Good Fences Do Make Good Neighbors

Is it necessary to build a fence if we trust our neighbors? If a fence is necessary, it should be a good fence. Not meant to be a barricade, but to prevent our neighbors from invading our privacy. It is also used to give one the right to do what they please on their property without any disruption or interruption from their neighbors. This is what is being discussed in Robert Frost’s poem the “Mending Wall.” Having a good fence allows for privacy and is the right of a homeowner.
“The central theme of "Mending Wall" is whether it is wise to erect walls and other types of barriers.” not this period (Cummings, 2008).this period is correct An immediate reading seems to suggest that walls or fences are obstacles and if you tear them down you can open up the door to friendship, unity, and better communication. Nevertheless, the one neighbor insists that “good fences make good neighbors.” same here (Davis and Lynn, 2006, p. 82). The destruction of the Berlin Wall in 1989 demonstrates the point that Frost is trying to make that walls or barriers are obstacles.
The Berlin Wall, which had divided Berlin since 1961, "fell" on
November 9. For almost 30 years, the Wall and the heavily fortified border between East and West Germany kept East Germans as prisoners in their own country, tore families apart, and caused many deaths when East Germans were shot trying to flee. I am not going continue to correct them as you get the point by now. (McGill, 2009, p. 1-2).
The original Berlin Wall was a collection of wire and loose cinder blocks; however, over the years, turned out to become a concrete barrier that stood fifteen feet high. There were sections of the wall that included watchtowers, electric fences, and automatic guns. In addition, there was a smaller wall that enclosed West Berlin completely which kept all of the East Germans out of West Berlin. Although an obstacle, it did not stop the East Germans from attempting to escape into West Berlin. While half of these people succeeded, the other half were captured or killed trying to escape. In the late 1980’s, with the collapse of communism, the East German government opened its borders to West Berlin and the wall, “which had become a symbol of the hostilities and mistrust of the Cold War era,” (McGill, 2009,
p. 1-2) was torn down. This allowed Germany to reunite and was once again a single democratic country. The Berlin Wall was not used in a way that was beneficial to the East and West; it was used as a way to imprison its people to keep them under the communist control. Had the Berlin Wall been used strictly for the purpose of separating the East from the West without the use of force to hold the citizens of East Berlin as hostages then the wall could have been a good neighbor and still allowed for communication while each individual country maintained their privacy. Another influential fence or barrier, and probably one of the most famous structures in the world that was made by man is The Great Wall of China. It is more than just a physical wall; it stands as a symbol of the Chinese culture and the strength of the Chinese people. It took thousands of years to construct and millions of workers, many of who gave their lives serving their country. The Great Wall is over 4,000 miles and no one has ever determined the exact route of the wall because most of it has been destroyed. It covers all types of landscape, including steep slopes, mountains and deserts; and no part of the wall looks the same, because it was built with whatever materials were available to the workers at the time and place that they were building. The Chinese people had originally begun to construct walls to protect themselves when they settled in small farming communities; however, when these farming communities had become states they were constantly battling each other. They had built miles and miles of walls to protect their individual states from each other and from invaders. When China was finally ratified and Ch’in Shih Huang Ti appointed himself as its ruler, he ordered that walls between the states be torn down. He knew, however that China would still be attacked and he wanted a Great Wall to be sure that enemies from the north did not invade his land. This was the beginning of the construction of The Great Wall of China. The construction of The Great Wall by Ch’in Shih Huang Ti was completed around 214 BC and was about 1,850 miles long. It worked well as a military defense and barbarians did not invade China for a very long time. But work on the Great Wall was not over. Many other emperors fixed parts of the wall and added to it over the next thousand years. (Hoveluque, 1999).no need to have those words bolded. During times of peace there were trade agreements arranged between China and other countries and hundreds of miles were added to the wall to give protection to the traders who were traveling along the wall. There were also watchtowers added for additional protection. During the Ming Dynasty between 1368-1644 A.D., much of the original wall had fallen into deep dilapidation. Many of the watchtowers had crumpled and fallen down over the years; and, most of the