Out Out-, by Robert Frost. 10 GCSE exam essay quotes, fully analysed for language, structure and form. There’s even a line-by-line translation and more! – perfect for your GCSE exam or essay!
Congratulations! You hit the GCSE analysis jackpot! Keep reading… here’s everything you need to smash your GCSE or iGCSE English Literature exam…
What is the poem about?
In Out Out-, Robert Frost depicts a scene where a young boy is injured and eventually dies in a workplace accident with a dangerous wood saw. The other people don’t learn the life lesson from the tragic waste of his young life and just go back to wasting their own lives too.
What is the purpose?
Robert Frost wishes to raise many social issues in Out Out- (which can be seen as themes) such as:
- Beauty is everywhere but society does not care.
- Life is short.
- Is it right to expect people to be brave around death?
- Life could be over in an instant.
- Society focuses too much on work.
- Children should enjoy childhood and not grow up too soon.
- The problem of child labour.
- Dangerous working conditions.
- Irony: People risk their lives just to stay alive.
- Fate can be cruel.
- Male stereotypes: Men are expected to not show emotion.
Try to work these into your answer whenever it seems appropriate and natural (BUT don’t just stuff them in wherever!).
But what is Robert Frost’s MAIN message?
As you can see above, there are lots of ideas. So, what is the main message?
The title ‘Out Out-’ is part of a line taken from Shakespeare’s Macbeth: “Out out- brief candle” – a metaphor about the shortness of life and the pointlessness of ambition.
Therefore the main message or moral lesson of Out Out- by Robert Frost is most likely that life is short and society should value every moment and not try to grow up too soon.
In the poem, we’ll see that the characters waste their lives working too hard and missing the beauty that surrounds them.
LINE-BY-LINE TRANSLATION: Out Out- by Robert Frost
Click on the arrow under each poem stanza to reveal the translation. Each matching line is numbered to help you.
TIP: try to work out how and why the translation is connected to the original line. Notice what words have been swapped. This will help you in the future when you have to understand unseen poems in your GCSE exam.
Out Out- by Robert Frost.
- 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.
Stanza 1 Translation
- The daily work of the people was full of danger
- As the vicious saw easily cut arm-sized pieces of wood,
- However, the dust smelled sweet as it floated in the air.
- And, as they worked, most people ignored the
- Epic beauty of nature that surrounded them
- Beyond and above the world was vast and magnificent.
- And the saw snarled and rattled, snarled and rattled,
- As it ran light, or had to bear a load.
- And nothing happened: the 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.
Stanza 2 Translation
- But they focused on their dangerous work,
- The saw’s motor strained as it cut the arm sized pieces.
- This continued all day: they nearly made it to the day’s end.
- The narrator wishes they finished early that day
- And the boy would have been happy to finish 30 minutes early
- Something that all working boys love
- His sister stood beside them 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!
Stanza 3 Translation
- His sister had been working too and came out
- To announce supper was ready. At the same time the saw
- as if saws knew what supper was
- Jumped at the boy’s hand (or it looked as if it jumped) –
- The boy must have been careless. However it happened,
- The hand and the saw were drawn together. 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—
Stanza 4 Translation
- The boy tried to be brave and laugh it off,
- But he swung his hand up in a panicked way,
- He wanted help, but also tried to stop
- His blood from gushing. The boy suddenly knew
- because he had seen other injuries like this, big boy
- Pretending to do a man’s job, but a scared little child really –
- 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
Stanza 5 Translation
- His life flashed before his eyes. He’s worried he will become a burden.
- He pleads with his sister to protect him like a child.
- However, the hand could not be saved.
- He was placed under anaesthesia.
- He appeared to breathe his last 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.
Stanza 6 Translation
- The person checking his pulse reacted visibly
- They couldn’t believe it. They listen to his pulse closely
- Small— tiny— gone! — and that was the end.
- There’s nothing else to do. And the people
- Who hadn’t died, learned nothing from his death and went back to wasting their lives.
Grade 9 GCSE Language Analysis Paragraph Example
Here’s the first quote from our Out Out- quotes table below written up as a short paragraph to show you how amazing your answers could be if you use the information in this guide.
How Does Robert Frost use language in the poem Out Out-?
