This line is an example of an asyndeton, a device in which coordinating conjunctions like “and,” “or,” or “but” are excluded from a line of verse. Here, the words “little,” “less,” and “nothing” are not connected by coordinating conjunctions; instead, they are separated by caesurae in the form of em dashes (—). The asyndeton, particularly in combination with the caesurae, creates a distinct disruption in the poem’s rhythm that seems to mimic the slowing of the boy’s heartbeat.
"Half in appeal, but half as if to keep
The life from spilling...."See in text(Out, Out—)
Blood is both a symbolic and a literal representation of the life that the boy is about to lose; symbolic, in that it is not literal life that flows from his body, and literal, in that he may die from blood loss. Frost’s use of figurative language here indicates the futility of the boy’s efforts to save himself.
Line seventeen includes alliteration, or the repetition of consonant sounds. By repeating the soft consonant sound “h” in the words “he,” “have,” “hand,” and “however,” Frost varies the poem’s rhythm, which is further disrupted by the caesura (.) and the end-stop of the line, which concludes with a comma. Readers are thus encouraged to slow down and pay attention to the details of the scene.
"Leaped out at the boy’s hand, or seemed..."See in text(Out, Out—)
Frost employs assonance, or the repetition of vowel sounds, in this line. The repetition of the “ee” sound in the words “leaped,” “seemed,” and “leap” slows down the rhythm of the line—and the action of the scene—by drawing out the auditory quality of the words. As a result, readers are drawn into the boy’s horrific experience as it unfolds.
The repetition of the verb “to leap” not only places emphasis on the detailed imagery of the scene, but also highlights the speaker’s sudden reluctance to continue anthropomorphizing the saw that “leaped out at the boy’s hand.”
"the saw,
As if to prove saws knew what supper meant,..."See in text(Out, Out—)
Frost uses anthropomorphism, or the attribution of human-like behavior to nonhuman things, in his characterization of the saw. Like a villain, the saw leaps out and severs the boy’s hand “as if to prove saws knew what supper meant.” By anthropomorphizing the saw, Frost provides readers with something—or someone—to blame for the boy’s fatal mishap. However, the comfort of a clear distinction between good—the boy—and evil—the saw—quickly erodes as the poem progresses.
"Call it a day, I wish they might have said
To please the boy by giving him the half hour
That a boy counts so much when saved from work...."See in text(Out, Out—)
Lines ten and eleven are enjambed, which means that the sentence that begins in line ten continues through two line breaks and into line twelve. Enjambment speeds up the rhythm of the verse and intensifies the suspense that has been building from the beginning of the poem.
"snarled and rattled, snarled and rattled,..."See in text(Out, Out—)
The comma that interrupts line seven is a caesura, or a pause within a line of verse that is often generated by punctuation. Here, the caesura calls attention to the repetition of “snarled and rattled,” which increases the poem’s foreboding tone.
"stove-length sticks of wood,
Sweet-scented stuff when the breeze drew across..."See in text(Out, Out—)
Frost makes liberal use of sibilance, or the repetition of words containing the consonant “s” sound, in these lines. In saying aloud the words “stove,” “sticks,” “sweet,” “scented,” “stuff,” and “across,” readers emit a hissing sound that lends a musical quality to the words while creating suspense. Further, sibilance can slow down the reading process, so that readers are encouraged to focus on the poem’s vivid details.
Line three is an end-stopped line, or a line of verse that ends with some form of punctuation—in this case, a period. The pause encouraged by the end-stopped line encourages readers to reflect upon the sinister visual and sonic imagery introduced in the first line.
