He has used the idea of two groups who have their own possible explanation for the end of the world. It's a sort of chili pepper in a fridge. Frost has tasted desire and it is connected with fire. For Frost in 1920, life had certainly had its good days and bad days. Every single person that visits Poem Analysis has helped contribute, so thank you for your support. In addition, it seems that his knowledge as to the means that the world will end is influenced largely by other peoples opinions, which he seems to value a lot. Aristotle basically said that to live a positive life the passions had to be controlled by reason and that humans were the only ones capable of rational thought. The potential for ice would suffice, and even though they tend to believe in the destructive power of desire, they see no reason to believe that hate couldnt end the world just as easily. The elements of fire and ice mentioned in the poem, and foregrounded in its title, are two of the four Aristotelian or classical elements, along with earth and air (although ice is usually just described as water, Frost whose very surname here summons the icy conditions of one half of the poem is purposely summoning these classical elements). A Reading by the Poet Himself Pages 5, Ask a professional expert to help you with your text, Give us your email and we'll send you the essay you need, By clicking Send Me The Sample you agree to the terms and conditions of our service. Robert Frost's Mission to Russia This is illustrated in the opening line of the poem Some say the world will end in fire / some say in ice To say that for destruction ice/Is also great / and would suffice the punishment awaiting people at the world is great like fire and chilling as ice as illustrated by the given words. They also allow for a variety of readings of the passages. Fire and Ice - Poem Analysis. The 'fiery lake proves that fire is an expression of cry or sorrow. The point of Fire and Ice seems to get at the idea that arguing over how the world ends isnt going to delay or prolong the arrival of the event. I will never give away, trade or sell your email address. The symbols Fire and Ice have been used for human emotions like desire and hatred respectively. Question and Answer forum for K12 Students. Did Frost influence his version? When fire meets ice it has no chance of continuity as it is extinguished by the ice. INTRODUCTION OF THE POEM This is a beautifully written poem by Robert Frost. His worldview. Here the speaker provides their own opinion they equate fire with desire, which is to suggest that it is equal with passions, with greed, with rage. Robert Frosts Fire And Ice Poems English Literature Essay. According to De Saussures theory of structuralism the poem comes in the category of langue. Robert Frost and a Summary of "Fire and Ice". Fire and Ice are composed of nine lines that alternate between three, These first few words represent the general publics dispute over how the world would end. Fire and Ice is Frost's poem of dry-eyed acceptance of both passions in their most destructive form. Similarly, hatred can give numbness to our mind and thoughts. There is no end to it. First printed in Harper's Magazine, December 1920. And for all the poem's structural simplicity, the metaphor it uses is complex and multi-layered. Scroll down to read the entire paper. The speaker is concerned about the ice, which is the polar opposite of the speakers burning aspirations. Those who strayed away from the positive life through reason were judged the worst offenders, ending up in a lake of ice. As it follows proper pattern and meaning of the poem is created in the arrangements of its elements and also the arrangement between the arranged elements. So, the poet believes that the ice of hatred would be enough and a great reason to ruin our life. (10) $1.25. The speaker contemplates whether the world will end in fire or ice. A lot of thought most definitely went into the creation of this poem. Frosts Fire and Ice Explicator 59.1 (2000): MAS Ultra-School Edition. Poet uses literary devices and proper punctuation, which gives a very beautiful rise and fall to the poem. Fire: desire. The poem opens with a profound idea about the end of the world. The poet has employed several poetic devices in the poem. In its theme the poem resembles James Patrick Kinneys poem The Cold Within. Inferno also describes the deepest aspects of Hell as being simultaneously burning with flame and being submerged in unbreakable ice. About the Poet This might not be an all inclusive meaning and can be totally unrelatable but with faith on the poets foresight, we stick to what is logical and then succumb to the beauty of his creativity. Some scholars claim this poem was inspired by Dante's Inferno, as "Fire and Ice" draws many interesting parallels to the work. Literary Devices are used by writers and poets to add distinctiveness and complexity to plain works. HubPages is a registered trademark of The Arena Platform, Inc. Other product and company names shown may be trademarks of their respective owners. Some people believe that the appropriate punishments for sins of man are by fire and others believe that it is by ice. But if it had to perish twice, I think I know enough of hate To say that for destruction ice Is also great And would suffice. Answer: Fire and Ice are symbolized here. Only nine lines long, this little poem is a brilliant example of Frost's concisely ironic literary style. Everyone knows