the assignment was to pick a pro or con side on the phrase a good fence is a good neighbor. that is all she told us. so i did not really know where to go with it, but this is what i got
There are many qualities that are desirable in a neighbor. A good neighbor is someone who does not mow over your flowers or does not play music too loud. Robert Frost once said that "A good fence makes a good neighbor." I agree and disagree with this statement.
Most people want a solid fence between their house and their neighbors. I only the other hand, see a fence as a way to put yourself in a space that is just yours for nobody else to enter. I think that a fence can be symbolic of an emotional wall. For example, a neighbor who has their house fenced off by a twenty foot fence may want to keep to themselves and not be involved with the rest of the community. A tall fence is put up when people want their privacy and do not want to let others into their personal space. Another reason people put up tall fences is to show their class and how much money they have, since large fences are usually related to having money and power. On the other hand, a small white picket fence can be symbolic of somebody who wants the all American lifestyle. A fence could be put up simply to keep the children and pets safe in the yard of a home. For example, a farmer has to have a fence so his horses, cows, and pigs do not get loose and run wild. That would cost him money.
What exactly did Robert Frost mean when he said that a good fence makes a good neighbor? It seems as though he is using it so simple and that he means exactly what he says. But, knowing all of Robert Frost's other poems, there is a deeper meaning behind it. A neighbor who keeps his fence nice looking, clean, and in their own yard is probably going to be a good neighbor. Is Frost saying that the only people who are good neighbors are the neighbors with well kept fences? More than likely, no. I think that Frost meant that a neighbor with a good fence is an emotional statement meaning to keep your life private. A good neighbor will not bore you with details of their dramatic lives as you ask them how their day was. The word fence is being used instead of the word divider. A fence keeps one neighbors yard from the other neighbors' yard. Imagine a person's emotions as their yard. A fence needs to be put between your 'yard' and your neighbors 'yard'. Also, a fence can help to keep the peace between neighbors and help to keep private things private. With a fence, you can choose whether to be friendly or keep to yourself.
I feel that the analogy about the yard being a mind is what Robert Frost was going for when he said that a good fence is a good neighbor. This is a very true statement. If a neighbor shares too much information with another neighbor, then the second neighbor may feel uncomfortable seeing or being around the other neighbor, maybe even scared that they will get sucked into another long conversation.
So maybe this phrase is as easy to decode as the white picket fence is the "good" fence and the big privacy fence is the "bad" fence but it could be as difficult as an emotional side and keeping the dividers between too much information and just enough information. This is all about respecting your neighbor and making everybody's lives as easy as possible.
There are many qualities that are desirable in a neighbor. A good neighbor is someone who does not mow over your flowers or does not play music too loud. Robert Frost once said that "A good fence makes a good neighbor." I agree and disagree with this statement.
Most people want a solid fence between their house and their neighbors. I only the other hand, see a fence as a way to put yourself in a space that is just yours for nobody else to enter. I think that a fence can be symbolic of an emotional wall. For example, a neighbor who has their house fenced off by a twenty foot fence may want to keep to themselves and not be involved with the rest of the community. A tall fence is put up when people want their privacy and do not want to let others into their personal space. Another reason people put up tall fences is to show their class and how much money they have, since large fences are usually related to having money and power. On the other hand, a small white picket fence can be symbolic of somebody who wants the all American lifestyle. A fence could be put up simply to keep the children and pets safe in the yard of a home. For example, a farmer has to have a fence so his horses, cows, and pigs do not get loose and run wild. That would cost him money.
What exactly did Robert Frost mean when he said that a good fence makes a good neighbor? It seems as though he is using it so simple and that he means exactly what he says. But, knowing all of Robert Frost's other poems, there is a deeper meaning behind it. A neighbor who keeps his fence nice looking, clean, and in their own yard is probably going to be a good neighbor. Is Frost saying that the only people who are good neighbors are the neighbors with well kept fences? More than likely, no. I think that Frost meant that a neighbor with a good fence is an emotional statement meaning to keep your life private. A good neighbor will not bore you with details of their dramatic lives as you ask them how their day was. The word fence is being used instead of the word divider. A fence keeps one neighbors yard from the other neighbors' yard. Imagine a person's emotions as their yard. A fence needs to be put between your 'yard' and your neighbors 'yard'. Also, a fence can help to keep the peace between neighbors and help to keep private things private. With a fence, you can choose whether to be friendly or keep to yourself.
I feel that the analogy about the yard being a mind is what Robert Frost was going for when he said that a good fence is a good neighbor. This is a very true statement. If a neighbor shares too much information with another neighbor, then the second neighbor may feel uncomfortable seeing or being around the other neighbor, maybe even scared that they will get sucked into another long conversation.
So maybe this phrase is as easy to decode as the white picket fence is the "good" fence and the big privacy fence is the "bad" fence but it could be as difficult as an emotional side and keeping the dividers between too much information and just enough information. This is all about respecting your neighbor and making everybody's lives as easy as possible.