Summary of Out, Out—

 Popularity of the Poem, “Out, Out”: This poem is written by Robert

Frost, a great American poet. Out, Out is a narrative poem with themes
of sympathy and pain. It was first published in 1916. The poem is about
a young boy who loses his hand in an accident. The poem highlights
what people feel about the young boy‟s passing and also death. The
poet used references from Shakespeare‟s Macbeth to compare the
unpreparedness and shock of death.
 “Out, Out ” As a Representative of Death: The poem narrates the
tragic death of a boy, who accidentally severed his hand while working
on the farm. The young boy later dies in a shock. At the outset,
the speaker presents a graphic description of a dangerous saw, which
was the main cause of death. The speaker also provides the description
of eye-catching sights and soothing sounds of the farm, which were
interrupted by the unpleasant noise of the saw. The day was about to
end, but the laborers were still working on the farm. When the young
boy‟s sister called him for supper, out of excitement, he is distracted.
The accident severs his hand. Out of fear, he begged his sister not to
allow the doctor to amputate his wounded hand. The doctor
anesthetized him for treatment, but he dies. Surprisingly, everyone
moves on with their lives as if the tragedy was an ordinary event. The
cold response of the people about the young boy reveals the hardships
of working people.

 Major Themes in “Out, Out”: Death, child labor and fragility of life are
the major themes of this poem. Robert Frost has highlighted the issue of
child labor in this short poem. Although the boy performs man‟s tasks,
he is still an innocent child at heart. The ending of the poem is callous,
shocking, and cruel. People behave indifferently to the death of that
boy. There are no signs of mourning or sadness on their faces. They
return to their work as if nothing has happened.

Analysis of Literary Devices Used in “Out, Out “

Literary devices are tools used by writers to convey their emotions, ideas, and
themes to make texts more appealing to the reader. Robert Frost has also
used some literary devices in this poem to narrate the tragic death of a young
boy. The analysis of some of the literary devices used in this poem has been
stated below.
  Assonance: Assonance is the repetition of vowel sounds in the same
line. For example, the sound of /o/ in “And made dust and dropped
stove-length sticks of wood” and the sound of /i/ in “He lay and puffed
his lips out with his breath.”
 Consonance: Consonance is the repetition of consonant sounds in the
same line. For example, the sound of /t/ in “The doctor, when he comes.
Don‟t let him, sister” and the sound of /v/ in “He must have given the
hand. However it was.”
 Alliteration: Alliteration is the repetition of consonant sounds in the
same line in quick succession such as the sound of /s/ in “Sweet-
scented stuff when the breeze drew across it.”
 Personification: Personification is to give human qualities to inanimate
objects. For example, the saw, which is compared to a buzzing sound is
personified, “The buzz saw snarled and rattled in the yard; And made
dust and dropped stove-length sticks of wood.”
 Imagery: Imagery is used to make readers perceive things involving
their five senses. For example, “The buzz saw snarled and rattled in the
yard”; “And made dust and dropped stove-length sticks of wood” and
“The doctor put him in the dark of ether.”
 Symbolism: Symbolism is the use of symbols to signify ideas and
qualities, by giving them symbolic meanings that are different from their
literal meanings. Here sunset symbolizes the end of the young boy‟s
life.
 Onomatopoeia: It refers to the words related to the natural sounds
of animals or objects. The poet has used the words buzz, snarled, and
rattled are examples of onomatopoeia.
 Enjambment: It is defined as a thought or clause that does not come to
an end at a line break; instead, it moves over the next line. For example,

“The buzz saw snarled and rattled in the yard

And made dust and dropped stove-length sticks of wood,
Sweet-scented stuff when the breeze drew across it.”

Analysis of Poetic Devices Used in “Out, Out “

Poetic and literary devices are the same, but a few are used only in poetry.
Here is the analysis of some of the poetic devices used in this poem.

 Stanza: A stanza is a poetic form of lines and verses. The poem is a

long narrative poem of thirty-four lines with no stanza break.
  Free Verse: Free verse is a type of poetry that does not contain
patterns of rhyme or meter. This is a free-verse poem without a strict
rhyme or meter.
 Repetition: There is a repetition of the verse, “The buzz saw snarled
and rattled” has created a musical quality in the poem
 Refrain: The lines that are repeated at some distance in the poem are
called refrain. The verse, “The buzz saw snarled and rattled” is repeated
with the same words, it has become a refrain as it has been repeated in
the first and seventh lines of the poem.

