Read "Out, Out" by Robert Frost. Then, answer the question that follows.

Question

[1] The buzz saw snarled and rattled in the yard
And made dust and dropped stove-length sticks of wood,
Sweet-scented stuff when the breeze drew across it.
And from there those that lifted eyes could count
[5] Five mountain ranges one behind the other
Under the sunset far into Vermont.
And the saw snarled and rattled, snarled and rattled,
As it ran light, or had to bear a load.
And nothing happened: day was all but done.
[10] 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.
His sister stood beside him in her apron
To tell them "Supper." At the word, the saw,
[15] As if to prove saws knew what supper meant,
Leaped out at the boy's hand, or seemed to leap—
He must have given the hand. However it was,
Neither refused the meeting. But the hand!
The boy's first outcry was a rueful laugh,
[20] As he swung toward them holding up the hand
Half in appeal, but half as if to keep
The life from spilling. Then the boy saw all—
Since he was old enough to know, big boy
Doing a man's work, though a child at heart—
[25] He saw all spoiled. "Don't let him cut my hand off—
The doctor, when he comes. Don't let him, sister!"
So. But the hand was gone already.
The doctor put him in the dark of ether.
He lay and puffed his lips out with his breath.
[30] And then—the watcher at his pulse took fright.
No one believed. They listened at his heart.
Little—less—nothing!—and that ended it.
No more to build on there. And they, since they
Were not the one dead, turned to their affairs.

Match each plot element to the description of an event from the poem.

Match Term Definition
Exposition A) The doctor gives the boy ether to numb the pain, but it is too late for medical assistance, and he passes away.
Rising action B) The others resume their lives after the boy's death.
Climax C) The boy's sister calls him inside to dinner and the buzz saw moves unexpectedly.
Falling action D) The boy's hand is severed by the saw; he becomes aware of the severity of the situation, and grows up in an instant.
Resolution E) At sunset, a boy in Vermont is using a buzz saw to cut wood for the stove.

Answer 1

Here’s how the plot elements match with the events from the poem "Out, Out" by Robert Frost:

• Exposition: E) At sunset, a boy in Vermont is using a buzz saw to cut wood for the stove.

• Rising action: C) The boy's sister calls him inside to dinner and the buzz saw moves unexpectedly.

• Climax: D) The boy's hand is severed by the saw; he becomes aware of the severity of the situation, and grows up in an instant.

• Falling action: A) The doctor gives the boy ether to numb the pain, but it is too late for medical assistance, and he passes away.

• Resolution: B) The others resume their lives after the boy's death.