In both poems, Frost addresses the theme of mortality both directly and indirectly, exploring not only the random and often violent nature of death, but also the its dangerous charm. “Out Out –” deals with the former, choosing to question the romanticism often attributed to it through its depiction of the violent, accidental death of a young child. Undoubtedly influenced by the mass slaughter witnessed during the First World War, Frost's portrayal of a narrator who seeks to place blame on even inanimate objects – such as the chainsaw – provides a metaphor for the search for meaning and direction when both are absent. Despite opting for a more structured and regular form (both in terms of verse and meter), "Stopping by Woods on a Snowy Evening" approaches death in a similar way, developing an overriding sense of isolation that mirrors the community's response in "Out Out..." upon the child's death. Certainty and uncertainty are often juxtaposed in both poems, undermining any sense of secure knowledge and placing significant emphasis on humanity's utter helplessness in the face of its own mortality. Crucially, however , while "Stopping by Woods on a Snowy Evening" does not attempt to "explain" death in any way, it suggests an acceptance of it that is not seen in "Out Out"'s attempts to come to terms with random nature and meaningless of mortality. In this way, then, the former can easily be seen as a development of the latter, marking Frost's growing acceptance, or even desire, of death poems choose to undermine the Romantic movement of the late 19th century, reflecting instead an era of modernism in which, after World War I, it had shaken much of the faith in religious and conservative values, the structures on which society is founded contemporary were beginning to deteriorate. Say no to plagiarism. Get a tailor-made essay on "Why Violent Video Games Shouldn't Be Banned"? Get an Original Essay Through the use of a first-person narrator, Frost gives both poems a distinctly human perspective, allowing him to fully explore humanity's relationship with death: "It sprang out of the boy's hand, or he seemed to jump, / He must have given his hand.' Here, in "Out Out —", Frost's use of personification in the repeated "jump" gives the chainsaw a sort of malevolent intent, as if the boy is the victim of an external force Furthermore, the oft-repeated phrase and The highly onomatopoeic “growled and rattled” contains further connotations of violence, once again portraying the chainsaw as an intentionally harmful living creature. However, this attempt to divide the “good” and the “bad” – the “victim” from the “aggressor.” ” – is clearly misleading, as the contrast between the certain connotations of “ought” and the dubious “seemed” serves to call into question the narrator's ability to distinguish truth from invention. His futile attempts to assign blame only underline the indiscriminate and often random nature of mortality; it is through this sense of randomness that death loses the higher meaning or significance that was often attributed to it by Romantic poets. Frost's use of a singular, unstructured stanza, particularly when combined with the lack of regular rhyme and meter, serves to reinforce the lack of stability and order found throughout the poem, while the phrase "wooden sticks as long as a stove they fell" contributes strongly to the overall sense of uselessness effect - refuses to mention the specific purposeof the action, focusing only on its immediate result (the rather vague "wooden sticks as long as a stove"). The impersonal, almost passive, connotations of “abandoned” once again remove any sense of positive progress. The ideas of aimless violence present throughout the poem, against the backdrop of a fruitless search for moral responsibility, most likely have their roots in the First World War; although the poem is not a direct metaphor for human conflict (its themes of helplessness in the face of mortality are too universal to be limited to "war" alone) the poem is perhaps an example of the effect of the First World War on attitudes in confrontations with death, focusing on the fragility of human life. Similarly, Frost incorporates ideas of uncertainty in 'Stopping by Woods on a Snowy Evening': 'Whose woods are these I think I know. / But his house is in the village.' Here, in the poem's opening line, the direct juxtaposition of "I think" to "I know" once again undermines the scope of human "knowledge," underscoring the narrator's uncertainty regarding the nature of mortality - unfounded ideas ("think" ) are equated with factual "knowledge" ("knowledge"). However, the owner of the "house" is perhaps understood as the personification of death, with the immediate connotations of "village" suggesting a closer and more direct relationship with death than that seen in "Out Out -", where it is represented mortality. as a detached and completely arbitrary entity. The use of a regular rhyme scheme and stanza structure, combined with the consistent use of iambic tetrameter, contributes to a calmer, more contented tone of voice; written 8 years after "Out Out -", this is perhaps indicative of the aging Frost's growing willingness to embrace mortality. While both poems place humanity in a position of total submission to death, it could be argued that, in each, Frost handles this position in different ways – where “Out Out –” comments more on the meaningless, often violent nature of mortality, 'Stopping by Woods on a Snowy Evening' explores its dark attraction, describing the woods as 'enchanting, dark and deep'. Perhaps symbolic of death, the simultaneously seductive and threatening connotations of 'dark and profound" serve to clarify his feelings about mortality, expressing a strange longing for it without questioning his total ignorance of its nature. However, through the connections they draw between mortality and respect for the natural world, both poems choose to further subvert the style of the Romantic movement that had dominated in previous years: "And from there those who lifted their eyes could count / Five mountain ranges one behind the other / under the distant sunset in Vermont." Here, in "Out Out —", Frost's use of assonance, combined with repeated enjambement, places a strong emphasis on the expanse of the scenery, painting a vivid picture of natural beauty that, on the surface, would seem like a highly romantic image. image. However, the connotations of heavy physical labor in "relieved" contrast with the relatively simple act of looking up, highlighting the degree to which workers are detached from the natural world and, by extension, the substantial effort required of them to embrace it . This concern with human "affairs" is a theme that runs throughout the poem, extending further into Frost's presentation of mortality: unable to understand or even recognize the natural world, humanity is left at the mercy of death. The connotations of submission in “under sunset” subtly reinforce this prevailing sense of helplessness and insignificance. The total inability of mankind to understand the.