Out, Out by Robert Frost

Out, Out by Robert FrostTask:Show how Robert Frost effectively reveals the fragility of life in the poem, Out, Out. You may wish to consider setting, imagery, tone and the ending.

In his poem, Out, Out, Robert Frost effectively reveals the fragility of life. The themes of sudden death and child labour help to make this a very sad and shocking narrative poem. The title alludes to Macbeths poignant speech on hearing of the unexpected passing of his wife, with the metaphor, Out, out, brief candle. This reflects the tragedy of the accidental death of a child doing a mans job. Frosts use of setting, imagery, and tone create a moving poem with a shocking ending.

The peaceful setting of the farmyard is deceptive as it is situated within view of the scenic Five mountain ranges one behind the other/Under the sunset far into Vermont. This calm tone conveys the impression of a safe, quiet, rural spot away from the noise and bustle of the city. Here the senses of sight, smell and touch are evoked as the dust from the cut wood was Sweet-scented ...when the breeze drew across the yard. However, the workers, including a boy whose age and name remain unknown to the reader, are too engrossed in their chores to appreciate the surrounding natural beauty. In contrast the tone of the opening line is ominous as the imagery of the buzz-saw is very menacing. Frosts word choice compares it to a predatory animal while the poet develops the metaphor to personify this powerful tool:The buzz-saw snarled and rattled in the yard.And the saw snarled and rattled, snarled and rattled, As it ran light , or had to bear a load.The onomatopoeic sounds of snarled and rattled plus the repetition and rhythm give it a mechanical effect making it appear that this saw has a mind of its own. I thought this was very realistic and had a chilling effect as it was juxtaposed with the setting, a place where ironically , the boy should be safe.

Suddenly the tone becomes reflective and complacent as Frost reassures the reader with the gentleness of And nothing happened: day was all but done. His use of the first person shows sympathy for the boy and wishes others had listened to the childs need to finish his chores:Call it a day, I wish they might have said To please the boy by giving him the half hourThat a boy counts so much when saved from work.The word saved is ironic whilst we have an image of a powerless little boy, under the heartless control of adults. There follows a domestic, homely image of his sister in her apron to tell them Supper and this is a turning point in the middle of the poem.

The theme of the fragility of life emerges as the tone becomes frightening with the transformation from the image of the saw as a working tool, to a monstrous, calculating, predatory beast in search of its food:At the word, the saw, As if to prove saws knew what supper meant,Leaped out at the boys hand, or seemed to leap Here the saw is personified as a well-trained animal responding to its masters signal. This is a very aggressive tone and effective animal image which becomes even more shocking as the poet adds in a matter of fact way, He must have given the handNeither refused the meeting. Perhaps the boy lost concentration due to fatigue. However, his reaction, a rueful laugh is painful to read and reflects his state of shock. Furthermore we sense his fear in his dialogue, Dont let him cut my hand off - Dont let him, sister!

Powerful images of death follow such as the metaphor,The doctor put him in the dark of ether and the sinister use of the watcher at his pulse took fright. A sense of helplessness pervades the setting now as negative words describe the boys dying moments:No one believed.Little less--nothing!The structure here is effective as the brevity reflects the boys life and alludes back to Macbeths speech about life as a candle burning out, just as the boys life has so sadly ended.

Despite this poignant tone, the poet leaves us feeling shocked and amazed at the reaction of the people around him:And they, since they Were not the one dead, turned to their affairs. The tone here is very detached and surprising given the lack of grief expressed at this fatal accident. In contrast, I believe the poets sympathy lies with the victim and his critical tone shows this: big boy/ Doing a mans work, though a child at heart he saw all spoiled.

Robert Frosts poem Out, Out is very moving and effectively reveals the fragility of life. His use of setting, changes in tone and images of animals and death help me to empathise with the boys situation. The ending startled me as I realised the workers around the boy were hardened in the face of death, even in the case of that of a child. Indeed a memorable poem.