Analysis of "out out" by Robert Frost

A.        BACKGROUND OF THE STUDY

All about literature is interesting to be discussed. Literature is like a living for some people. Everything in the worlds can be letters which are arranged to be good words that have intended meaning by it’s writers. Poetry is one of the popular forms of literature. Many poets embody their feeling and thought in their works, so it makes the reader will know more about the broader life.

The life is not as wide as the leaf. There are hidden life that must be dig up. It is the litetarure life. there are many interesting thing which can be taken from literature, one of them poetry itself.

One that there are so many poems which are created by people but just some of them which can inspire other people. Many poets who has the extraordinary works in the world, one of them comes from America. He is Robert frost. His virtues are extraordinary. There are few poets has written so well about the action or the living of ordinary men like him. He delivers the wonderful or dramatic scenes that unexpectedly by other poets.

Frost has created kinds of popular forms,one of them is “out out”. This poem based on the true story event  which is believed that happen in April 1910. This poem consist of thirty nine line of one verse paragraph and It does not have stanzas. It is one whole block of text. This poem is told by the narrator. The poem tells about the accident which is experienced by a child. The speaker, in this case Robert Frost try to imagine and recreate it to the every details.

.

B.        THEORY

a.         Concept of American Industrial Revolution

According to http://americanhistory.about.com,The Industrial Revolution (1820-1870) was of great importance to the economic development of the United States. It means that the influences of the industrial revolution is so broad include the growth of finance problem in America.

Industrialization in America involved three important developments. First, transportation was expanded. Second, electricity was effectively harnessed. Third, improvements were made to industrial processes such as improving the refining process and accelerating production. The government helped protect American manufacturers by passing a protective tariff. http://americanhistory.about.com

The impacts of the American Industrial Revolution also influence the work ethic on there. According to the http://workethic.coe.uga.edu/hir.html  As work in America was being dramatically affected by the industrial revolution in the mid-nineteenth century, the work ethic had become secularized in a number of ways. The idea of work as a calling had been replaced by the concept of public usefulness. Economists warned of the poverty and decay that would befall the country if people failed to work hard, and moralists stressed the social duty of each person to be productive (Rodgers, 1978). It means that the hard work is scheduled price for the American people.

Based on http://workethic.coe.uga.edu/hir.html One of the central themes of the work ethic was that an individual could be the master of his own fate through hard work.  On the other word, Everyone must work hard in order to get the prosperous life.

C.        ANALYSIS

a.         Sense of word

       According to the meaning of sense of word which is discussed before, we will try to explain what the meaning of words in this poem so we can know the sense of words that is found through this poem.

       As we all know that the tittle of this poem is thought to be from Shakespeare's play Macbeth so it is not surprise that Macbeth’ sense of word can be felt in Frost’ poem. Robert has many considerations to choose the title “out out”. The one of purposes is to make feeling of the readers is towards the Macbeth’s sense directly.

       The sense of word which is gotten from the Shakespeare's play Macbeth is Sadness and purity. As well as Shakespeare, Frost put the sense of Sadness in this poem. We can feel it from the parts of this poem below :

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.

       As the following parts of this poem, the sentense “To please the boy by giving him the half hour” shows that the condition of boy is so tired without any break in doing his work. It is so sad and tragic when the boys or children lost their childhood to work.

His sister stood beside him in her apron

To tell them ‘Supper.’ At the word, the saw,

As if to prove saws know 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          

According the following parts of this poem, we can analyze that the situation which want to shown by the writer is pathetic, terrible and sadness. The terrible sense can be felt when the boy’s sister says “supper” to the boy and other workers but as if the saw which is listened and answered the word. The boy’s hand is cut by the saw.  The boy’s outcry indicates the pain which is felt by him.  It is so terrible when we imagine it. Everyone who experiences the same accident surely feel sad, tragic and painful. That is the depict of writer about that situation.

The sadness is also found in the sentense “The boy’s first outcry was a rueful laugh ”. So, the first outcry of the boy is coincide with the shouts of joy from the other workers because they listen the sign to stop working There is no one who cares with his condition. It is so pathetic and tragic one.

The doctor, when he comes. Don’t let him, sister!’

So. But the hand was gone already.

The sadness can be also found when the boy asks his sister in order that the doctor doesn’t cut his hand. We can imagine when our little brother or our children cry because of pain. Absolutly our heart will be the painful too.

The boy doesn’t want to lost his presious thing. He is affraid and ask his sister to deny the doctor cut his hand but the fact that his hand was gone already. We can feel how he is feeling. Loss of precious thing is like the end of our life. The sadness is depicted clearly in this poem.

No one believed. They listened to 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.

The tragic death adds the sadness of this poem. The child who has lost his childhood must lost his life too.

b.      Paraphrase

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 know 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 was 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 to 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.

