that the division will never be overcome.
Similarly, Frost implies that fundamental differences in a relationship
can’t be overcome in “My apple tree will never get across / And eat the cones
unde his pines”. The juxtaposition between the orchard and the wood signifies
the neighbours’ fundamental differences to the reader, heightening the sense
of division amongst the men. The metaphor represents how they will never
cross into each other’s sectors, dooming them (from the persona’s
perspective) to stay apart. This is emphasised by the emphatic “never”which
