Fire and Ice

- By Robert Frost
Introduction
Robert Frost’s poem “Fire and Ice” expresses the profound idea that the world would end in either
of two ways, either by ice or fire. Both the components are compared with self-destructing human
emotions: hatred and desire. The poem, very artistically, underpins the philosophy that we let our
emotions rule us and if don’t control them they will surely destroy everything around us. Similarly,
he thinks fire and ice, both are just as competent in bringing the world to a catastrophic end.

Fire and Ice Summary

Robert Frost’s poem “Fire and Ice” is a strong symbolic poem where the fire is used as the
emotion of desire and ice, that of hatred. He has used the idea of two groups who have their own
possible explanation for the end of the world. One is of the opinion that fire alone can destroy each
and every possibility of life on Earth while the other thinks that if ice as a result of extremely low
temperatures could cover the earth’s surface, it would lead to the end of the world. Both the
components are compared with self-destructing human emotions: desire and hatred. The poet is
original of the opinion that he has been very closely associated with the “fiery desires” and
considers it capable of bringing human beings on the verge of destruction. Thus, he considers fire
as more competent for destruction. But then he thinks that “icy hatred” is just as capable of ruining
humans, though slowly and steadily. Therefore, if Earth was to end twice, ice would be just as
good as fire. If a fire would lead to rapid destruction, ice would lead to silent damage. Similarly, if
the fire is pure passion, ice is pure reason. Thus, the poem, very artistically, underpins the
philosophy that we let our emotions rule us and if don’t control them they will surely bring us all on
the verge of chaos.

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.
The poem expresses the profound idea that the world would end in either of two ways, either by
ice or fire. One group is of the opinion that someday the Earth’s core will get so heated up that it
would lead to fire destroying the earth’s surface. On the other hand, the second group says that if
the temperature goes down to an extent that makes life on Earth impossible, it would have the
same catastrophic effect. The poet then compares fire and ice with the destructive features of
human emotions; desire and hatred. He says that from what he is aware about “fiery desires”, he
would favour the ones who say that it would be fire. By saying so, he brings about the idea that
human beings let their emotions rule them and the consequence of unmonitored longing is chaos.

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.
Then by not waving off the first option of fire, he considers if the world has to expire twice, ice
would be equally competent in ending it. He brings about a contrast between “ice” and “hatred”.
The human capability of insensitivity and hatred has the potential for inner destruction. Though
slow and steady, it has the same effect that desire has on us. So if given an option between fire
and ice, ice would be just as good as fire to destroy the world.

Vocabulary
Desire- a strong feeling of wanting to have something or wishing for something to happen
Favour- approval, support
Perish- die
Suffice- be sufficient

Fire and Ice Literary devices

1. Rhyming scheme- Aba
abc
bcb
2. 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”
3. Alliteration- alliteration is the repetition of 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”
4. Imagery- Imagery is used to make readers perceive things involving their five senses. Example- “Some say
the world will end in fire”
“To say that for destruction ice Is also great”
5. Anaphora- the repetition of a word or expression at the start of two or more consecutive lines.
Example – “Some say” is repeated at the start of lines 1 and 2.
6. 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.
7. Enjambment- it is defined as the thought or clause that does not come to an end at a line break, rather it
moves over to the next line.
Example- “From what I’ve tasted of desire
I hold with those who favor fire”

Question and Answers

Question 1.
What are two different views about the end of the world in the poem ‘Fire and Ice’?
Answer:
The two different views of people regarding the end of the world are—Fire and Ice i.e., by desire
and hatred.

Question 2.
What does the poet think about the end of the world?
Answer:
The poet thinks about the end of the world that people think fire is the main cause of destruction.
But by the end of the poem he says that both Fire and Ice are equally destructive. Both have the
same power of causing destruction.

Question 3.
What do ‘Fire’ and ‘Ice’ symbolize in the poem ‘Fire’ and ‘Ice’?
Answer:
‘Fire’ and ‘Ice’ are symbolized here. ‘Fire’ stands for conflict, fury, intolerance, insensitivity while
‘Ice stands for greed, avarice, lust, rigidity, coldness, indifference, hatred, etc.

Question 4.
How can fire destroy the world?
Answer:‘
Fire’ symbolizes passion or hatred. It will lead to conflicts and ultimately result in the destruction of
the world. Fire represents desire that is fervent, consuming, always wanting more. Ice represents
hatred that is hard and cold.