Example Exam or Essay Paragraph
In the poem Out Out-, Robert Frost suggests that fate can strike at any moment through the symbolism of the “buzz saw” which features at the beginning of stanzas 1 and 2 in the lines, “the buzz-saw snarled and rattled… snarled and rattled, snarled and rattled.” The zoomorphism “snarled and rattled” portrays society’s need to work as a monstrous beast that devours lives by keeping people distracted from the lives they really should be living. The triplet of onomatopoeia in “snarled and rattled” emphasises and brings the scene to life for readers through sound and increases the tension.
Right, now it’s time for you to get your hands on all those beautiful GCSE quotes…
LANGUAGE QUOTES about the poem Out Out-
| EVDENCE | ANALYSIS |
| The buzz-saw snarled and rattled… snarled and rattled, snarled and rattled | Symbolism: “buzz saw” – represents fate that can strike at any moment. Zoomorphism: “snarled and rattled” – the need to work presented as a monstrous beast that devours society’s lives by keeping them distracted from the lives they should be living. Triplet of Onomatopoeia: “snarled and rattled” – emphasises and brings the scene to life and increases the tension. Juxtaposition: “Buzz saw…mountain…sunset” – in the first stanza, the tension of this phrase is juxtaposed by the beauty of nature that surrounds the workers to exaggerate how near and yet so far the people are from living better lives. (Also see Structure quotes below). Repetition and Foreshadowing – At the beginning of stanzas 1 and 2 to create tension. It also symbolises the constant threat of fate. Readers sense the it may strike when the saw is mentioned for the third time. |
| those that lifted eyes could count five mountain ranges | Symbolism “Those lifted eyes” – very few people stop to take notice of the world around them; even “those” people went straight back to the mistake of working mindlessly. Symbolism “Mountain ranges” – Symbolises the beauty of the world that is missed by society that is everywhere but society ignores it. Structurally: the second half of the first stanza where the poet describes the beautiful world is important to unlock the anti-climactic end because it allows readers to realise the errors of these people’ lives (see the final quote in this table). Frost only gives us a glimpse of the outside world to represent the lack of importance it has the character’s lives. |
| a rueful laugh | Emotive Language: “Rueful” – to regret in a humorous way – the boy is pretending that he’s fine even though he has a horrific injury. The poet implies that there is an expectation on young boys to grow up too quickly. He has a horrific injury and society has conditioned him to pretend he is okay. This also links to the idea of expectation of male stereotypes. |
| Doing a man’s work, though a child at heart | Metaphor / Idiom : “Man’s work” implies the job is too difficult or dangerous for the boy who ideally should not be working. Metaphor/ idiom: “Child at heart” – The boy might be “big” but inside that manly exterior is an inexperienced and immature boy that is not capable or ready to do such dangerous and hard work. Frost suggests society should enjoy and cherish childhood and not try to grow up too quickly. |
| Don’t let him cut my hand off… Don’t let him, sister! | Repetition: “don’t let him” – The boy, who was pretending to be a man, now feels powerless and asks his sister to protect him. Emotive noun “sister”– Frost implies only boy would ask to for protection from a female because men were expected to protect women and girls. Exclamation mark “!” represents the boy’s unmastered emotions and his desperation not to live a disabled life (though he is “old enough to know” his injury is bad, he does not realise he will die). |
| But the hand was gone already. | Metaphor/ Personification: The poor safety record of Frost’s society sadly meant that people were experienced enough in horrific workplace accidents to realise the boy’s hand would be amputated. Short Simple Sentence: Creates impact by sounding like a matter of fact though it is only an opinion. The shortness also represents the how life and fate can turn for the worse in an instance. |
| No one believed. | Pun: “believed” Frost implies two meanings: the literal meaning is the people are shocked by the boy’s dying moments but it could also mean that the people fail to learn the message of Out Out- which is that the boy’s death means they should change the way they live and enjoy life while they can, Short Simple Sentence: Draws attention to the hidden meaning and separates the phrase from the surrounding text which allows it to be interpreted in different ways. |
| No more to build on there. | Pun: “build on” – Again, Frost implies two meanings: the first suggests nothing more could be done for the boy. The second meaning suggests that society is always looking to create “build” materialistic wealth such as status, money and possessions and the boy’s death was keeping them from their ‘important work’ (which the poet believes is not how to live). Short Simple Sentence: Again Frost uses this technique to draw attention to the wordplay and separates the phrase from the surrounding text which allows it to be interpreted in different ways. |
| And they, since they Were not the one dead, turned to their affairs. | Irony “since” – as in ‘only because’ – Frost mocks the people. He implies that people have lost control of their lives and do not learn from the deaths of the people around them. Even the tragic death of a young cannot convince them about the shortness and value of life and to act in a different way. Negative phrasing “not the one dead” – The poet implies only death will stop these people. Frost intentionally uses negative phrasing – instead of positively focusing on being alive, they negatively observe they are not yet dead. Anti-climactic ending/ irony/sarcasm “affairs” – this means their concern with financial dealings – through this, Frost implies society fails to learn the value of life. The people return to their obsession with money and possessions rather than making time to live and enjoy the beautiful world around them. Structurally: when these final two lines are connected to the second half of the first stanza where poet describes the beautiful world, readers realise what the people are missing. |
If you want to learn more about analysing LANGUAGE, visit our incredible GCSE English Language Analysis | EASY Grade 9 Guide
STRUCTURE QUOTES about the poem Out Out-.
