Compare and Contrast "Out, Out" by Robert Frost and "Mid- Term Break" by Seamus Heaney.

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Compare and Contrasting Poems essay, Teacher: Mrs J Sheldon

Compare and Contrast “Out, Out” by Robert Frost and “Mid-   Term Break” by Seamus Heaney

In this essay I will be analysing two poems on the theme of death, “Out, Out” by Robert Frost, a poet from rural America and “Mid-Term break” by Seamus Heaney an Irish poet. I will be looking at the effects created by the poets. I will explore how their respective cultures affect their poems.

I will first examine Robert Frost’s “Out, Out-”. Robert frost lived from 1874 to 1963 and is regarded as of America’s best poets. He won the Pulitzer Prize four times for his contribution to literature. Robert Frost grew up on a farm; this obviously influenced the setting of this poem.

The poem’s title is “Out, Out-” and is an extract from Macbeth’s last soliloquy,

“Out, out brief candle

Life’s but a walking shadow.”

This indicates that the poem will be about death as Macbeth knows that death is inevitable. It suggests that death will take place in this poem. The hyphen in the title suggests that it is from a larger quote and when we discover its meaning, it creates a fatalistic atmosphere in the poem.

The theme of the poem is death. Frost also employs the theme of time but commentates without love or emotion when he is narrating, so this is conspicuous by its absence.

The poem is in one long stanza. This increases the feeling that it is in prose. This also moves the story along faster. There is no rhyme scheme which is also like prose. The rhythm differs in each section of the poem. The poem is written objectively and even though it seems as if Frost is watching the story unfold, he shows a lack of concern for the victim.

In the first line of the poem Frost personifies and makes the buzz saw animalistic. This quote proves that,

“The buzz saw snarled …..” This creates a sinister atmosphere and instantly makes the saw seem evil.

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Frost then attempts to distract the reader from the evil saw by describing the saw dust, using sibilance, “Sweet scented stuff.” This changes the mood of the poem for the next four lines. It goes onto describe the dramatic Vermont scenery. This quote shows that the boy is not concentrating on the task,

  “… Lifted eyes could count,

Five mountain ranges one behind the other.” This shows that he is not concentrating. The description makes the atmosphere very relaxed and the tension from the first lines is lost.

The tension is then restored though in the seventh ...

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