In life and in art, love and hate are the governing factors and we are inevitably caught up in this brutal solace called paradox of existence. There are several themes in the poem "Fire and Ice" by Robert Frost, including fear, love, hate and choices. An extremely precise and compact lyric, Fire and Ice traces the didactic tone of the speaker compressed into a terse and pithy language. What does Robert Frost say about the world we live in in his poem "The Secret Sits"? The poem revolves around the question of how the world is going to end. Just like fire and ice can destroy the world. Frost touches on either the world will end in fire or it will end in ice. Thus, his approach is humanistic garbed by symbolic overtones. The last line of Frost’s poem asserts that the two destructive forces … And the poet forecast that our world will whimper away ‘either’ by fire ‘or’ by ice. We seem to be governed by these two juxtaposed contraries. The tone takes up the ironic stance when we realize that “fire” is symbolic to fiery passion or love that will eventually lead to death and destruction, and “ice” is symbolic to the cold calculative hatred that will eventually pierce our breasts leading to death. It is declarative in nature. Thus the poet establishes the collective-consciousness. “Fire and Ice”- Figures of Speech and Imagery. The poem is thus a blending of scientific and literary tone. The poem says the world will end with fire and with ice at the same time. Tone The tone of this poem is very mysterious. Robert Frost i need to write about but idk what is the tone of it please help!! Frost very clearly makes fire the symbol for desire, and ice as a symbol for hate. The poet takes up the first person narrative technique as he engages the readers in a cathartic experience of contemplating his sins of pride, envy or uncontrolled passion. Fire and ice poem mood Michael Morrow October 8, 2013 AP Literature Poetry Analysis In the poem Fire and Ice, poet Robert Frost, brings the fate of the world. The word “some” captures the readers into the poet’s mindset and it seems it is not only the poet who has pondered upon such possibilities but out at large, the people of the world have hoped to be so. In Ice and Fire by Robert Frost what other symbols besides ice and fire does the poet use? Emmet Rosenfeld notes that the use of alliteration in Fire and Ice creates a sing-song effect that helps to establish the mood of the poem (1). The contemplative tone of the speaker analyses that all human virtues that fall within this spectrum are somewhat annihilated but the vice of excess indulgence. Like the poet we have to participate in the inevitability of love and hate and have to let ourselves to rot till destruction overpowers creation. Also, ice has a tendency to encompass things and cause them to crack and break. from University of Oxford Ph.D. from University of Leicester, Top subjects are Literature, History, and Law and Politics. The aim of the poet is aphoristic, where concise statements are packed with general or philosophical truth. 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 anthologized poems. This is the inevitable. In tandem with the philosophical thoughts, the poet expresses through his poem his contemporary scientific view. Although the poem does not contain end rhyme, the last word in every other line has the repetition of an accented vowel sound. Here, fire means greed which makes a man inhuman. The poem concludes with a couplet that answers all of the speaker’s questions. In this poem, in which fire and ice are compared with desire and hate respectively, the way in which the lines are short and the rhyme scheme is presented gives this poem are rather ironic and detached tone. Add your answer and earn points. Symbolism is key to this poem. In tandem with the philosophical thoughts, the poet expresses through his poem his contemporary scientific view that the world would be incinerated from its fiery core, or a coming ice age would destroy all living things. We can attribute part of the poem’s effect to the contrastbetween the simple, clipped precision of its vocabulary and thevague gravit… Instead, the speaker is simply equivocating with himself as to whether fire or ice would be better for the task. Robert Frost’s poem “Fire and Ice” is a strong symbolic poem where fire is used as the emotion of desire and ice, that of hatred. The aim is aphorism—the slayingof the elusive Truth-beast with one unerring stroke. The judgmental tone of the speaker brings the readers into his perspective of contemplating the ultimate end. It was first published in 1920 in New Hampshire.The poem expresses the profound idea that the world would end in one of two ways, either by ice or fire. But for Frost,as usual, the truth remains ambiguous and the question goes unanswered;to settle for aphorism would be to oversimplify. (Fire and Ice 56) The poem expresses an opinion, rather than telling a story or insight. The mood of this poem is contemplative, but it does not have the tone of gentle reflection we might more usually associate with contemplative poetry. But for the poet, desire (fire) is what leads to coldness (ice). When the person discusses fire and ice, and desire and hatred, they do it in the context of the end of the world. "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. Fire and Ice are completely different but in the poem "Fire and Ice" he describes that Fire and ice are very much alike in the way that they can both destroy the world 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. He has used the idea of two groups who have their own possible explanation for the end of the world. In poetry, there is no right or wrong meaning. thanks~ The cause-effect relationship is established through a binary- the functions called fire and ice. The cause-effect relationship is established through a binary- the functions called fire and ice. Setting: There is no particular setting of the poem Fire and Ice. ©2021 eNotes.com, Inc. All Rights Reserved. The language choices—particularly the final note that ice "would suffice" for destruction and that some "favor fire"—are cool and measured. While at first, this may seem impossible (as is the nature of paradoxes), I looked at the context of which