the world will end at some time but no one knows how. Some say the world will end in fire, Fire is being used as a metaphor for strong, consuming emotions such as desire. The poet begins the poem by narrating the popular and age-old debate about the two things out of which one will destroy the world. From what I have discovered over summer I hold with those who say it is great But if I had to move again I think I know enough of loss To say that for moving away The loss is also great Poem The language of the poem is following specific perspective pattern. Accessed 18 January 2023. Summary. His highly accessible work made him famous in his lifetime and has since solidified his place in American literary history. Enter your email address to subscribe to this site and receive notifications of new posts by email. Despite this, it manages to be a powerful and thought-provoking work of art that has remained relevant and remembered decades after its original printing. Either way, the end of the world is brought about by the emotional energy of humans. Things fall apart; the centre cannot hold. This poem was clearly the result of considerable contemplation. What counts is how the heat or cold is dealt with. Meter Mostly iambic tetrameter with a few lines of iambic duometer. Casual in tone, with clichs, it introduces to the reader the profound idea that the world could end in one of two ways, with fire or ice, through desire or hate. . Serio, John R. Frosts Fire and Ice and Dantes Inferno Explicator 57.4 (1999): 218. "Fire and Ice" is a poem full of symbolic meaning and interesting uses of understatement and references to the end of the world. Robert Frost's own powerful reading of the poem. They think of it as something that would chill the world, slow it down, and isolate each individual enough that the human race simply couldnt survive it. In the poem 'Fire and Ice', Robert Frost uses a sarcastic tone to warn us about the dangers that planet Earth could face, if we do not keep our desires and negative emotions in control. He reflects on his own . If you have a book you're allowed to write in, then write it in your notebook. It may happen that the core of the earth will get so heated up that it would start a fire . His rhyming scheme could be best described as terza rima (Hansen, 33). Robert Frost is considered the bard of New England. Feel free to disagree with my interpretation. (including. In other words, what begins in rather elemental, open-ended terms (perhaps even inviting us to think of global warming, something unknown to Frost, when we read of the world ending in fire) comes to have a distinctly human aspect, grounded in human emotions and behaviour. He explains us how he thinks the world might end by two things - fire and ice. Fire has been compared to desire and greed to do more and compete unhealthily. He famously observed of free verse, which was favoured by many modernist poets, that it was like playing tennis with the net down. And would suffice. At some point between the present and Revelations authorship (closer to the present though), Robert Frost added his own ideas to the mix, and the result was Fire and Ice, one of his most well-known poems, and certainly one of his most powerful ones. Assonance is the repetition of vowel sounds in the same line such as the long sound of /o/ in I hold with those who favor fire. The fire is hot, and the ice is chilling cold, the two might be used to represent various aspects in society such as the presence of love and hate. Stanza form. Fire represent desire and ice is equated with hate, both are antithesis to each other. Fire is the antithesis of ice. They even dont care about their near and dear ones. Although his poetic form contrasts the overt theme of the poem, it underscores its underlying meaning. As the title implies, Fire and Ice is a poem of contrasts, a poem of extremes. The other is a reported conversation Frost had with an astronomer in which they talked about the sun exploding or extinguishingfire or ice. Robert Frost (1874-1963) is regarded as one of the greatest American poets of the twentieth century. help. Published in December 1920 in Harper's Magazine [1] and in 1923 in his Pulitzer Prize-winning book New Hampshire, "Fire and Ice" is one of Frost . The potential for ice would suffice, and while they believe in the destructive force of desire, they find no reason to assume that hatred couldnt just as quickly kill the planet. There is also repetition of vowel sound /o/ in the same line. Frost's persona of his voice is exposed in line five as being wise. These first few lines describe the disagreement in general society on the topic of how the world ends. I think I know enough of hate And especially on poets minds. Robert Frost begins by stating his beliefs that the world would end either because of the two, the fire or the ice. The speaker remembers their experiences with a strong yearning and believes that it is these types of emotions and impulses that drive the world down an unreversible road. Punishment for man is inevitable; it is only a matter of what kind of punishment man shall receive for his perversion of morals. First published in 1923 in his book New Hampshire, Fire and Ice is a strong symbolic poem, fire becoming the emotion of desire and ice that of hatred. Shapley replied that either the sun will explode and burn the Earth, or the Earth will slowly be freezing in the deep space. In addition, this enables him to gain credibility