original wall had fallen down. The Ming emperors not only restored the original wall, using the same basic materials as the original wall, but added to the overall length. At this time, “the wall became a strong military barrier once again. Some say that over one million men were stationed on the wall to protect enemy invasions and were kept ready century after century.” (Hoveluque, 1999). In 1960, hundreds of miles of the Great Wall was destroyed during a cultural revolution. The government took a stand and made a statement that traditions and ancients things were wrong. The Great Wall was torn down with dynamite and hammers. This government stance changed in 1984 when Deng Xiaoping became China’s leader and he asked the Chinese people to remember the old traditions and to again love the country. He ordered the restoration of the Great Wall. Some portions of the wall have been restored, however,
Most of Yu’s original barrier has vanished, and the remainder only provides modest cover from the area’s worsening sandstorms. By contrast, visiting the Great Wall at Simatai, northeast of Beijing, with its 70-degree slope up 2,500 foot peaks, leaves one awestruck. A stop at this place or another section near the capital has become obligatory for any first-time visitor. It has been estimated that one-third of the Ming Great Wall is still in fairly good condition with another third remaining in poor shape. Construction of the barrier has actually begun again in recent decades, reaching about twenty miles according to one recent study. Now, however, this work is done to lure tourists rather than repeal raiders. Many of the sightseers are Chinese, who in the past century have come to view the Great Wall as a source of pride and accomplishment. For Chinese and foreigners alike. the barrier stands as the most famous symbol of the Middle Kingdom (Sterling, 2009). It is believed that no one person has ever seen the entire length of the Great Wall of China, and no two maps can agree on the exact course on which the Wall was built. It is also a known fact that “many workers who died while the wall was being built were actually buried within the structure.” (Hoveluque, 1999). That does not surprise me. The Great Wall was always used as protection and privacy; originally built to protect the villagers from each other and invaders, and then from barbarians. As a defense mechanism, the Wall seemed to have worked, however, was the wall a good neighbor? Did it allow for open communication with neighboring countries or did it seclude China so that there was no communication. It would seem that the Great Wall, although known as one of the Seven Wonders of the World, would not be conducive to a good neighbor type of fence. The wall measured 12 feet wide and 25 feet high and, with all of its extensions, was over 4,000 miles long, so it would not leave room for friendship, unity or open communication. A visit to Israel might bring you to The Western Wall. This is the only surviving section of a most sacred shrine of Judaism known as the Temple Mount in Jerusalem. Built at the top of Mount Moriah, it was a platform housing two temples. The first temple was built by King Solomon and it served as a center of worship. It gave Israelites a central shrine and the rituals that were celebrated here assisted other groups to understand their religion. However, in 586 B.C., the Babylonians destroyed this Temple and in 535 B.C. the Second Temple’s foundation was laid. In 20 B.C. when Herod was the Ruler of Jerusalem, the Temple was enlarged but, when the Romans destroyed it in A.D. 70, the only section that survived was a portion of the retaining wall that had surrounded and supported the Second Temple. The day after the temple’s destruction, Jews throughout Jerusalem gathered at the site to mourn the loss of their sacred shine. It is their wailing, and its continued practice, that has given the wall the name by which it is better know today, the “Wailing Wall.” (Baker, 2009). And I was there, in all of its glory. And went down well beneath what is visible at street level to see what is called the Reabincal tunnels. I went down so far as to see parts of Herod’s original wall. I will enclose a picture or two for you to see in the email with this paper. The Wailing Wall, as it is known today, is a place that brings people together. One might consider The Wailing Wall a good neighbor since people come here to worship, communicate and unite. The purpose of a good fence is to do just that. Except that there is a female and mail side as the two genders are forbidden to pray together both at the Wall or in orthodox religious settings. Just an FYI :) One of the most famous walls or fences that we hear about today is the Iron Curtain. This is a term used that describes the boundary that divided Europe politically and militarily from the end of World War II until the end of the cold war. It was both a physical and ideological fence. To the east of the Iron Curtain stood countries that were influenced by the former Soviet Union, including parties of Germany, Czechoslovakia, Poland, Hungary, Bulgaria, Romania and Albania. The western countries had democratic governments.
