Frost and Hughes

The two poems to be discussed are OUT, OUT-- by Robert Frost and Mother to Son by Langston Hughes. Robert Frost focuses on a description of a farm accident that caused serious injury and death to a young boy. Langston Hughes gives a portrayal of a mother giving advice or talking to her son about life. Both poems are opposite of each other one signifies the loss of life while the other is suggesting to persevere in life yet they equally show symbols of strength and fortitude.

In Robert frost poem he uses the accident of the boy to project the idea of a senseless loss of life and the loss of childhood and innocence. He suggests the unfairness, in the abrupt terrible and sad waste of the sweet essence of young life, the removal of childhood and youth before it can blossom into adulthood and all the experiences that comes with childhood and growing from stage to stage in life. He also touches on the issue of child labor in lines 10 to 12 to show how it adversely affects children and help to strip them of their childhood giving them a sense of maturity not usually found in children. The human instinct to survive and persist is also seen here. An example that generally sums up his ideas is lines 20 to 25. Langston uses the pep talk or conversation of a mother with her son to bring to light his central idea of life not always being easy but never to give up your hopes and aspirations. He is suggesting that you should be strong and steadfast during times of adversity. The writer is stating that life is based on a series of twist and turns, ups and downs but that we should practice perseverance through these stages of life.

The poem OUT, OUT is written in a 34 line ode narrative punctuated structure. The poet employs the use of end stops, some enjambments, caesura and specific punctuation marks at certain intervals to bring across a conversational, reflective and objective tone. This tone allows the reader to focus on the story and his or her...