All three poems and the excerpt from the book all relate back to this general idea of dividing people. For instance, in American Cities, the author states, “…borders in cities usually make destructive neighbors.” (257). In this book, the author is talking about how class and location separate people, and we have railroads and borders of countries, etc., separating us. By doing so, we are limiting ourselves to whom we associate with.
In, “Mending Wall,” the speaker tells us that his neighbors thinks that, “good fences make good neighbors.” However, the speaker questions this logic in lines 30-31. (Basically saying that fences are meant to constrain cows, and there are no cows present.) In the first two lines of this poem, Frost says, “Something there is that doesn’t love a wall, That sends the frozen-ground-swell under it.” I think that the point Frost is trying to make is that it is unnatural for everyone to divide and isolate themselves from each other. When the ground freezes and swells and what not, and ruins the fence perhaps that is nature’s way of saying the division is unnatural.
I think that, “The Game,” has a similar message as the previous two, but slightly different. The irony in this poem is that Cruz has to play “family” in order to get the kind of love, affection, and attention that she lacks in her own family. In her pretend family no one is upset about her disability. The message of this one still has to do with separating people, but dealing with people’s fear of things that stray from the norm, things that make us appear different, and freakish, and whatever. Therefore, this fear makes people isolate themselves from the freakish.
I especially liked the ending of, “Slam, Dunk, and Hook.” Making the last four lines a separate stanza really emphasizes that it encompasses the author’s whole meaning—that being, that “Sonny Boy” was able to put all his anger, energy, frustration, etc., into basketball. The author is discussing the necessity for emotional outlets in order to cope with life.

Adriana Marino