About the poet:
- Robert Frost was born on 26th March 1874 in San Francisco. Robert Frost was influenced by the contemporary British Poets as Edward Thomas, Rupert Brooke and Robert Graves.
- He had published two full-length collections, A Boy’s Will in 1993 and North of Boston in 1914. He was the most celebrated poet from America.
- Poem-Fire and Ice is inspiration from the Dante’s Book – Inferno.
Introduction:
Some say the world will end in fire
Some say in ice.
From what I’ve tasted of desire
I hold with those who favour fire.
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.
Robert Frost
- The sonnet “Fire and Ice” is a short sonnet by Robert Frost, it has just nine lines. It communicates the significant thought and that the world would end in both of two different ways, either by fire or ice. The two parts are contrasted and falling to pieces human feelings – want and contempt. The writer involves these images of fire as want and Ice as disdain of people.
- Thus, in this sonnet fire represents want and Ice for disdain. The writer makes sense of how these two things are turning into the explanation of annihilation of the world.
Explanation: First Stanza
Some say the world will end in fire
Some say in ice.
From what I’ve tasted of desire
I hold with those who favour fire.
- As per the poet, certain individuals say that the world would be end in fire that is mean on account of want, need and voracity, individuals truly do battle for their longing and it cause annihilation of the world.
- A few another individuals say that world would be end in Ice that is mean in view of disdain. individuals truly do detest with one another and begin battle and due to contempt again reason for obliteration of the world.
- In this way, here two reasons are referenced of the finish of the earth. One is (Fire) want and second is (Ice) disdain.
- Then writer gets out whatever he has tasted (experienced) about the craving. Based on his essence of common cravings, the writer holds with those blessings of fire. The artist compares fire with want; want has a similar impact as fire has. It creates wickedness and brutality on the planet. The fire causes a complete obliteration this world.
Explanation: Second Stanza
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.
- Perish: Die (end)
- Suffice: Be sufficient
- According to then in the second verse the writer, assuming the world would end two times, he imagines that he realizes contempt would end the world. Consequently, contempt (Ice) is sufficient and adequate for the annihilation of the world.
- At end of the sonnet, the artist infers that from the get go, in the event that Fire didn’t work, the subsequent time Ice would be sufficient to get done with the task that is obliteration of the World.
Literary Devices:
- Rhyming Scheme: aba abc bcb
- Alliteration: it is repetition a consonant sound at the start of two or more closely placed words. Example: the sound of “F” in “favour fire”, “W” in “world will”.
- Assonance: it is repetition of vowel sounds in same line. The repetition is at different places in different words. Example : the long sound of “O” in “I hold with those who favour fire”
- Anaphora: the repetition of a word of expression at the start of two or more consecutive lines. Example:“ Some say” is repeated at the start of lines first and second.
- Personification: Personification is to give human qualities to inanimate objects. In this poem, “Fire” and “Ice” are capable of destruction. Thus, the poet personifies fire and ice by giving them mind and power to destroy anything.
- Enjambment: in which lines usually do not have a punctuation mark at the end. It is running on of a thought from one line to another without final punctuation.
- Example: “ From what I’ve tasted of desire
I hold with those who favour fire.”
Activity: Thinking about the Poem
- There are many ideas about how the world will ‘end’. Do you think the world will end some day?
- How does Robert Frost’s poem ‘Fire and Ice’ reflect the Modern period?
- For Frost, What do ‘fire’ and ‘ice’ stand for? Here are some ideas.
greed avarice cruelty lust
conflict fury intolerance rigidity
insensitivity coldness indifference hatred
- How will the world end? Support your answer.
- Use your imagination and write your own poem on such theme of the poem “Fire and Ice”.
- Read the poem and enjoy it.
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