Out out - Robert frost
1
, Out out: Robert Frost
Theme :
◦The poem describes how a boy died doing a man’s work (sawing wood), and the poet protesting against the
injustice of child labour
Type:
→ ‘Out, Out-’ is a lyric
→ Any fairly short poem uttered by single speaker who expresses a feeling/thought
→ Poem with a musical/song-like quality
→ Conveys personal thoughts of the poet ,May include a narrative element
→ Charged with emotion
→ Often reflects back on certain experiences
What is the structure of the poem?
→ The poem consists of 34 lines
→ Divided into two stanzas (line 1-28; 29-34)
Background of the poem
→ The title is taken from the Shakespearean play “Macbeth”
→ The king, on hearing of his wife’s death, thinks deeply on the shortness of man’s life which he compares to a
short length of candle that is soon burnt out
→ “Out, out, brief candle! Life’s but a walking shadow, a poor player that struts and frets his hour upon the
stage and then is heard no more.”
2
1
, Out out: Robert Frost
Theme :
◦The poem describes how a boy died doing a man’s work (sawing wood), and the poet protesting against the
injustice of child labour
Type:
→ ‘Out, Out-’ is a lyric
→ Any fairly short poem uttered by single speaker who expresses a feeling/thought
→ Poem with a musical/song-like quality
→ Conveys personal thoughts of the poet ,May include a narrative element
→ Charged with emotion
→ Often reflects back on certain experiences
What is the structure of the poem?
→ The poem consists of 34 lines
→ Divided into two stanzas (line 1-28; 29-34)
Background of the poem
→ The title is taken from the Shakespearean play “Macbeth”
→ The king, on hearing of his wife’s death, thinks deeply on the shortness of man’s life which he compares to a
short length of candle that is soon burnt out
→ “Out, out, brief candle! Life’s but a walking shadow, a poor player that struts and frets his hour upon the
stage and then is heard no more.”
2