There is wood cutting machine which has sound of dronning, growl and rustled. In addition to produce small part of woods, it also produces waste of woods. This machine also brings out the aroma of wood shavings. The activity of cutting wood happen in the place which is so fresh. It is proved by many hills and beautiful scenery. The place is called Vermont and the activity happen in late afternoon. This machine is used continuously. We can know from the revs and buzzes of this machine always be listened. The way of this machine in cutting woods is so quick. It is like happen at glance and produces so many sticks of wood directly. There is no other activity everyday except cutting woods. On certain day, the speaker has wish in order that the boy gets breaktime in doing work, because the boy and other workers must work continuously without any break. The boy’s sister comes and asks them to get dinner but as if the machine listens the order of the boy’s sister. The machine answers it and happen to cut the boy’s hand. It happen so fast and the boy has given his hand to the cutting woods machine as it’s supper. No one who cares with the incident because all of people are working. The boy shouts loadly. His shout happen at the moment with the workers’s laugh because they listens the sign to stop working. The boy comes and whines to them to get help. He begs to the other workers while hold on his hand. At that time, the boy realizes that he is still child. He is pushed to work as a man. He has already ruined. He tells his sister in order to deny the doctor to cut his hand, but it is too late. His hand was cut. The boy is shocked and give up. He does nothing except breathe deeply. The other worker is affraid and comes to him and checks whether he still alive or not. There is no one can believe that the boy has died. His heartbeat becomes lost and he really dies. Nothing to do and the workers come back to their routines as usual.

c.       Interpretation

          As a reader, I want to try to interpret the context of this poetry.  I want to interpret according to the concept of American Industrial Revolution. Look at the following poem below:

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.

This poem is started with the explanation of the characteristic or quality of saw machine. There is sound of saw machine which are revs and buzzes. According to inventors.about.com/od/.../a/Chainsaws.htm  the buzz saw which is drawn by Frost similar with the chain saw. We can interpret that the form of buzz saw is like a chain saw. It has flat surface that looks like a table slid and back on the two rails. The farmer will put the log on the table and push it through the circular saw. From the sentence “The buzz saw snarled and rattled” , we can also imagine the sound which is produced from the buzz saw’s work. The sound of buzz saw is dronning, growl and clatter. It is so noisy and happen continuously. So, I think it is very annoying to the people. 

The small log of woods is produced by the saw. In addition to produce the noisy sound, the buzz saw also produces the waste of cutting wood. The waste of cutting wood causes the pungent or sharp smell.

And from there those that lifted eyes could count

Five mountain ranges one behind the other

Under the sunset far into Vermont.

The third line up to the sixth line tells the reader about the situation and the condition place which is called Vermont. According to en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Woodstock , Vermont has beautiful scenery with the view of ridgeline. We can interpret that the condition over there is so fresh and cool with the green forest. The activity which is done by the workers who use the buzz saw happen in late afternoon.

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.

The seventh line tells about the usage of buzz saw. The speaker repeats the words “snarled and rattled”. It emphasizes that the sound of buzz saw is listened continuously. This machine works very quickly. The logs on the table which is pushed through the circular saw drop out to be the stick of woods quickly so we don’t realize that the stick is piled up on the ground.

There is no other activity at this place except the same routines. The wood cutting is done everyday by the workers. It ilustrates the hard work of American society to fight in getting better life.

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.

In these lines, the speaker tries to show his opinion or his wish to the policy of American government who doesn’t give the permit of the laborer to get break time. The one which must be underlined is the child labor. Frost wants to notify that child is forced to work in America. Actually, the child labor have existed before the Industrial Revolution in America. The condition is very dangerous because many children who die because of their work. The speaker seems to blame the work ethic based on this condition. No one can deny the children which must work and it causes they must lost their childhood. The blame of the speaker is also pointed out to the work time of the workers. They must work continuously without any break time. It is so risk for their safety.

His sister stood beside him in her apron

To tell them ‘Supper.’ At the word, the saw,

As if to prove saws know 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!

When the boy and the other workers have worked. The boy’s sister comes and annoys their work. The boy’s sister orders the boy and the other workers in order that they get dinner. My interpretation that the boy has lost his concentration because he is hungry and get hurry to go dinner and also overworked. His condition makes his hand happen to enter the machine. As we all know that the saw machine is so sharp and dangerous. The logs of wood which is pushed into the saw will drop out to be the small sticks of wood. We can imagine that it is not the wood who is cut by the saw but it is the hand. No one can deny the incident because the boy’s hand has been cut down by the saw. So, the supper who is said by the boy’s sister is listened by the buzz saw and it answers by cutting the boy’s hand.

The incident still relates with the work ethic in America. According to www.braunconsulting.com,”Even though a number of recent reports show U.S. workers place a high priority on quality-of-life issues, they are still the hardest-working labor force in the world” it means that there is something wrong with the policy of work ethic in this country, and Frost blame this worh ethic through this poem.

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

       When the boy shouts because of pain which is felt by him, there is no one listens it because the sign to stop working is rang so the other workers shout loudly because of their joy. It is so contrast with the condition of the boy. He must run to come towards other worker and tell his condition but no one who cares. We can imagine how he is feeling.

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 has lost much bloods. Although he is still child, he realizes that he must struggle for his life. He is a child who must work like a man. It means that he plays an important role in his family. But he lost much bloods and now that is too ruined.

He saw all was 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.

       He is fear very much about the condition of his hand. He doesn’t want the doctor to amputate his hand. He asks his sister to tell to the doctor about it. We can underlined the word “sister”. He seems very close with his sister, but where is his mother? Where is his father? It shows that he doesn’t have good relationship with his parents.

       His effort to deny amputation must be stopped because the doctor has amputated his hand. He knows that his life is over. There is nothing to be done.

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 to 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.

The other workers starts to worry about the condition of the boy so they checks whether he still alive or not. His heartbeat starts to loss. “Little—less—nothing!”. The other workers can’t believe it but there is nothing to be done. He dies after being amputated by the doctor. He is shocked when he knows that his hand is amputated.  His shocked causes his heart stop beating and dies. The other workers and his sister are sad very much but they can’t do anything too. They come back to their work again.