in terms of his opinions and to develop a strong stance. The words are listed in the order in which they appear in the poem. Your poem analysis of " Fire and Ice " by Robert Frost begins with reading the poem. Fire and Ice is a short poem written by Robert Frost. The words "fire" and "ice" are compared to ways that Frost the world will end. Print out the poem. He is quite familiar with the way hatred leads to the end of life. In this poem, a reader will find that the poet has a love for 'fire' and hatred for 'ice'. Its poet is Robert Frost. Cheers. Fr In the first two lines of the poem, Frost creates a distinct difference between fire and ice and claims that the world will end as a of one of these elements. In the poem, it indicates all types of greed and lust. No one knows exactly how the world will end but those are possibilities. Its short. It means that earth's core will heat up to . Some say in ice. Frost wrote Fire and Ice in 1920. The poem has been widely analyzed and interpreted by critics, with many different perspectives on its meaning and significance. Critical Analysis of "Fire and Ice". Therefore, the poet personifies fire and ice by giving them a mind which is capable of destroying almost anything. The meter of the poem is an unusual blend of iambic tetrameter and dimeter, and the rhyme structure (ABA ABC BCB) implies but differs from Dantes terza rima. Robert Frost's Fire and Ice comprises of 1 stanza with 9 lines. Have a specific question about this poem? Poem begins with some say which means that a group of people is of the opinion that the world will come to an end either by fire or by ice. Fire and Iceis written as a series of nine lines, alternating between three rhyming sounds ABA ABC BCB being the rhyming summary for Fire and Ice. Its difficult to say what Eliot thought of Frost, and how familiar he was with his work, although it is certainly curious that, in the midst of the next war, in Little Gidding (1942), Eliot gives us the line This is the death of water and fire.. A number of Frost poems and an in-depth biography of the poet. Heres a copy of the poem to save you the trouble of doing a Google search. Please endeavor to share this article with family, friends, and colleagues. Overall the poem is a mix of iambic tetrameter and iambic dimeter, the long lines having eight syllables and four stresses, the shorter four syllables and two stresses. This is a fascinating article about the time President Kennedy sent Robert Frost to Russia in the 1960s inan effort to help defuse tensions. It features a narrator describing the end of the world in their own vision, and its largely simplistic. Here, the poet h. To say that for destruction ice This was invented by none other than Dante in his Divine Comedy, so Frost may have borrowed the idea. Thats a good question. He presents two opposite views about the end of humanity and the world. Please continue to help us support the fight against dementia with Alzheimer's Research Charity. Williams Wordsworth I Wandered as a Cloud, Summary of The Quality of Mercy Is Not Strained, Tell all the Truth but tell it Slant By Emily Dickinson, 20 Jolly Christmas Poems To Spark Up The Christmas Spirit, Top 10 Christina Rossetti Poems Every Poem Lover Must Read. In the first two lines Robert Frost's "Fire and Ice" (Arp 103), the speaker presents two options for the end of the world: one by fire and the other by ice. Throughout history, there has always been a seeming fascination with how the world will end. 4.9. An extremely precise and compact lyric, Fire and Ice traces the didactic tone of the speaker compressed into a terse and pithy language. In contrast, the presence of more love than hate means that the love has the ability to overpower the hate (Hansen, 29). In this poem poet tries to turn our thoughts towards many serious questions. The poem is wrapped up in an epigram speculating about the end of the world. Then follow these. Frost uses two extremes, fire and ice, as the poems controlling images, images which symbolize the two extremes of lust and hate. This article is about the Fire and Ice summary. It was reputedly heavily influenced by Dantes Inferno, notably in the depictions of Hell (which is strangely depicted in the novel as having nine tiers or circles and Fire and Ice is a poem of nine lines). spam or irrelevant messages, We use cookies to give you the best experience possible. I highly recommend him if you need an assignment done . Personification is to give human qualities to inanimate objects. His work was initially published in England before it was published in the United States. This is just two years after the end of the First World War, and a time when revolution, apocalypse, and social and political chaos were on many people's minds. Why might the speaker think that hate and ice have something in common? Frosts ironic use of meter and rhythm in Fire and Ice underlies his hidden theme that moderation is the worlds salvation. It's short. Terza rima consists of interlocking chains of rhymes in a sentence in the form of a-b-a, b-c-b, c-d-c. The deeper meaning of the poem is actually behind the reason for the world's end is not a calamity from literal fire or cold wind. A reading of "Fire and Ice". These lines are based on mere hearsaySome saywho says?expertsthe guy on the street, the woman in the bar? Preparing a. Read it several times. Cold indifference and hate can be equally destructive. An Insightful Interview with the Poet The poem