Robert Frost Born: March 26, 1874 Died: January 29, 1963

Born in San Francisco, California In 1912, Frost and his wife, Elinor, moved to England, but World War I broke out and the couple moved back to New Hampshire. Frost taught on and off at Amherst College. The library there is named after him.

 In 1924, he received the first of four Pulitzer Prizes for his book New Hampshire. In 1961, Frost spoke at President John F. Kennedys inauguration ceremony. He read his poem, The Gift Outright by memory. He wrote the poem, Out, Out, after WWI broke out in Europe as an anti-war poem.

Discussion Questions
1. What is the authors tone in the poem: a. happy and light-hearted b. Sad and sorrowful c. Matter-of-fact and nonchalant Give supportive evidence for your answer. 2. What is this poem about? 3. Who do you think is the narrator? Who are the characters in the poem?

4. Why do you think the poem is called

Literary Elements found in songs and movies.

Literary Devices in Poetry

Questions to as you read the poem: 1. What poetic devices can you find in the poem? Use a different colored highlighter to mark each one you find. 2. What evidence from the poem points to the literary devices?

Out, Out 1916

Poem in context:
The poem was written during World War I, a time when many innocent young boys were forced to leave their childhood behind and become an adult before their time. Frost emphasizes the boys passivity and innocence in the poem. If the boy received an earlier excuse from the workday, he would have avoided cutting off his hand and would have been saved from death. Moreover, a mere half-hour break from his job would have allowed the boy to regain part of his childhood, if only for a moment (lines 10-13)

 With that in mind, this poem can be read as a critique of the world events that forced boys to leave their childhoods behind and ultimately be destroyed by circumstances beyond their control.

 After the boys hand is nearly severed, he is still enough of an adult to realize that he has lost too much blood to survive (lines 20-23). He attempts to keep the life from spilling from his hand, but even that is only an attempt, since nothing can be done (lines 19-20).

Above all, the boy hopes to maintain his physical dignity in his death, rather than die with a missing hand (lines 23-24). Frost alludes to the horrors already occurring on the battlefields in Europe, where death from enemy shells

 The first twenty-six lines contain elegant descriptions of the scene, the final eight lines are detached and unemotional. The narrators So and No more to build on there (lines 25 and 30-31) reveal that even the narrator is unable to find any explanation for why such a young boy had to die.

In the last line of the poem, the narrator enters a state of complete detachment, almost as if indifference is the only way to cope with the boys death (lines 31-32). Just as soldiers on the battlefield must ignore the bodies around them and continue to fight, the people of this New England town have nothing to do but move on with their lives.

Discussion Questions
1. What is the authors tone of voice in the poem? How can you tell? 2. Who are the characters in the poem? Why do you say this? 3. What is the one thing you would change about the poem if you could? Why would you make this change?

4. What do you believe the poem is trying to say? Why do you feel that way?
5. Why do you feel the poem is called Out, Out? Use evidence from the work to support your response.

Ticket to Leave
1. List the most interesting thing you learned today and why. 2. What will you tell your parents that you learned today? 3. Give one reason todays lesson may help you in the future. 4. Write one question that would be good on a test.