| Abrupt and anti-climactic ending. | Frost reinforces that life can end suddenly and links to the message that society should take time to enjoy the world around them rather than slaving away for materialistic gain. |
| Variable rhyme scheme. | Out Out’s rhyme scheme changes from stanza to stanza. This reflects the sudden and unpredictable nature of life and fate that kills the boy. |
| Tone and mood. | Frost’s tone is calm and detached, almost clinical and uncaring in the way it describes the death which contrasts sharply with the emotional and tragic death of a boy the poem describes. Through this, Frost highlights the harness of life and fate to suddenly turn a life upside down in an instant. He implies this happens often and audiences should enjoy life because death is inevitable. |
If you want to learn more about analysing STRUCTURE, visit our incredible GCSE English Structure Analysis | EASY Grade 9 Guide
FORM analysis for Out Out-.
| Free verse with a loose structure | This gives the poem a natural, conversational tone that mirrors the unpredictability of life. The lack of a strict rhyme scheme in Out Out- reflects the unpredictable nature of the events described in the poem, reinforcing Frost’s message that life can be sudden and unforeseen. |
| Iambic pentameter. | Frost uses this stress and unstressed rhythm to reflect the relentless march of life and death. |
Need to learn about analysing Form? Visit our incredible GCSE English Form Analysis | EASY Beginner’s Grade 9 Guide.
Now, back to this guide…
CONTEXT and Grade 9 ‘GOLD IDEAS’ in Out Out-.
| Macbeth inspired the poem. | The title ‘Out Out-’ is part of a line taken from Shakespeare’s Macbeth: “Out out- brief candle” – a metaphor about the shortness of life and the pointlessness of ambition. This inspires Frost’s main message that life is short and society should value every moment and not try to grow up too soon. |
| Real-Life Tragedy | The poem Out Out- is based on a true story that took place in Frost’s time which moved him emotionally into exploring the fleeting nature of life and the need to enjoy life more. |
| Industrialisation and Loss of Innocence. | Frost often wrote about the harsh realities of rural life. The buzz saw symbolises industrialisation and the loss of innocence (simpler and natural ways of living). Out Out- highlights how progress and technology, while beneficial, can also bring about tragic consequences. |
Possible GCSE English Literature Exam Questions
In each case below, don’t forget to explore language (techniques and keywords), structure and form of Out Out- to create a dramatic image. Some exam boards may require you to discuss context too (see our notes above) – make sure you check with your teacher or on the examination board website in the specification.
| How does Robert Frost present life in the poem Out Out-? | Using the quotes above, focus your answer on how the people risk their lives in dangerous work conditions and ignore the beauty that surrounds them. They live to work rather than work to live. You could also explore the lives of the children in Out Out-. Both the boy and his sister are put to work from a young age. |
| How does Robert Frost present work in the poem Out Out-? | Sometimes examiners like to be more specific about what they want. If you are asked about how ‘work’ is presented in Out Out- then make sure all of your comments and analysis are linked to ‘work’ and not something else like ‘life.’ in general. You could be asked about other things like ‘fear’ or ‘tension’ – they can ask about anything the poem. So make sure you take the time to understand it fully. |
| How does Robert Frost create drama in the poem Out Out-? | This question is more about how the poet uses language and structure to create a powerful image and effect readers. The quotes above are analysed for these but make sure you consider how readers may react in response to every quote. Their feelings may even develop and change as Out Out- progresses. |
