“Out, Out—” by: Robert Frost ELAGSERL9, ELAGSERL4, and ELAGSEL2

By the end of this lesson, I can: analyze how the material in the modern work of fiction is rendered new from the traditional source (myths, traditional stories, or religious works such as the Bible) evaluate the importance of the traditional source in rendering a modern work of fiction determine how the author's use of words and phrases controls the meaning/tone of the text explain how the author's use of figurative language further illustrates/expands the tone and meaning of the text explain how the author's use of connotative meanings conveys the author's stance/tone within a text explain allusions within a text, and how allusions add background knowledge and depth to a text use a dash to signal a deliberate pause within the sentence for a deliberate effect or special emphasis

I see … I think … I wonder… https://youtu.be/P-CQCl8NVf0 https://youtu.be/o8A1H15Ohw0

from Macbeth by William Shakespeare “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; it is a tale Told by an idiot, full of sound and fury, Signifying nothing.”

Questions to consider… When Macbeth delivers this speech, he has just learned his wife has taken her own life. What is meant by “brief candle”? Summarize the meaning of the speech. What does the speaker seem to be saying about life? As you read the next poem, you will need to think about the answer to the following question: Why has Frost called his poem, “Out, Out—”?

Symbol Alliteration Narrative poem Personification Onomatopoeia Analyzing Poetry Symbol Alliteration Narrative poem Personification Onomatopoeia Imagery Allusion Metaphor

How do you feel when you look at this scene?

Lines 1-6 What is the effect of the verbs “snarled and rattled”? How does Frost create the scene in the opening six lines? Consider images of sound, sight, smell and touch.

Lines 7-12 Why does Frost repeat “snarled and rattled”? What is the effect of this? How can “the sunset” and “the day was all but done” have both literal and symbolic meanings?

Lines 13-18 Earlier Frost said the saw “snarled and rattled.” What verb does Frost use in line 16 and how does this continue the image of the saw? Personification is when we give human characteristics to something non-living. How is the saw personified in Line 16?

Lines 19-26 What is the boy’s first reaction to the accident? In line 20, what is meant by “them”? Based on lines 22-24, how old do you think the victim is? Support your answer with textual evidence. What is the effect of the boy’s words being quoted?

Lines 27-34 What does the line “the watcher at his pulse took fright”? How does line 34 relate to the speech from Shakespeare? What do the last two lines mean?

Final Questions to Ponder… What is the effect of Frost’s placing this tragic human incident against the backdrop of five Vermont mountain ranges? What if the boy’s father had decided to “call it a day”? How would this have affected the boy in two ways? How does this poem progress from something personal to something universal?

Newspaper article Robert Frost based this poem on a newspaper article he read. Read the article and complete a Compare/Contrast Graphic Organizer. Include at least 5 features Frost retained in the poetic account and 5 points he has either altered or omitted. Raymond Tracy Fitzgerald, one of the twin sons of Michael G. And Margaret Fitzgerald of Bethlehem, died at his home Thursday afternoon, March 24, as a result of an accident by which one of his hands was badly hurt in a sawing machine. The young man was assisting in sawing up some wood in his own dooryard with a sawing machine and accidentally hit the loose pulley, causing the saw to descend upon his hand, cutting and lacerating it badly. Raymond was taken into the house and a physician was immediately summoned, but he died very suddenly from the effects of the shock, which produced heart failure. 

Focus on the Dashes— Use a dash to indicate an abrupt break in thought or speech. How is the use of a dash different than the use of a comma? Re-read the lines where Robert Frost uses dashes (16, 22, 24, 25, 30, 32) and even in the title. How does he use dashes in this poem and what is the effect? How would the poem read differently if he had instead used commas?