Comparing "Out, Out" and "To an Athlete Dying Young"

In Robert Frost's "Out, Out," a young man's life is cut short when he saws off his hand while working. Similarly, a young champion athlete's life is also taken before he can reach his true potential. As both of these poems deal with death, the tone and situation of each poem is incredibly similar as the reader experiences the initially excitement of two promising boys' lives are taken away . In "Out, Out," the story begins with the daily life of a boy who works for his family and ends with the sudden reaction of death to the people around him. By giving the saw alive verbs like "buzzing" and "rattling" and "leaping,"  Frost gives the reader the idea of life being much more valuable as it can be taken away by the smallest things. In "To an Athlete Dying Young," Housman also shows the reaction of the town to a young death as he starts with such hopeful beginning. Similar to "Out, Out," the author shows that life is something taken for granted as people will remember him shortly for his accomplishments but will soon forget him once someone does them better.