Quotes to be Used
The lines stated below can be used to describe the enchanting beauty of
nature. These lines can also be used to tell children to make them aware of
the lovely sights people enjoy in the farms.

“And from there those that lifted eyes could count

Five mountain ranges one behind the other
Under the sunset far into Vermont.”
Paradox is seen with the following line which describes the boy doing a
man's job. One might be confused that a boy could do a man's job, but
he is a "big" boy, old enough to do the work—perhaps, however, there is
a chiding or sorrowful note that a boy was doing a man's job...

...big boy / Doing a man's work, though a child at heart--

Irony can be found in the following passage. The irony is that the boy is
given a man's job, but more than knowing how to cut the wood, the boy
is man enough to know the implications of what has happened with this
accident—what it means to him: losing the use of his hand, or worse...

Then the boy saw all--

Since he was old enough to know, big boy

Doing a man's work, though a child at heart--

He saw all spoiled.

There is a metaphor in the line that speaks of the boy being anesthetized
during surgery as they try to save his hand—his life:

The doctor put him in the dark of ether...

Metonymy is used with the following line, which is used instead of
saying, "It's time to eat." Here "supper" represents the process of eating
a meal.

To tell them 'Supper'...

We see allusion in the mountain ranges that are described here, may be
referring to the Green Mountains, which are a part of the Appalachian
Mountain range.

Five mountain ranges one behind the other

Under the sunset far into Vermont.

An example of personification refers to the hand and the saw as things
"meeting" like people would. (There is also a play on words here, the
giving of a hand is what one does in meeting someone—people shake
hands)...

He must have given the hand. However it was,

Neither refused the meeting.

One symbol may be found in the "hand." In some cultures, the image of
the hand (hamsa) is seen...

...as a superstitious defense against the evil eye [bad luck].

In this case, the boy's loss of hand indicates his loss of luck or defense
against something bad. The hand is symbolic in the Christian faith as a
sign of a blessing, but also a benediction or a form of blessing. However,
the hand might represent the expressiveness of a hand: something that
can share a sense of love—with a touch, can complete a task, clap with
joy, or be held by another in love or affection. It can offer comfort, be
extended in friendship, or hold a child. It seems symbolic of life here
in all that a hand means to a person: especially to a working man, which
the boy hopes to be someday.

Imagery is used throughout the poem. In fact, the literary devices you
have mentioned above are all forms of imagery. However, an example of
imagery that does not pertain to one of the devices mentioned can be
seen in:

And made dust and dropped stove-length sticks of wood,

Sweet-scented stuff when the breeze drew across it.

What literary devices are being used in Robert Frost's poem "Out, Out—"?

In "Out, Out—," Frost uses the literary device onomatopoeia in the

description of the saw "rattl[ing]" and "snarl[ing]," also
uses personification of the saw as something that possesses human
understanding and ability. He employs metonymy when the speaker
says that the "life" was "spilling" from the boy's hand; the word "life" is
substituted for "blood." The matter-of-fact tone contributes to the
strangely calm mood, despite the tragedy, and the title alludes to a
famous and appropriate monologue from Shakespeare's Macbeth.

When the speaker says that the "buzz saw snarled and rattled," they
employ a literary device called onomatopoeia: a word whose sound
duplicates the sound it describes. Both snarl and rattle are examples of
onomatopoeia.

The speaker describes how the saw behaved:

As if to prove saws knew what supper meant,

[It] Leaped out at the boy's hand [...]
In this description, they use personification: the attribution of human
qualities to something that is not human. In this case, the saw is given
the ability to know something as well as to leap.

After the saw cuts through the boy's wrist, nearly severing his hand, the
speaker uses metonymy—a substitution for something associated with
a thing for that thing itself—when he says that the boy holds up the hand

as if to keep
The life from spilling.
It is not really life spilling out of this terrible wound but blood, but
because blood is so closely associated with life, we understand what is
being said here. The more blood the boy loses, the more likely he is to
lose...

(The entire section contains 3 answers and 1,064 words.)

Robert Frost and A Summary of "Out,
Out -"
"Out, Out -" is a single stanza poem set in an idyllic rural landscape between the states
of New Hampshire and Vermont. In the distance are mountains, in the immediate
foreground a noisy buzz saw. The scene is one of busy industry, workers sawing logs in
the farmyard ready for the stove.

