POETRY

This prompt fits "Out, Out," by Robert Frost because instead of the sow we see the saw as a main influence in the story. I think it is ironic how this prompt can be altered by one letter in a word and completely fits a different poem.

1987 Poem: “Sow” (Sylvia Plath)

Prompt: Read the poem. Then write an essay in which you analyze the presentation of the sow (saw) . Consider particularly how the language of the poem reflects both the neighbor's (boy's) and the narrator's perceptions of the sow (saw) and how the language determines the reader's perceptions.   Be certain to discuss how the portrayal of the sow (saw) is enhanced by such features as diction, devices of sound, images, and allusions.

"The buzz saw snarled and rattled in the yard," are the first words in Robert Frost's poem titled "Out, Out-." Through animalistic allusions and simplistic diction the buzz saw is portrayed through the author's objective tone as a pest. From the very beginning, the buzz saw was given life and the reader was presented with an opportunity to gather his or her thoughts and feelings toward the saw. The buzz saw has a negative connotation from the start. The saw was given qualities of an unfriendly dog or a snake, both of which are unwanted company. Frost goes on to describe the scenery, how beautiful and peaceful it is, then is interrupted again by the nuisance of the buzz saw; it, "snarled and rattled, rattled and snarled." The saw was impatient, inconsiderate, and selfish by cutting off the narrator's thoughts about the surroundings. These characteristics are reprised when the boy enters the poem, but instead of being an exasperation, the saw becomes more aggravating by taking further action. "At the word, the saw, As if to prove saws knew what supper meant, Leaped out at the boy’s hand, or seemed to leap—" It was again given life-like qualities, here with more cognititive and physical than before. The saw seemed to want to be at the center of attention and made it apparent. The boy's feelings toward the saw were not very concentrated because the boy had so many things happen to him at once. After the saw took his hand he was baffled. And at that point the buzz saw's work was done, it was content, and did not need to come back into the poem. As a reader, not unless one goes back to search, it's relatively unnoticed.