Question 5.
What message does the poet wish to convey through the poem ‘Fire and ‘Ice’?
OR
What is the central idea of the poem ‘Fire and ‘Ice’?
Answer:
The poet presents two possibilities about the end of the world. It will be either due to ‘Fire and ‘Ice’
he prefers the first as he believes the world will end in fire but the ice will not go away.

Question 6.
Today’s world is conflict ridden. People fight over various issues and there is no peace in the
world. Explain/Describe based on your reading of the poem ‘Fire’ and ‘Ice’.
Answer:
Hatred is a predominant issue in today’s world. Neighbour hates his neighbour, brother hates his
brother. None is willing to forgive each other or tolerate each other. As a result of the hatred we
live in a very fragmented world. If hatred continues to rule our lives and world, nothing will remain
intact. All our achievements will perish and the world will come to an end. If we have to save the
world we need to learn how to forget and forgive. For this we need to have enormous amount of
love and compassion and be willing to tolerate the differences and learn to get along with each
other.

Question 7.
What does ‘Fire’ and ‘Ice’ stand for and what is the general opinion regarding the world?
Answer:
Fire’ stands for fury, desire, lust, anger, avarice, cruelty, greed. Ice is symbolic of hatred, coldness,
rigidity, insensitivity and intolerance. The general opinion regarding the world is that the world will
end in fire and some say in ice. Both the reasons contrast each other and one is equally opposite
to each other. People who favour fire believe that it will be the heat and passion which will end the
world. On the other side some people think that it will be the ice which will freeze the world.

Question 8.
There are many ideas about how the world will ‘end’. Do you think the world will end some day? Have you
ever thought what would happen if the sun got so hot that it ‘burst’, or grew colder and colder?
Answer:
There are many ideas about how the world will end. Robert Frost points out two destructive forces—Fire
and Ice, they may cause an end to the world. Yes, everything is subjected to an end. The world would
come to an end someday. The cause may be a war or natural calamity. The sun is the main source of
energy. It is life on the earth. If the sun got so hot that it “burst’ or grew colder and colder the life on the
earth would come to an end.

Question 10.
What is the rhyme scheme of the poem? How does it help in bringing out the contrasting ideas in the
poem?
Answer:
The rhyme scheme of the poem is—ab ab—be—be.
The rhyme scheme brings out the contrasting ideas and separates them beautifully.
fire – desire
hate – great
twice – ice
ice – suffice

Question 9.
For Frost, what do ‘fire’ and ‘ice’ stand for? Here are some ideas:

Answer:
Robert Frost compares and contrasts two destructive forces Fire and Ice. For him ‘Fire’ stands for desire,
greed, lust, intolerance conflict etc. These vices consume and destroy the fabric of society. ‘Ice stands for
hatred, rigidity, insensitivity, coldness and indifference. Hate is something that causes people to be rigid,
unmoving and cold.

Read the stanza and answer the questions that follow:

Question 1.
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.

(i) Name the poem and the poet.

(ii) What are the two destructive forces?
(iii) What do they stand for?
(iv) What does he favour?
Answer:
(i) These lines have been taken from the poem ‘Fire and Ice’ composed by Robert Frost.
(ii) ‘Fire’ and ‘Ice’ are two destructive forces according to the poet.
(iii) ‘Fire’ stands for ‘desire’ and ‘Ice’ stands for ‘hatred’.
(iv) Robert Frost supports the view that fire would cause the destruction of the world.

Question 2.
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.

(i) What does ‘Ice’ stand for?

(ii) What does the poet believe?
(iii) What is the another destructive force?
(iv) Find a word in these lines that means opposite to ‘creation’.
Answer:
(i) Ice stands for hatred in this poem.
(ii) Robert Frost believes that Ice is equally destructive and can destroy the world.
(iii) Fire is another destructive force.
(iv) ‘Destruction’.
 Dust of Snow
Introduction: Dust of Snow’ by Robert Frost is a brief poem but it conveys the poet’s
message coherently. The poem shows how human judgement on certain issues can be
misleading. The poet depicts the crow and the hemlock tree as reasons for his changed mood
and increased optimism.

Summary: This poem tells that even a simple moment has a large impact and
significance. This poem stands for guiding a person who has lost all hopes and is very sad.
The falling of dust of snow has changed the mood of the poet. The poet has mentioned crow
and hemlock tree in this poem. Crow signifies his depressive and sorrowful mood and
hemlock tree is a poisonous tree. Both of these signify that the poet was not in a good mood
and so he describes the dark, depressive and bitter side of nature to present his similar
mood. In such a sad, depressive mood, the poet was sitting under a hemlock tree. A crow,
sitting on the same tree, shook off the dust of snow i.e., small particles of snow that remain
on the surface after the snowfall, on the poet. This simple action changed the poet’s mood.
He realized that he had just wasted a part of his day repenting and being lost in sorrow. But
the change in his mood made him realize that he should utilize the rest of the day in some
useful activity. His sorrow was washed away by the light shower of snow dust. His spirit was
revived and he got ready to utilize the rest of the day constructively.