But tragedy isn't that far away. One of the workers, a young boy, has his hand severely
injured by that ferocious saw blade. He loses blood rapidly and the shock kills him,
despite the presence of a doctor.

It's a sorry tale of an early demise, one which Robert Frost knew all too well in his own
family life. As a farmer and New England man he also knew of the case involving one
Raymond Tracy Fitzgerald of Bethlehem, New Hampshire.

According to The Robert Frost Encyclopedia (Tuten, Zubizarreta) he met the Fitzgerald
family on visits to Bethlehem in 1910, so would certainly have kept Raymond's untimely
death in his poetic consciousness.

The poem appeared six years later in McClure's Magazine and subsequently in his book
Mountain Interval.

"Out, Out -" is a poem that both intrigues and puzzles. For a start, the speaker seems
both distant and close up; Frost created a narrative that seems objectively journalistic
yet has a first person perspective in parts.

The poem, 34 lines long, has three distinct sections:

 The first nine lines juxtapose buzz saw and mountain landscape. Here is a team hard at
work, too busy cutting logs for winter to notice their surroundings.
 Then lines 10 - 26 focus on the boy and the accident, the reader aware of the
compassionate, personal voice of the speaker coming through as the awful details
emerge.
 Finally, lines 27 - 34 concentrate on the death of the boy and the reaction of the others,
including family. They're survivors, and have life to be getting on with.
So in the end the boy's life meant really very little to the others, they who have to carry
on the struggle for survival in what is a harsh New England environment. This echoes
the words of Macbeth in Shakespeare's play when he suggests that life is like a brief
candle, all too easily snuffed out.

 To many, this ending of Frost's comes over as a bit callous, despite the earlier show of
empathy in the poem for the boy to knock off work early, which might have saved his
life.
When the poor unfortunate breathes his last it seems those around him immediately
turn into selfish, unfeeling individuals, who have to complete their chores before even
thinking of attending to the boy. His death seems to mean little to them.

 Overall there is the feeling that they are responsible for his death; they are the adults
who perhaps should have taken over his duties at the saw as the day wore on.
 Somewhat ironically, it's the sister who distracts him from the job when she offers
'Supper' and the saw, curiously, seems to leap onto the boy's hand, perhaps as a result
of the mechanical contraptions and belts attached to it.
The reader can well imagine the gravity of such a situation - a remote farm, a severe
injury, a tired young boy who soon realized his dilemma: lose a hand and become a
burden on the family, lose too much blood and fall foul of the reaper.
Where Did Frost's Title "Out, Out -" Come From? Macbeth Hears of Lady
Macbeth's Death.

From William Shakespeare's play Macbeth (Act 5, Scene 5, lines 17-28)

Macbeth:

She should have died hereafter;

There would have been a time for such a word.

— To-morrow, and to-morrow, and to-morrow,

Creeps in this petty pace from day to day,

To the last syllable of recorded time;

And all our yesterdays have lighted fools

The way to dusty death. Out, out, brief candle!

Life's but a walking shadow, a poor player

That struts and frets his hour upon the stage

And then is heard no more.

"Out, Out -"

The buzz saw snarled and rattled in the yard
And made dust and dropped stove-length sticks of wood,
Sweet-scented stuff when the breeze drew across it.
And from there those that lifted eyes could count
Five mountain ranges one behind the other
Under the sunset far into Vermont.
And the saw snarled and rattled, snarled and rattled,
As it ran light, or had to bear a load.
And nothing happened: day was all but done.
Call it a day, I wish they might have said
To please the boy by giving him the half hour
That a boy counts so much when saved from work.
His sister stood beside him in her apron
To tell them „Supper.‟ At the word, the saw,
As if to prove saws knew what supper meant,
Leaped out at the boy‟s hand, or seemed to leap—
He must have given the hand. However it was,
Neither refused the meeting. But the hand!
The boy‟s first outcry was a rueful laugh,
As he swung toward them holding up the hand
Half in appeal, but half as if to keep
The life from spilling. Then the boy saw all—
Since he was old enough to know, big boy
Doing a man‟s work, though a child at heart—
He saw all spoiled. „Don‟t let him cut my hand off—
The doctor, when he comes. Don‟t let him, sister!‟
So. But the hand was gone already.
The doctor put him in the dark of ether.
He lay and puffed his lips out with his breath.
 And then—the watcher at his pulse took fright.
No one believed. They listened at his heart.
Little—less—nothing!—and that ended it.
No more to build on there. And they, since they
Were not the one dead, turned to their affairs.