expresses the idea that the world will end someday, either by Fire or by Ice. Read it several times. Fire and Ice - Critical Commentary "Fire and Ice" is a symbolic (or, metaphorical) poem by the American poet Robert Frost. Fire is compared to desire when Frost states . On the other hand, the second belief tells that ice is sufficient for destroying this world and the poet compares the nature of ice with hatred. In this video, Robert Frost is interviewed by author Bela Kornitzer in 1952. The poem has been written symbolically. Walker, Andrew. The plot of the poem from a formalist approach is to enlighten people on the consequences of their sins and the chilling punishment as represented by ice. And line seven scans a little differently as the reader has to naturally pause at the end of destruction before the word ice continues the meaning into the final two lines via enjambment. Hansen, Tom. From what I've tasted of desire I hold with those who favor fire. Parallelism is used in the first two lines of the poem some say the world will end in fire / some say in ice. Is also great Since its first publication in December 1920 in Harper's Magazine and in 1923 in Frost's prize-winning collection New Hampshire, Robert Frost's "Fire and Ice" has opened many conversations about the apocalypse.The poem's bleak apocalyptic themes also blend with philosophies about human beings' infallible talent for self-destruction. In the short poem, "Fire and Ice", by Robert Frost, he outlines a familiar topic, the fate of the world's destruction. Just print, make copies, and accept accolades from colleagues and students. However, on a big scale, the fire eats and destroys, as does desire. We serve cookies on this site to offer, protect and improve our services. The ice in line two, stands for the hate in the world. We respond to all comments too, giving you the answers you need. He became one of the United States rare public literary figures, almost an artistic institution.. The narrative by Robert Frost Fire and Ice is powerful in illustrating two forces, which are strong in the world and the human mind. The first group of people thinks that fire will cause the apocalypse to happen. 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These units are teacher ready and student ready. It is due to human vices. Fire And Ice Analysis: Robert Frost's 'Fire and Ice' is a viral poem that discusses the end of the world, likening the elemental force of fire with the feelings of desire and ice with the emotion of hate. 2 May 2012. People want to satisfy their desire but gradually it grows more. The most noticeable literary device used in Frost's poem is. Tamilnadu Board Class 10 English Solutions, Tamilnadu Board Class 9 Science Solutions, Tamilnadu Board Class 9 Social Science Solutions, Tamilnadu Board Class 9 English Solutions, Langston Hughess Dreams | Detailed Analysis of Dream By Langston Hughes, Mending Wall Analysis | Robert Frosts Detailed Mending Wall Analysis, Style and Form, Short Essay on Electric Vehicles Advantages, Disadvantages of EVs, Speech Writing Class 11 Format, Examples, Topics, Exercises, NCERT Extra Questions for Class 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, and 12, Full Form of MBBS, BDS, BAMS, BUMS, B. Sc. They imagine it as something that would cool the planet, slow everything down, and isolate each individual to the point that the human species would perish. How We Can Learn the Function Operation Sequence. Fire is utilized as a metaphor for powerful, devouring emotions like passion. In a modern sense, "fire" and "ice" could well be stand-ins for "nuclear disaster" and "climate change.". Fire and Ice Summary: Fire And Ice Introduction. In this poem, Fire and Ice are capable of destruction. In essence, the fire is pure passion, the ice is pure reason. Robert Frost (1874-1963) was an American poet. Casual readers sometimes overlook the depth of his poetry and its technical accomplishment. He discusses these two possibilities which will be the reason for the end of the world. Fire of violent desires will put the world to an end. The speaker cites destruction, the possibility of dying twice, and the notion that the world will end in the opening sentence. In addition, he brings out the presence of conflicting views as to the punishment of sins and more so how the world will end. Is also great In this poem, Frost points out that humans will be the agents of our own destruction, one way or another. This poem is about a question of how the world will come to an end, either by fire or by ice. Here's a Symbolism in Robert Frost . Frost asked him how the world will end. Though very short, the poem gives much to the readers to ponder on. "Some say the world will end in fire, Some say in ice." In the first and second lines of poetry, the word "some say" is used Anaphora. But if it had to perish twice,I think I know enough of hateTo say that for destruction iceIs also greatAnd would suffice. I hold with those who favor fire. Fire and Ice is a symbolic (or, metaphorical) poem by the American poet Robert Frost. Similarly, fire grows rapidly and engulfs our whole life. These two extremes, he expostulates, will eventually destroy the world. Initially it was published in Harper's magazine. Robert frost fire and ice criticism Rating: 7,8/10 728 reviews. Fire and Ice are two elements in the world that are important but entirely different from each other in their own unique aspects. (read the full definition & explanation with examples). To say that for destruction ice (b) (Serio, 9). 