How is Caesura used in the poem "Out, Out--"?

Caesura is a pause in the middle of a line of poetry. It
was originally meant as a place for Anglo-Saxon scops to draw in a breath given the
length of the poetry they were reciting. While the use of the caesura is still used for
this reason, other may use it so as to provide a place where a reader can reflect on
what is being said.

In regards to Frost's poem "Out,
Out--", the use of the caesura provides a reflection, or pausing, point so that the
reader can reflect upon the action, or message, in the poem.  In the following lines
(7-10), a caesura is used:

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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.

The caesura takes place
where the commas and colon exist in the lines. Frost is wanting the reader to pause to
consider the seriousness of what is going on. The repetition of the "snarled and
rattled" represents the seriousness of the threat. The second line is allowing the
reader to think about the circumstances. The last line functions as a conclusion to the
immediate action. The last line also repeats the thought of the end being there; just in
a different way each time.