Analysis of "Out, Out -"

"Out, Out -" is a poem about the death of a young boy sawing logs for the stove in
readiness for winter on a New Hampshire farm. The scene must have been so familiar
to Robert Frost - a farm yard with a buzz saw, a team of workers hard at it against a
backdrop of mountain peaks.

In those opening few lines the contrasts portrayed are clear. Noisy mechanical machine,
silent majesty of the Vermont range. Close up focus versus distant blur. Industry against
nature. Dust and labor versus sweet scent and romance.

 These juxtaposed elements are what produce the early tension in the poem and similar
energies resonate throughout. What the narrator/speaker attempts to do is hold on to, or
find, the humanity beneath the surface as the scene progresses.
 Frost also skilfully changes the syntax as the poem moves on, using caesurae (pauses
through punctuation) and metric variation to enhance meaning and drama.
The first nine objective lines sketch the scene into which the personal voice of the
speaker is heard for the first (and last) time, the tenth line, which runs on into the
eleventh and twelfth through use of enjambment:

Call it a day, I wish they might have said

To please the boy by giving him the half hour

 That a boy counts so much when saved from work.
The speaker's stance here is one of compassion and reason and contrasts strongly with
the ending, where so much cold indifference to the plight of the boy is expressed.

A definite turning point of the poem occurs in line 14 when the sister announces
'Supper' which triggers a radical change in circumstance for the boy. Note the focus of
the speaker during this time - it's as if the speaker was actually there to witness the saw
as it 'leaped' out and cut into the boy's flesh.

There is astute use of caesura in these lines, end stops midway causing the reader to
pause, a result of the work stopping when the saw struck and the shock no doubt set in.

The boy's 'rueful laugh' seems pitiful. You can picture him stepping away from the
bloodied saw blade holding his near severed hand, seeking some kind of solace and
solution. There is none to be found.

It's ironic that a sister should be at the heart of the accident, calling the workers for a
meal and perhaps distracting the boy in the process. Life for a farming family back then
must have been tough enough without a potentially fatal accident to cope with.

The boy knows. He's at that transitional point between child and man; not physically
strong enough to withstand the shock but grown up enough to understand the dire
circumstances he's in.

In a last desperate appeal to his sister he demands the doctor save his hand, somehow,
not to cut it off so leaving him disabled for the rest of his working life.

 In line 27 the final turning point is reached. The hand cannot be saved, stitched back.
 The syntax is most unusual. Note that one word - So. The reader has to take a relatively
deep pause as that little word sums up the gravitas of the situation.
 This line also has only 9 syllables, making it a line of four feet, scanned two ways:
 So. But / the hand / was gone / already.
 So. But / the hand / was gone / already.
 Some analysts suggest a separate foot for So. which means a five foot line.
There is a time gap between line 27 and 28, when the doctor gives the boy ether to
numb the pain and render him unconscious. The reader can only assume that the boy
lost too much blood whilst waiting for the doctor to arrive.

Soon the boy's heart stops beating, much to the disbelief of those present who we know
are the doctor, the sister and the mystery 'watcher' who takes fright.

The final two lines are a challenge for the conscience of the reader. The cold stark
reality of No more to build on there ...hits home, as if the speaker is saying, no more
value in this dead boy.

Those gathered simply abandon the deceased, or at least, that's the impression given.
They each go about their business, painted as selfish, glad that they were the ones
alive able to face living without having to acknowledge for too long, or any time at all,
the unfortunate victim.

What Is The Meter of "Out, Out -"

"Out, Out -" is a blank verse poem but, as is typical with Frost, it does not follow the
traditional iambic pentameter daDUM daDUM pattern. Metrically it is a loose iambic
poem, which Frost much preferred when writing blank verse.
As we will see, there are in fact only 8 lines* that are pure iambic pentameter, the rest
being metrical variations which reflect changes in meaning and emotion. Pyrrhic,
trochaic, spondaic plus anapaestic feet are also involved.

