Robert Frost

The Robert Frost style in writing was versatile. He mostly used creativity and imaginary that was mainly drawn from New England. His subjects were mostly based in rural settings. Most of his works were simple and probed the several mysteries of the universe In the beginning, he was not successful as a poet because he was working as a farmer in order to provide for his family. He gained instant success through his first two works -- A Boys Will and the North of Boston.

Out Outs summary

A young man is cutting firewood with a buzz saw in New England. Near the end of the day, the boys sister announces that it is time for dinner and, out of excitement, the boy accidentally cuts his hand with the saw. He begs his sister not to allow the doctor to amputate the hand but inwardly realizes that he has already lost too much blood to survive. The boy dies while under anesthesia, and everyone goes back to work.

Robert Frosts insightful yet tragic poem Out, Out-- employs realistic imagery and the personification of a buzz saw to depict how people must continue onward with their lives after the death of a loved one, while also hinting at the selfish nature of the human race, whom oftentimes show concern only for themselves. The poem narrates the story of a boy who dies as a result of accidentally cutting off his hand with a buzz saw in his own yard. Frost employs imagery to reveal the setting, the boys yard in Vermont right before sunset, using vivid detail to describe the five mountain ranges within eyesight of the yard. The narrator foreshadows the tragic event to come when he wishes that the workers would have [called] it a day and [given] the boy the half hour that (he) counts so much when saved from work, the adul t responsibility of cutting wood with a buzz saw. The poem's title, "Out, Out-" is taken from the Shakespearean play Macbeth where the main character, Macbeth, speaks after he is told that his wife is dead. Using a simile to compare Lady Macbeth's death to a candle which is blown out he says "Out, out, brief candle!." Both Lady Macbeth's death and the death of the young boy from Frost's poem are tragedies. They are both about people who's lives come to an end before it is their time to die, before they've lived a long life and aged to die a natural death. Comparing them to a candle is suitable because just like a candle's light can go in a matter of seconds caused by a simple blow, their lives ended in a matter of seconds. A candle which leaves darkness once it is not shining any longer, can be compared to the darkness left in the hearts of the families of Lady Macbeth and of the boy after their death. Saying "brief candle" clearly compares to the boy, who dies before he even gets the chance to reach manhood. Another comparison that can be made between Lady Macbeth and the boy, is the way that after their deaths, their surroundings move on and go back to their regular routine. In Macbeth, Macbeth continues his fight for the kingdom, and in "Out, Out-" the doctor and the boy's family get back to their affairs. This helps prove Macbeth's words when he says "Life's but a walking shadow, a poor player; That struts and frets his hour upon the stage; And then is heard no more: it is a tale; Told by an idiot, full of sound and fury; Signifying nothing.", because he is saying that life is brief and meaningless. The boy's quick death shows how life can be short, and the way everyone got back to their businesses shows how life is meaningless, how when one is gone it does not make that much of a difference. Although it is clear to see that there is an allusion between the two pieces, it is not needed to read one in order to understand the other.

It is Frost's style of writing that makes his readers feel as if they are part of the poem, as if the events in the poem are truly taking place and the readers are merely people who are standing by and watching it all. It is his writing which allows him to make an allusion between the story of a tragic boy and the story of a tragic hero. It is his writing which makes his poem so unique.

Themes of Out Out

The theme of this poem is the emotional distance or coldness between family members in rural North America: And they, since they were not the one dead, turned to their affairs. The theme of this poem is an account of a single event, a boys death in a farmyard accident: They listened at his heart. littleless nothing The theme of this poem is a tragic accident in a country location: At the word, the saw leaped out at the boy's hand. The theme of this poem is that it is wrong to deny children their childhood: the half hour that a boy counts so much when saved from work. The poet shows the suddenness and speed of death: And nothing happened: day was all but done. The theme of the poem is the dangers that exist in a workplace: And the saw snarled and rattled, snarled and rattled. The theme of this poem is the consequences of forcing a boy to do mans work: Doing a man's work, though a child at heart. The theme of this poem is the practical and hard-headed attitude of poor farmers towards survival: And they, since they were not the one dead, turned to their affairs. This quote shows that the poet explores how some people treat human life as insignificant. The poet shows that the human attitude toward work can be pitiless: big boy doing a man's work, though a child at heart. This quote also shows the theme of exploitation of family members. The poet shows the narrow outlook of farmers. He shows how hard working farmers dont look up at the beauty around them: those that lifted eyes could count five mountain ranges. The theme is the way a farming family were heartless or callous to one of their own: Call it a day, I wish they might have said to please the boy. The theme is how some people treat human life as insignificant: and that ended it. No more to build on there. The theme of the poem is the high price to be paid for a lapse in concentration: But the hand was gone already. The doctor put him in the dark of ether. The theme is the brevity or shortness of human life: Out, Out.

Major themes and overall idea in his poems

Frost places a great deal of importance on Nature in all of his collections. Because of the time he spent in New England, the majority of pastoral scenes that he describes are inspired by specific locations in New England. However, Frost does not limit himself to stereotypical pastoral themes such as sheep and shepherds. Instead, he focuses on the dramatic struggles that occur within the natural world, such as the conflict of the changing of seasons (as in "After Apple-Picking") and the destructive side of nature (as in "Once by the Pacific"). Frost also presents the natural world as one that inspires deep metaphysical thought in the individuals who are exposed to it (as in "Birches" and "The Sound of Trees"). For Frost, Nature is not simply a background for poetry, but rather a central character in his works.