English Coursework Essay

Compare how Robert Frost and Wilfred Owen communicate the theme of loss in ‘Out, Out’ and ‘Disabled’.
‘Out, Out’ and ‘Disabled’ both talk about loss in a comparable way. They both deal with the physical side of loss as both of these poems talk about amputation of limbs. Both writers make you feel sympathetic towards the victim successfully by using techniques such as metaphors, similes, contrast and personification.
‘Out, Out’ is based around the loss of the boy’s hand, in a machinery accident. The poem talks about how this leads to premature death and how after the incident happens everyone ‘turned to their affairs’ which helps you empathise with the child, this gives you the sense his life is meaningless and how he feels he has no worth.
Frost starts the poem with a nice peaceful scene by describing the ‘sweet scented stuff’ being carried by the breeze. Also how he mentions the ‘sunset far in Vermont’ which gives you a vibrant and vivid picture of a sunset glistening and how the world is natural and can be enjoyable. The poem then starts to become dark and sad with ‘and the saw snarled and rattled, snarled and rattled’ he uses two different techniques as he personifies the saw by making it sound like an animal that is ready to attack any threat. Frost also uses the repetition of ‘snarled and rattled’ to increase the threat the ruthlessness of the saw. Frost uses contrast here by starting off with the pleasant start which quickly turns into darkness and viciousness.
Frost describes this tragedy as if they could have dodged it by saying ‘Call it a day, I wish they might have said’ which is saying that his family did not give him the rest of the day off work. This gives the reader the idea that the whole thing could have been avoided so easily which makes you feel the boy’s pain and misfortune. Frost uses first person in that quote which connects the reader and the poem. Frost also contrasts in this poem as he uses ‘the boys first outcry was a rueful laugh’ this describes his reaction when his hand is cut off and the use of the words ‘laugh and ‘rueful’ contradict each other. This is used to show the boy did not know how to react as he had never had such a serious accident. Through the poem it becomes to get darker for example ‘little-less-nothing!’ this is the most awful quote in the poem as within such as short period of time the boy’s life is over and nothing can be done. Frost uses dashes to make the reader pause and think about the words and meaning of the quote to show it is a matter of fact that his life is over. Also the quote ‘and they, since they were not the one dead, turned to their affairs’ this shocks the reader because it is saying how because people are not in the position the boy is they turn away and forget as they have better things to do than to care for the boy this shows the loss of his family and the love towards him from his family. This makes the reader pity the boy and shame the family and this line once again shows you the insignificance the boy felt of his life.
Frost often uses contrast is ‘Out, Out’ and gets more emotional and more upsetting further into the poem. Frost shows this by describing the young boy as ‘Doing a man’s work, though a child at heart’. This is very moving as it upsets the reader as it is a child that could have avoided the fate he eventually got if he was doing what normal children could do and how he is di g the job a man should it gives you the sense of neglect from his family the fact they would let him do a job that is not meant for him and they do not fear for his safety.
‘Disabled’ which is written by Wilfred Owen is about a soldier who has lost limbs after fighting in WW1. The title ‘Disabled’ is thought of a negative and is a very simple title which gives you the fate of the soldier in the title whereas ‘Out, Out’ is a less obvious title and does not tell you so much about the poem. ‘Disabled’ is not about death and even though it is very similar to ‘Out,

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