Although the term "Iron Curtain" was used in literature and politics earlier, it was made popular by Winston Churchill, who used it publicly in a speech in March of 1946. The term was first used to refer to the actual metal barrier that cut the continent in two, but it soon became a reference to the ideological barrier also. When Churchill first referred to the barrier he wasn't trying to emulate the words of others. In a telegram directed to US President Harry S. Truman, Churchill spoke about the European situation and said "An iron curtain is drawn down upon their front. We do not know what is going on behind." This was his first official mention of the term Iron Curtain (Encyclopedia.com) (2011)(Encyclopedia.com, 2011). The fence known as The Iron Curtain ran for thousands of kilometers and separated the Eastern and Western countries. In some areas, it was nothing more than a plain chain link fence, and in other areas it was guarded. There were a select few permitted to approach or pass the fence without prior government permission. Today there are monuments that stand as a reminder of the way things used to be. There is one located in the Czech Republic and it includes an original guard tower that contains signs with explanations of its origin and reasons for the Iron Curtain. There is another monument in Slovakia that is a small, simple tribute. It is obvious that The Iron Curtain was not a neighborly fence. It did not allow for open communication or friendship. In fact, it held all of these countries at bay and did not allow its citizens to come and go freely so that they could unite or form bonds and friendships. Looking back at the fences and barriers discussed one must wonder why such time, effort and, more importantly, the lives that were given for the construction of these extraordinary barriers were necessary. People throughout time have seen the pros and cons of a fence marking property lines or boundaries between countries and keeping people from infringing on their space. There is always more at stake than meets the eye when erecting a fence or wall, whether or not the structure is meant for protection or separation. These walls or barriers stood as obstacles to each country’s progress and, more importantly, it’s social harmony. Before building a wall or fence, you should ask yourself what you are keeping in or out. Farm owners would probably want to erect fences to protect not only their land but their livestock. Additionally, a homeowner with a swimming pool would require the installation of a fence to avoid a small child from wondering on his property or in his yard and into a potentially life threatening accident. “Prisons, bank vaults, zoos, museums, and nuclear plants, for example, all require walls. And, if you live near a prison or a nuclear plant, you would probably agree that good walls indeed make good neighbors.” (Cummings, 2008).
A fence makes a good neighbor because it will eliminate the possibility that a neighbor may trespass on your property and into your personal space. This could pertain to either a physical fence or a personal fence. You may not want your neighbors to have knowledge of your life and what goes on in your household. You must set boundaries in your relationships and that would be considered a fence. If it is an actual fence, it should be low enough to allow for you to communicate with your neighbors but high enough to maintain your privacy. This would also apply to a personal fence. Do not build a barrier that would allow for no communication. Fences work. That is why they are built.

References
Baker, J. (2009). Wall tales. Retrieved November 8, 2011, from EBSCOhost database.
Cummings, M. (2008). Frost’s mending wall: a study guide. Retrieved from http://www.cummingsstudyguides.net
Davis, A. & Lynn, E. (2006). The civically engaged reader. Chicago, IL: Great Books Foundation.
Hoveluque, E. (1999). Wonders of the world. Retrieved November 8, 2011, from EBSCOhost database.
“Iron Curtain." International Encyclopedia of the Social Sciences. 2008. Retrieved November 25, 2011 from Encyclopedia.com: http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1G2-3045301191.html
McGill, S. A. (2009). The berlin wall. Retrieved November 8, 2011, from EBSCOhost database.
Sterling, B. L. (2009). Do good fences make good neighbors? Washington, D.C.: Georgetown University Press.