boundaries and segregation

It is clear when reading these literary works the common theme of borders and segregation is the main focus. Whether they be physical, like a fence lining the property between neighbors or train tracks dividing towns, or mental, similar to the segregation of a person with a disability or the mindset of a basketball player, divisions are something everyone deals with in some way. As you read the poems and the selection from Death and Life of Great American Cities, it makes you question why so many boundaries really exist.
In Robert Frost’s “Mending Wall”, he refers to two neighbors and the fence between their properties. He questions his neighbor why he says “Good fences make good neighbors”. It is not as though his apple trees will go across into his yard of pines. The writer seems troubled by the use of fences and the idea of only seeing his neighbor during “spring mending-time”. Frost uses many different examples and is able to make the wall between them seem ridiculous and unneeded. Jane Jacob’s selection from Death and Life of Great American Cities allows her to express her concern for the borders created by railroad tracks, water barriers, etc. She says how the city boundaries, whether they are physical or natural, are causing more trouble and problems than as if they were nonexistent. They cause a problem for the areas directly surrounding the border. These troubles then continue to spread and grow over a larger area, eventually confining a neighborhood tightly. The idea of physical separation from neighbors, as shown in these selections, is unnecessary and can cause more problems than actually avoid them.
Contrasting the first writing pieces, two of the poems we read were focused more on mental separation. In “Slam, Dunk, & Hook”, the writer expresses the feelings of when he is on the court, playing the game he loves. He feels separated from the rest of the world and can only think about the game. In times of distress, they turn to basketball to help them get through it and keep time moving. “When Sonny Boy’s mama died, He played nonstop all day”. The idea of separation from everyone else in this poem is comparable to the ideas presented in “The Game” by Judith Ortiz Cofer. In this poem, the main focus is the segregation and discrimination a young girl faces due to her physical disability. Mentally she was just a normal girl trying to make friends and play. However, physically, she was different from everyone else. The discrimination she faced by the people surrounding her was no more than their unjustified mentality that she was not good enough. Thinking like this is just an additional way of proving how separation of people can be a major downfall in society.