Explanation

The way a crow

Shook down on me
The dust of snow
From a hemlock tree

Explanation : In this stanza, the poet is talking about a winter’s day when all the
tree tops were covered in masses of snowflakes. The poet was walking under one
such snow-covered tree. This was the North American conifer, known as the hemlock,
named so because its smell resembles that of the European plant from which the
poison known as hemlock was made. Hence, by virtue of its name, this tree was not
one that you could associate with anything positive. However, a crow alighted on this
tree suddenly, and because of that sudden motion, the mass of snowflakes atop it fell
down on the poet like rain. The snowflakes were so light and miniscule that the poet
thought they looked like white and immaculate dust particles (if indeed, dust particles
could ever be white). This shower of snowflakes from the hemlock tree is evidently
the subject matter of this poem, since it touched the poet in some way.

Has given my heart

A change of mood
And saved some part
Of a day I had rued.

Explanation : In this stanza, the poet explains to us exactly in what way the shower
of snowflakes had an effect on him. He says that it changed his mood. That is to say,
he had been in a sullen or despairing mood, and the snowflakes falling on him, all of a
sudden, gladdened his heart. In addition to this, there was another effect that the
shower of snowflakes had on the poet. He says that, that particular day was one that
he had not been looking forward to, and in fact, it was not going too well either. He
had decided, in his mind, that that particular day would go waste. However, the
shower of dust-like snow on his shoulder changed his mind. It made him feel that the
day had not been a complete waste. At least, some part of that day had been
pleasant, since it had given him a new experience that he could treasure.
Question and Answers

Question 1.
How did the crow change the poet’s mood?
Answer:
The poet was going somewhere in a snowy morning. He was upset. All the trees were covered
with snow dust. A crow sitting on a hemlock tree shook the tree in such a way that some dust of
snow fell on the poet. This changed his mood and he became happy and relaxed.

Question 2.
What was the reaction of the poet when the dust of snow fell on him?
Answer:
Normally, people thought both crow and hemlock tree are auspicious. But when the dust of snow
from hemlock tree fell on poet, he took it in other way. He was depressed and sorrowful but the
moment the crow shook the hemlock tree and dust of snow fell on him, he felt unburdened and
relieved.

Question 3.
How does the poet react to crow and hemlock tree?
Answer:
Crow and hemlock tree are considered inauspicious in the west. They are generally taken /is bad omen.
But the poet did not take them in negative way. They saved his day. His negative outlook changed to the
positive one.

Question 4.
What made the poet change his mood?
Answer:
A crow on the hemlock tree shook down the dust of snow on the poet. The falling dust of snow on
the poet has changed his mood.

Question 5.
Why does the poet feel that he has saved some part of the day?
Answer:
Crow shook down the dust of snow on the poet. Both crow and hemlock tree are considered
inauspicious. The falling of dust of snow from hemlock tree is bad omen. But the poet took it in a
positive way. He found himself relieved from sorrow after this incident. Now he could use his entire
day in a fruitful way.

Question 6.
Simple moment proves to be very significant and saves rest of the day of poet from being wasted.
Explain on the basis of the poem ‘Dust of Snow”.
Answer:
‘Dust of Snow’ is a beautiful poem written by Robert Frost. This poem conveys that even a simple
moment has a large significance. The poet mentioned crow and hemlock tree in this poem. Crow
signifies his depressive and sorrowful mood and hemlock tree is a poisonous tree. Both these
signify that the poet was not in a good mood and so he describes the dark, depressive and bitter
side of nature to present his similar mood.

The poet says that once he was in a sad, depressive mood and was sitting under a hemlock tree.
A crow, sitting on the same tree, shook off the dust of snow, small particles of snow that remained
on the surface after the snowfall, on the poet. This simple action changed the poet’s mood. He
realised that he had just wasted a part of his day repenting and being lost in sorrow. But the
change in his mood made him realise that he should utilize the rest of the day in some useful
activity. His sorrow was washed away by the light shower of dust of snow. His spirit was revived
and he got ready to utilize the rest of the day.

