Borders & Boundaries

The underlying theme in Frosts’ "Mending Wall," Komunyakaa’s "Slam, Dunk & Hook,"
Cofer’s "The Game," and Jacobs’ The Death and Life of Great American Cities is that of
boundaries and borders and how they can be both negative and positive in relationships.
In Frost’s "Mending Wall," he explains the reason behind why we make borders. Frost
tells the story of two neighbors, building a wall in-between their property. One man is for the
building of the wall, the other sees no point in it. The man who wants to build the wall feels this
way because of tradition. It has been drilled in his head that a wall separating neighbors will only produce a positive outcome. Yet, he refuses to examine how and why. Frost claims that borders
and boundaries are built based on the traditions from the past. The narrator explains that he knows the wall serves no purpose, and the neighborly relationship would be much better off without it. However, the neighbor refuses to turn his back on traditions.
Cofer’s "The Game" serves as specific reason why borders and boundaries are negative.
It is implied in the poem that most people view the humpbacked girl as disabled, and nothing
more. Society built a border around this girl because she was different form the rest of them.
Yet, the narrator was able to see past the border that had been created around the humpbacked girl, and by playing her favorite game, gave delight and enjoyment to her. Had the narrator been turned off by the boundaries society had made, the humpbacked girl wouldn’t have known the joys of having friends.
Komunyakaa’s "Slam, Dunk, & Hook" shows the reader the boundaries we put on
ourselves, and how they’re not necessarily negative. The narrator and his teammates put a
boundary around themselves because they share the connection of being teammates on a
basketball team. One of the teammate’s mother died, and because of the border they put around themselves, they formed a bond and were able to be there for their teammate when he needed them the most.
Jacobs’ The Death and Life of Great American Cities gives examples of boundaries in everyday life, regardless of whether or not we see them. Train tracks serve as the biggest boundaries in a city. By placing these boundaries in a city, it divides people into groups, and curtails possible relationships.
Frost, Cofer, Komunyakaa and Jacobs show negative and positive outcomes of borders and boundaries. Whether it’s between neighbors, friends or cities, boundaries effect us all.