1920 was also the year he needed to commit his sister to a mental hospital, which marked the beginning of a difficult time for the family which had already seen its fair share of grief, as, by this time, Frosts parents had both passed away, and Frost himself was battling depression amidst everything else. A number of Frost poems and an in-depth biography of the poet. Some say the world will end in fire, Some say in ice. Web. Robert Frost, in his own inimitable way, chose both, the poem expressing this dualism in a typical rhythmic fashion, using a modified version of the rhyming scheme known as terza rima where the second line of the first tercet rhymes fully with the first and third lines of the next. Many scientists, like Harlow Shapley, hold the belief that the end of the world will come in two forms, "either the earth would be incinerated, or a permanent ice age would . The poet agrees with those people who believe that the world will be burnt in fire. What makes Fire and Ice such a haunting and even troubling poem is its acknowledgment that desire and passion can be more deadly and destructive than mere hate: hate (ice) may well consume us all through war (we need only look at how religious and political differences can make whole groups of people hate their neighbours), but desire (fire) may prove even more powerful because it can provide the zeal, the irrational belief in something, that will fuel even more destructive behaviour. From what Ive tasted of desireI hold with those who favor fire. Your email address will not be published. Thus, no one knows with ample certainty the end of the world and the means by which the end will be achieved. Poem Analysis, https://poemanalysis.com/robert-frost/fire-and-ice/. MAS Ultra- School Edition. In this, https://poemanalysis.com/robert-frost/fire-and-ice/, Poems covered in the Educational Syllabus. So, in the poem, fire is desire which is passion, and ice is hate which is reason. Ice and fire, of course, are opposites of one another, suggesting that most people have entirely opposing views on the apocalypse after all, the world cant end in ice and fire at the same time. According to Frosts biographers, the poem was inspired by a passage in Dantes Inferno, Canto 32. And would suffice. Identify the meter and any examples of straying from the meter. Fire and Ice is one of Robert Frost's shortest poems but gives the reader much to ponder on. It has always been a phenomenon capable of capturing peoples minds. A Documentary About the Poet During this time in his life, he had begun teaching and writing as full-time professions while he lived on a farm in New Hampshire. The catastrophic powers mentioned in Fire and Ice operate on two levels. These first few lines describe the disagreement in general society on the topic of how the world ends. Frost graduated from Lawrence High School, in 1892, as class poet (he also . The speaker believes fire to be the more likely world-ender of the two, and links it directly with what he or she has "tasted" of "desire." by. Want to learn how to analyse texts so you become a better writer? For example. The poet says that there are mainly two opinions about the end of this world. And especially on poets' minds. In "Fire and Ice", Frost's first two lines are "Some say the world will end in fire,/ some say in ice." This excerpt also has a greater meaning. This is a poem of opinion, yes, but opinion brought about by personal experience. This poem is about a . You can read Fire and Ice here before proceeding to our analysis of the poem below. He says that he is in the favor of those who say this world will end in fire as he has seen the effect and result of uncontrolled and unbending desires. Other sources claim the poem was created . It refers to the repetition of a word or expression in the first part of some verses. We said that fire and ice are perhaps more allegorical than symbolic in Frosts poem, because rather than leaving these deeply symbolic forces of fire and ice open to speculation and different interpretations, he goes on to link them very specifically to two particular emotions: desire for fire, and hate for ice. Fire and Ice by Robert Frost explores a universal interest in the apocalypse. Get the entire guide to Fire and Ice as a printable PDF. On the other hand, the American Astronomer Harlow Shapley claimed in 1960 that his meeting with Robert Frost inspired him to write the poem. DETAILED SUMMARY. You can unsubscribe at any time. The poem consists of two stresses or iambic diameter. "Fire and Ice" is a popular poem by Robert Frost that discusses the end of the world, likening the elemental force of fire with the emotion of desire, and ice with hate. Imagery is used to make readers perceive things involving their five senses. on. In this poem, Robert Frost also employs several literary tricks. In other words, the world will either burn up or freeze up. In recent years, these discussions have centered around nuclear disaster, immense climate change, and general cynicism. In todays parlance, fire and ice may easily stand-in for nuclear tragedy and climate change. Frosts usage of fire and ice, on the other hand, is mostly a metaphorical choice that gives the poem up to several interpretations. Published in December 1920 in Harper's Magazine [1] and in 1923 in his Pulitzer Prize-winning book New Hampshire , "Fire and Ice" is one of Frost's best-known and most .