Question 7.
The poet was sad and depressed. But one comical incident lifts his spirits. He is full of joy and happiness
again. Based on your reading of the poem, write a paragraph on the topic – Happiness is relative.
Answer:
No one is always happy. It is just a passing phase of one’s life. It varies from time to time and place to
place. It depends on certain people who you are close to. There are times when we are extremely happy or
sorrowful. In most circumstances, our happiness is decided l>y certain moments in our life. Some light
moments can really enliven our mood. The actions of our friends can make us happy or sometimes
sorrowful. We must also realize that on every cloud there is a silver lining. This means that every sorrowful
moment is followed by a period of joy and happiness.

Question 8.
What do the ‘Hemlock’ tree and ‘Crow’ represent? What does the dust of snow metaphorically
stand for ?
Answer:
The poet was going somewhere in a snowy morning. He was upset. All the trees were covered
with snow dust. A crow sitting on a hemlock tree shook the tree in such a way that some dust of
snow fell on the poet. This changed his mood and he became happy and relaxed.

Question 9.
Narrate a similar experience of your life when nature intervened and changed your mood. Discuss.
Answer:
Normally, people thought both crow and hemlock tree are auspicious. But when the dust of snow
from hemlock tree fell on poet, he took it in other way. He was depressed and sorrowful but the
moment the crow shook the hemlock tree and dust of snow fell on him, he felt unburdened and
relieved.

Question 10.
What is a “Dust of Snow”? What does the poet say has changed his mood? How has the poet’s
mood changed?
Answer:
A ‘Dust of Snow” means the fine particles of snow. This ‘Dust of Snow” changed the poet’s mood.
The poet’s mood changed from that of dismay to joy. He was holding the day in regret when this
dust of snow fell on him and this simple little thing brought him some joy.

Question 11.
How does Frost present nature in this poem? The following questions may help you to think of an
answer.
(i) What are the birds that are usually named in poems? Do you think a crow is often mentioned in
poems? What images come to your mind when you think of a crow?
(ii) Again, what is “a hemlock tree”? Why doesn’t the poet write about a more ‘beautiful’ tree such
as
a maple, or an oak, or a pine?
(iii) What do the ‘crow’ and ‘hemlock’ represent—joy or sorrow? What does the dust of snow that
the crow shakes off a hemlock tree stand for?
Answer:
Robert Frost has represented nature in quite an unconventional manner. While in other nature
poems we
come across birds such as nightingales or sparrows, Frost has used a crow in this poem. A crow can be
associated with something dark, black, and foreboding. That is why, other poets usually mention singing
nightingales or beautiful white doves in their poems.

Also, the poet has written about a hemlock tree, which is a poisonous tree. He has not written
about a more beautiful tree such as a maple, an oak or a pine tree because these trees symbolize
beauty and happiness. Robert Frost wanted to symbolize the feelings of sadness and regret,
which is why he has used a hemlock tree.

The crow and the hemlock tree represent sorrow. The dust of snow that is shaken off the hemlock
tree by the crow stands for joy that Robert Frost experiences. He has, therefore, used an
unconventional tree and bird in order to contrast them with joy in the form of snow.

Question 12
Have there been times when you felt depressed or hopeless? Have you experienced a similar moment that
changed your mood that day?
Answer:
The teacher may encourage the students to narrate any incident that changed their mood e.g. a sight of
dead animal, a scene of accident, treatment of some animals on the way, a funeral procession, etc.

Read the stanza and answer the questions that follow:

Question 1.
The way a crow
Shook down on me
The dust of snow
From a hemlock tree.

(i) Name the poem and poet.

(ii) Where was the crow?
(iii) What did the crow do?
(iv) What does a “hemlock tree’ represent?
Answer:
(i) These lines have been taken from the poem “Dust of Snow” composed by Robert Frost.
(ii) The crow was on the hemlock tree.
(iii) The crow shook the tree is such a way that the dust of snow fell on the poet.
(iv) A hemlock tree is a poisonous tree. It is not considered auspicious. It represents sorrow.

Question 2.
Has given my heart
A change of mood
And saved some part
Of a day I had rued.

(i) Who is ‘I’ in these lines

(ii) What changed the mood of the poet?
(iii) What did the poet decide?
(iv) What was the mood of the poet before and after the incident?
Answer:
(i) ‘I’is the poet himself here.
(ii) The poet’s mood changed when the dust of snow from the hemlock tree fell down on the poet.
(iii) The poet decided to save rest of the day so that there is no harm or sorrow for him.
(iv) The poet was in depressive mood before the incident and after the incident the poet was in
enjoyable mood.