Class Struggle in Robert Frosts Poem Out, Out Essay

Class Struggle in Robert Frosts Poem Out, Out- Robert Frosts poem Out, Out- is developed around a clear and unquestionable moment: a horrifying accident in which a young boy is mutilated by a buzz saw. Frosts underlying message, however, isnt nearly as straightforward. As the poem develops, two clear levels of interpretation seem to surface. While on the basic level the poem would seem to be a simple metaphor for mans struggles with nature, a more careful analysis suggests a level of interpretation far more relevant to humanity as a whole. On the most basic level, Frosts Out, Out- begins by establishing the primary character - the dominant voice - in the form of a buzz saw. When the narrator writes that The buzz saw†¦show more content†¦Thus, the conflict between man and nature is expanded into a conflict between mans destructive qualities and his innocent acceptance of the natural world. At the climax of Out, Out- Frost clearly reveals the horrible nature of the conflict within man. When the saw, / As if to prove saws knew what supper meant, / Leaped out at the boys hand, or seemed to leap, the boy is horribly mutilated both as an individual and as a representation of mankinds innocence towards nature. The saw, as an embodiment of the destructive qualities of man, takes the boys hand and, with it, the boys innocence. When Frost writes that the boy swung toward them holding up the hand, / Half in appeal, but half as if to keep / The life from spilling he seems to be presenting the boys final appeal to remain innocent and free of corruption before nature. His appeal, however, is clearly denied when the boys life and innocence fades into Little -- Less -- Nothing! Thus, Frosts Out, Out- would seem, on the outward level, to be a representation of mans struggle both with himself and with nature. It would not be surprising, given Frosts affinity for nature, to assume that Out, Out- is, indeed, merely a poem born out of FrostsShow MoreRelatedRobert Frost s Poem After Apple Picking950 Words   |  4 PagesRobert Frost was one of the great American poets. His poems inspired and still inspire people of today’s time. His work will live on forever. All of his poems have a deep intellectual meaning to them. They make you think about what really matters in life. They make you question where you are in your life. Robert Frost once said, â€Å"Poetry is about the grief.† It is clear that this was Frost’s intention for each poem he wrote. For example, in After Apple-Picking the poem is about a man who seems toRead MoreWhy Is Robert Lee Frost Essay1098 Words   |  5 PagesRobert Lee Frost Famous poets like William Shakespeare, Edgar Allen Poe, and Walt Whitman are some of the biggest names in poetry history, but do they get maybe a little too much attention ? Have you ever heard of Robert Lee Frost, he is one of the most famous American poets of the twentieth century. Some might even say that he is better than Edgar Allen Poe, or than William Shakespeare, because of the way he wrote his poems and stories to relate to the common people. Robert Frosts style of writingRead MoreAnalysis Of Robert Frost s Home Burial And The Death Of The Hired Man 2384 Words   |  10 Pages THESIS STATEMENT Robert Frost, an American poet during the Nineteenth Century, Modernist Era, displayed the issues of realism through his life issues of death and spousal relations through his poems: â€Å"Home Burial† and â€Å"The Death of the Hired Man†. INTRODUCTION Robert Frost’s inspiration for his poetry derived from much of his life and the historical events that surrounded him. American literary critic, Harold Bloom wrote in his Bloom’s Major Poets, â€Å"Robert Frost is one of the major American poets†¦inRead MoreAs my freshman year of college comes to a close, I reflect on my two English courses this year. I600 Words   |  3 Pagesinterpreting of stories and poems we read. Looking back at my high school English days, I believe I had made major improvements in my writing abilities between these two semesters. Personally, I favorited my English 101 class. The main component of this course was to branch out and further our writing abilities. We did this by doing many different types of papers. Theses papers ranged from short essays to long research papers. What I enjoyed most about this class was that we were able to pickRead MoreAnalysis of Home Burial1496 Words   |  6 PagesRobert Owen Marjory Thrash Eng 1123 V02 13 April 2009 Analysis of â€Å"Home Burial† Many of Robert Frost’s poems and short stories are a reflection of his personal life and events. Frost’s short story â€Å"Home Burial† emulates his experience living on a farm and the death of two of his sons. Frost gives an intimate view into the life and mind of a married couples’ struggle with grief and the strain it causes to their marriage. The characters Frost describes are synonymous, physically and emotionally,Read MoreThe Road Taken By William Carlos Williams And Robert Frost855 Words   |  4 Pagestimes. We can track history through books, poems, and other literary works. As time has gone on some authors and poets have been more comfortable with establishing new literary norms while other prefer to maintain traditional forms. Between World War I and World War II the literary world was in a turbulent time. Authors and poets spoke out against social and political struggles. This can be specifically seen in the works of William Carlos Williams a nd Robert Frost, who both held on to literary traditionRead MoreThe Road Not Taken, by Robert Frost and A Worn Path, by Eudora Welty2347 Words   |  10 Pagesis captivated by the story, poem or play, a, emotional connection is established. By connecting, considering and concluding the response gained from literary works, the reader can obtain a deeper, analytical understanding of these techniques and tools used by the authors of the various literature forms. For this assignment, I have chosen to compare and contrast two separate literary works from â€Å"Journey into Literature† (Clugston, 2010), with similar themes. . The poems I will discuss are â€Å"The RoadRead MoreThe Outsiders By S. E. Hinton1718 Words   |  7 Pagespoor side of town and Westside is Soc side of town with wealthier people. The church: The church is smack dab in the middle of that pastoral setting, situated at the top of a hill. Pony and Johnny can feast their eyes on the countryside stretching out beneath them. Yet, they re still isolated and outside of society, just like this church. It presents a gloomy contrast to the brightness of nature around them. Ponyboy has stopped going to church because the gang misbehaves in the church. Drive-inRead MoreAnalysis Of The Book The Outsiders 2098 Words   |  9 Pagesindividuals to persevere during times of hardship and struggle. Unfortunately, many families in America are struggling lower-middle class or live in poverty. It’s nice to think a person can easily go from being dirt poor to filthy rich, but it doesn’t usually work that way. The Outsiders by S. E. Hinton depicts the hardships and struggles experienced by two rival gangs, â€Å"The Greasers† from the lower middle class and â€Å"The Socs† from the upper class. Thesis: In The Outsiders, the Greasers experienceRead More Death of a Modernist Salesman Essay3513 Words   |  15 Pagessense of security could no longer be found.   They could not find any meaning or order in the old ways.   Despair was a common reaction for them.   The dilemma they ran into was what to do with this knowledge.   Poet Robert Frost phrased their question best in his poem â€Å"The Oven Bird.à ¢â‚¬ Ã‚   Frost’s narrator and the bird about which he is speaking both are wondering â€Å"what to make of a diminished thing† (Baym 1103).   The modernist writers attempted to mirror this despair and tried to superimpose meaning on it