'Out, Out-'

Question 1

Building sense of tension / foreshadowing

Answer 1

• “The buzz saw snarled and rattled”, zoomorphism, makes it seem like a dangerous predator, ready to attack, foreshadowing later events. Onomatopoeia adds to sense of fear and danger.
• Later repetition builds tension as it seems more dangerous. Regular rhythm.
• “Made dust”, biblical allusion to returning to dust/ death, foreshadowing the boys ultimate death. Oxymoron?
• Sunset - pathetic fallacy close of day and close of life

Question 2

As it happens

Answer 2

• “Leaped out at the boy’s hand, or seemed to leap”, ‘Leaped’ is personification/ zoomorphism, adds to sense of danger, predator, Immediately qualifies it with ‘or seemed to’, brings back to reality. Caesura -
• “He must have given the hand”, Ambiguous, pushed too hard with his hand - makes it sound like he also sacrificed his hand. “The” is a definite article, not a personal pronoun, no longer “his” hand
• “He saw all spoiled”, understatement, no imagery, dramatic event and you’d expect visceral imagery but almost dismissed. “Spoiled” is associated with minor events and underplays the seriousness. Link to title “Out, out-“, intertextual allusion to Macbeth “Out, out, brief candle … full of sound and fury, signifying nothing” shows futility of life and meaningless of life or Lady M “Out, out, damned spot” - foreshadowing the blood / death

Question 3

Death

Answer 3

• “They listened at his heart”, can’t listen to his heart, can’t listen to his heart because he is dead - simple short sentence for emphasis. Change in preposition.
• “Little-less- nothing!- and that ended it.”, dismissive, and understatement, “little-less- nothing!” Mimicking a dying heartbeat, diminishing list of 3 and disruption of metre (line 31 is iambic and this is irregular). Also pause / stop/ “nothing” before the words “and that ended it”.
• They, since they/ Were not the one dead, turned to their affairs, very dismissive, just moved on, link back to intertextuality signifying that nothing matter, callous highlighting how they can move on but he cannot, harshness of the world