Read the excerpt from "Mending Wall." I let my neighbour know beyond the hill; And on a day we meet to walk the line And set the
wall between us once again. We keep the wall between us as we go. To each the boulders that have fallen to each. And some are loaves and some so nearly balls We have to use a spell to make them balance: "Stay where you are until our backs are turned!" We wear our fingers rough with handling them. Oh, just another kind of out-door game, One on a side. It comes to little more: There where it is we do not need the wall: He is all pine and I am apple orchard. What does the phrase “one on a side” mean? The neighbor repairs his side of the wall while the speaker watches. The speaker and the neighbor repair the wall from the same side. The speaker repairs his side of the wall while the neighbor watches. The speaker and the neighbor repair the wall from opposite sides.
<em>The speaker and the neighbor repair the wall from the same side.
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<u>Explanation:</u>
The relationship that exists with the neighbor is regarded as amicable. However, it is safeguarded. According to the speaker, it is challenging to understand the neighbor, and they consider him as being very serious than they would imagine.
They are therefore tempted to challenge the neighbor, but the speaker is not ready for that and seems to distance himself from the neighbor’s actions because of respect and keeping the peace
.
