Fire and Ice By Robert Frost

Value-Points

1. The poet feels that this world of ours will come to an end.

2. He is not very clear when the end will come.

3. He comes to this conclusion on the basis of what people say on this subject.

4. He seems to show his agreement at what people say regarding the ending of the world.

5. On the basis of what people think, the poet believes that this world will come to an end by the two
highly contrasting but powerful elements of nature - fire and ice.

6. Either fire or ice or both will be the cause of the ending of the world.

7. Then the poet links these two powerful natural elements to human beings and their emotions.

8. In the first stanza, the poet shows his agreement with those who believe that fire will cause the end
of the world.

9. He links the element of fire to the human emotion of desire or passions.

10. The uncontrolled fire of passion and desire may lead us to the end of this world.

11. Then, the poet comes to the second alternative that can cause the end of this world.

12. It is the 'ice' which can also cause the end of the world.

13. In terms of human emotion, ice means 'hate' created by 'cold reasoning'.

14. Cool and calculated icy reasoning can lead to hate and can be the cause of the end of this world.

15. The poet himself has experienced both these primal emotions of love as well as hate, fire as well as
ice, passions as well as cold reason.

16. He has experienced enough of hate which is born out of icy cold reasoning.

17. In the end, Frost agrees that it doesn't matter whether it is fire or ice, both can cause the end of the
world.

18. 'Ice' or 'hate' born out of cold reasoning is quite sufficient for causing the end of the world.

Central Idea of the Poem

The poem, ‘Fire and Ice’ by Robert Frost revolves around the theme that human emotions are
destructive when allowed to run amok (out of control). They can destroy a person morally, mentally and

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Fire and Ice By Robert Frost

physically. The poet impresses upon the readers, the destructive results of bearing ill feeling like-greed,
avarice, lust, conflict, fury, hatred, intolerance, etc.

EXPLANATION OF THE POEM

Stanza 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.

WORD MEANINGS

Desire – wish

Hold – to take side, favor

Favor – incline towards

Explanation – The poet considers the age-old question of whether the world will end in fire or in ice. He
is analyzing about the end of the world. The poet provides and deals with two possible causes for the
end of the world. Both the two reasons contrast each other and are equally opposite to each other. On
one side of the debate are those people who are in favor of fire. They believe that it will be the heat and
the passion, which will lead the humanity, the world’ to end. On the other side of the debate are those
who favor ice and feel that it will be the ‘ice’ which will freeze the world. In other words, either deep
heat or fire under the Earth beds will lead to natural calamities like volcano eruptions, earthquakes, etc.,
which will one day end the world or the melting of the ice from the snowy mountains due to global
warming will shrink the world or one day the entire world will die of the icy water.

‘Frost is providing a powerful statement on the subject of greed and jealousy’. He is saying that above all
else, even hatred, which is the trait of humanity is most likely to lead to its demise. To Frost, desire
represents the greatest problem that the world faces. Desire is a kind of intense love or want that
focuses people on getting and possessing and acquiring. This kind of desire can lead people to
destruction.

Stanza 2

But if it had to perish twice,

I think, I know enough of hate

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Fire and Ice By Robert Frost

To say that for destruction ice

Is also great

And would suffice.

WORD MEANINGS

Perish – die

Suffice – be sufficient

Explanation – The poet is very much sure of the destruction of the humanity. He first talks about the
destruction caused by fire and in case this fails, then ice will result into hatred that will end humanity
one day. Frost goes on to discuss, in a more understated manner, the power of hate, which is
symbolised in the poem by ice. Hate, according to the speaker, is just as powerful as desire. While desire
consumes, quickly, hate is just as great and powerful. Infact, by ending the poem with the concept of
hate. ‘Frost directs the reader to the shy yet restrained devastation that hate can produce. Hate can
occur and finger in people’s minds and hearts for years’, sometimes even lifetimes. Hate consumes the
hater perhaps even more than the person or group hated; it can ruin lives. Hate is destructive and sinful.
Hate is presented as having the ability to lead to the destruction of the world if it were to happen for a
second time, again providing a powerful warning against this human fallacy.

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.

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Fire and Ice By Robert Frost

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”

Questions for Revision

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.

1. (a) How do the people think of the world ?

(b)The poet’s opinion is that the world ………….

(c)’D esire’ here means …….. .

(d)Who is the poet of this poem?

OR

2. (a) The fire signifies

(b)The rhyme scheme of the passage is …….. .

OR

(a)By ‘Fire’ the poet means ……. .

(b)By ‘ice’ the poet means ……….

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

1. (a) Who has composed the above lines ?

(b) According to the poet ‘ice’ symbolizes

(c) What does the word ‘perish’ mean in the above lines?

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Fire and Ice By Robert Frost

(d) What does the poet think?

OR

2. (a) Who knows enough of hate ?

(b) What is great for destruction?

(c) What is the rhyme scheme in this stanza?

(d) What does the poet think enough of?

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