Let's have a close-up analysis line by line:

"Out, Out -"

The buzz / saw snarled / and rat / tled in / the yard *
And made / dust and / dropped stove /-length sticks / of wood,
Sweet-scent / ed stuff / when the breeze / drew a / cross it.
And from / there those / that lift / ed eyes / could count
Five moun / tain rang / es one / behind / the oth / er
Under / the sun / set far / into / Vermont.
And the / saw snarled / and rat / tled, snarled / and rattled,
As it / ran light, / or had / to bear / a load.
And noth / ing happ / ened: day / was all but done. *
Call it / a day, / I wish / they might / have said
To please / the boy / by giv / ing him / the half hour
That a / boy counts / so much / when saved / from work.
His sis / ter stood / beside / him in / her apron
To tell them ‘Supper.’ At the word, the saw, *
As if to prove saws knew what supper meant, *
Leaped out / at the / boy’s hand, / or seemed / to leap—
He must / have given / the hand. / Howev / er it was,
Neither / refused / the mee / ting. But / the hand!
The boy’s first outcry was a rueful laugh, *
As he / swung to / ward them / holding / up the hand
Half in / appeal, / but half / as if / to keep
The life from spilling. Then the boy saw all— *
 Since he / was old / enough / to know, / big boy
Doing / a man’s / work, though / a child / at heart—
He saw / all spoiled. / ‘Don’t let / him cut / my hand off—
The doc / tor, when / he comes. / Don’t let / him, sister!’
So. / But the / hand was / gone al / ready.
The doct / or put / him in / the dark / of ether.
He lay and puffed his lips out with his breath. *
And then— / the watch / er at / his pulse / took fright.
No one / believed. / They list / ened at / his heart.
Little /—less—noth / ing!—and / thatend / ed it.
No more to build on there. And they, since they *
Were not / the one / dead, turned / to their / affairs.

Iambic Pentameter Lines *: 1,9,14,15,19,22,29 and 33.

 Line 29: He lay and puffed his lips out with his breath.
Pyrrhic and Spondaic lines: 2,4,5,7,8,12,16.

 Line 16: Leaped out at the boy's hand, or seemed to leap -

The double stress of the spondee adds energy, disrupts the familiar iambic rhythm,
whilst the pyrrhic has no stressed syllables, creating a lull which is followed again by a
second spondaic surge.

Lines With Feminine (unstressed syllable) endings: 3,5,7,11,13,17,20,25,26,28.

 Line 28: The doctor put him in the dark of ether.

This line is iambic pentameter but has the extra unstressed syllable at the end, called a
feminine ending, which makes the voice drop away, fade away.
 Trochaic and Spondaic Lines: 6,10,18,21,23,24,27,30-32, 34.

 Line 31: No one believed. They listened at his heart.

The trochee gives an initial stress... No one ...then the spondee is a double
stress, They listened...again a strong emphasis, on both syllables.

What Are The Literary Devices in

"Out, Out -"?
There are several literary devices at work within this poem:

Alliteration

When words are close together in a line and start with the same consonant they are
alliterative. Frost used alliteration quite frequently. This can add texture and phonetic
energy for the reader:

saw snarled...dust and dropped...stove-lengths sticks...Sweet-

scented stuff..there those that...could count...saw snarled...half
hour...when saved from work...sister stood...saws knew what
supper...have given the hand. However...holding up the hand...Then
the...big boy...saw all spoiled...there. And they, since they..turned
to.
Assonance

This is repeated use of the same vowel sounds in words that are close together in a
line. It compliments alliteration in some cases.

snarled/yard...Sweet-scented/breeze...Five/behind...Under the
sunset...ran/had...His sister/him...tell
them...have/hand...appeal/keep...old/know...his lips/with
his...listened/his.
Caesura

A pause in a line usually created by punctuation but may happen naturally in longer
lines. In Frost's poem there are quite a few caesurae, causing the reader to pause as
they read, breaking rhythm and pace.

So look for lines 7,8,9.10,14,16-18,21-27,30-34.

Line 27: So. But the hand was gone already.

Line 32: Little-less-nothing! - and that ended it.

Enjambment

Where a line runs on into the next line without punctuation, maintaining the sense,
reflecting momentum and building up ideas. Frost uses it to good effect in this poem in
several lines:

Lines 1, 4,5,10,11,13,20,21,23, 33.

Personification

When an object or thing is given human characteristics, as in the first line and lines
seven and sixteen:

The buzz saw snarled....And the saw snarled...Leaped out.

Repetition
 Repeating certain words and phrases reinforces the meaning and strengthens sound.
Look for it in lines 1 and 7 where the buzz saw snarled and rattled. Individual words
such as boy, day, hand and the phrase 'Don't let him....' is a poignant reminder.

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