Birches employs the metaphor of a boy swimming in the birches. This is a metaphor for being a teenager. The metaphor compares the youthful excitement that many individuals disregard in their youth and wish they had done when they are older. The individual ends up struggling with the burdens of old age and the delights of youth. Frost, in particular, prepares the young people for maturity. "One could do worse than be a swinger of birches," he writes (Meyer 877). Frost used metaphor as an important means of conveying his intended message to the reader. Besides, Frost utilizes the metaphor of the birch tree which is compared to life and death. The reader notes that the tree in the poem is a representation of life, problems, and frustrations which accompany life. The tree also compares the carefree pleasures of the childhood along with the adulthood experiences. Evidently, the speaker of the poem in his adulthood imagines the experiences he had while swimming in the birches. He indicates the joy he felt when he used to swim in the tree birches while still young. Indeed, Frost used metaphor as a paramount aspect of conveying his message to the reader that enjoying the youth life is a fundamental aspect of living.
Out-Out Poem
Metaphor in Frost’s poem “Out-Out” is fundamentally used to explain and elucidate emotional feelings depicted in the poem and make the reader to empathize with the boy’s situation. Besides, it makes the reader understand the events of the poem. The metaphor that Frost uses in the poem expresses the fatal accident that the boy faced and effectively moves the reader in understanding the fragility of life. The metaphor is depicted in the word choice of the speaker. For example, he says “The doctor put him in the dark…..” (Meyer 1916). This is a metaphor to the sense of helplessness which pervades the reader’s mind and illustrates the dying moments of the boy. The words ‘No one believed/ little –less--nothing!” clearly demonstrate the sad ending moments of the boy (Meyer 1916). The metaphoric tone developed the feeling of empathy and leaves the reader feeling sorry and grieved. Metaphor is also manifested when the speaker says that the boy is being anesthetized during surgery as they were trying to save “his hand” (Meyer 1916). “His hand” stands for saving the boy’s life which turned out to be unsuccessful. Furthermore, the title of the poem, “Out-Out” is a metaphor for death.
Work Cited
Meyer Michael. The Bedford Introduction to Literature. 11th Edition. Bedford Martins. 2016.
