Aim for the A*: Out, Out-

The title of this poem references Shakespeare (Macbeth) and is a rumination on the brevity of life. 

The poem is set in New England, in the United States. The poem deals with a workplace accident, whereby a young boy, operating a buzz saw, accidentally cuts off his hand, and bleeds to death. 

The poem builds up in crescendo, leading to the climax (the boy losing his hand), and then an anti-climax, whereupon the observers resume their daily lives. 

Frost is criticising society which forces boys to do the work of grown men. This is emphasised through the repeated mention of ‘boy’ in the poem as well as the line ‘big boy… Doing a man’s work’

Frost uses personification expertly through the poem to give human qualities to the buzz saw. Examples include, ‘snarling, rattling’, and ‘leaped out at the boy’s hand’. This emphasizes the gravity of the situation, and causes the saw to take on the personality of a brutal man, or a tyrant. 

In addition to personification, Frost uses a plethora of linguistic techniques throughout the poem:

Onomatopoeia (‘snarled’ ‘rattled’), alliteration (‘stove length sticks’), and sibilance helps add auditory imagery to the poem. 

Descriptive language, ‘five mountain ranges’ ‘under the sunset’ helps draw out the rustic setting of the poem. 

Imagery is highly present throughout the poem. Visual imagery comes across in the descriptive language used to lay out the poem’s setting. Auditory imagery was discussed earlier. Olfactory imagery is used to highlight the sweet smell of the chopped wood. 

The use of reported speech ‘Don’t let him cut my hand off’ is used to present the boy’s plight, and draws out compassion from the reader. 

The straightforward language used after the incident ‘But the hand was gone already’ serves to only emphasize the tragedy at hand (Pardon the pun!) The pattern of three (‘Little Less nothing’) emphasises the detached callousness that is being played out as the observers turn to their own lives, realizing that the boy is dead. 

Equally, Frost could be presenting an unvarnished glimpse into rural life, and thereby showcasing the difficulty and pain that inhabitants of such areas had to endure.