the author speaks of fire and ice, and desire and hatred. Frost uses tone, allusion, and diction to convey how both fire and ice can combine to have the same consequences if hatred or desires get out of hand. The speaker throws around two possibilities of destruction: fire and ice… We are as if stuck in a hive awaiting the ultimatum. Fire and ice are the same, as are desire and hatred. The Tone and Mood of Fire and Ice The Tone is Casual and conversational The poet takes a casual stand as if he is talking to someone sharing his opinion about the end of the world. Homepage > Writing Samples > Creative Writing Samples > Poem Samples > Fire and Ice 29 Jul '15 2720. In the poem "Fire and Ice", Robert Frost attaches a deeper meaning to the words "fire" and "ice" through symbolism. In recent years, these discussions have centered around nuclear disaster, immense climate change, and general cynicism. (56) As you read through the poem, suddenly, “Fire and Ice” is not just a consideration of how the world will end; it is also a stunning self-indictment on the power of passion within an individual. More About This Poem Fire and Ice By Robert Frost About this Poet Robert Frost was born in San Francisco, but his family moved to Lawrence, Massachusetts, in 1884 following his father’s death. Thus, his approach is humanistic garbed by symbolic overtones. And the poet with a mocking sympathy provides a consolation that the world will end not once, but twice. It was written and published in 1920, shortly after WWI, and weighs up the probability of two differing apocalyptic scenarios represented by the elements of the poem's title. How to Crack Your CompTIA 220-1001 with Practice Tests? Sign up now, Latest answer posted July 12, 2015 at 11:05:06 PM, Latest answer posted March 03, 2011 at 4:16:15 AM, Latest answer posted September 02, 2009 at 9:28:20 AM, Latest answer posted February 13, 2009 at 2:13:15 PM, Latest answer posted April 10, 2011 at 11:31:19 PM. This is the inevitable drama of human life and sadly history repeats itself. On the other hand, ice means hatred which makes a person enemy of the other. Mood: The mood of the poem seems to be impersonal. Describe the imagery in "Fire and Ice" by Robert Frost. The poem condenses into the brutal last line where the poet shows us with no other alternative. Ice and fire cannot be there at the same time. Two polar opposites are presented- love and hate. On the contrary, the speaker approaches the question of how "the world will end" rather scientifically, debating without any apparent emotional investment what might happen "if it had to perish twice." … In life and in art, love and hate are the governing factors and we are inevitably caught up in this brutal solace called paradox of existence. Frost establishes tone, mood, symbolism, metaphor and other literary devices. The contemplative tone of the speaker analyses that all human virtues that fall within this spectrum are somewhat annihilated but the vice of excess indulgence. Let us remember that the mood of a text is something that is created based on a combination of the kind of words that are used, the theme of the text and other aspects such as devices. As if, we are compelled and dragged down into the realization that deaths are plenty, and we experience such excess of emotions in our daily life-cycles. As if, we are compelled and dragged down into the realization that deaths are plenty, and we experience such excess of emotions in our daily life-cycles. An extremely compact little lyric, “Fire and Ice” combineshumor, fury, detachment, forthrightness, and reserve in an airtightpackage. Short, crisp, and to-the-point, he conveys a very profound message in just 9 lines. The tone takes up the ironic stance when we realize that “fire” is symbolic to fiery passion or love that will eventually lead to death and destruction, and “ice” is symbolic to the cold calculative hatred that will eventually pierce our breasts leading to death. Fire and Frost is a poem written by Robert Frost that tells about distinction between two things that destroy the world (Little 176). Fire is being compared to desire , Ice is being compared to hate . This together with imagery that these symbols … The poet holds debate between the causes that will lead to the eventual and inevitable end of the world. This is the extended metaphor in the poem. Instead, the speaker is simply equivocating with himself as to whether fire or ice would be better for the task. Thus, his approach is humanistic garbed by symbolic overtones. And the poet forecast that our world will whimper away ‘either’ by fire ‘or’ by ice. Comment on the literary devices in "Fire and Ice" by Robert Frost. please help me thanks you Fire and Ice Some say the world will end in fire, Some say in ice. The theme was formed as: hate can be just as destructive as desire. The poem is packed with numerous emotions, such as humor, want, animosity and bluntness, and it leaves the reader with an ambiguous response to the choices presented. The woman’s ice is not melted by his fire, nor is his fire “allayed” by her cold. The poet simply suggests what destruction greed and hate would bring one day. that the world would be incinerated from its fiery core, or a coming ice age would destroy all living things. Symbolism: The poem Fire and Ice is symbolic as it does not talk about the scientific assumptions but rather psychological reasons which would lead to the destruction of the world. The poem condenses into the brutal last line where the poet shows us with no other alternative. Like the poet we have to participate in the inevitability of love and hate and have to let ourselves to rot till destruction overpowers creation. The apocalypse has always been a phenomenon to capture the minds of people and is an important concept in this poem, Fire and Ice. The first line ends with the word ''fire.'' Theme The theme of this poem is how emotions such as desire, passion, and hatred can destroy people. Our summaries and analyses are written by experts, and your questions are answered by real teachers. The exact rhyme of "ice" and "suffice" is something that we can see clinches the poem and ends it precisely, giving us the impression that the speaker has rather clinically chosen his words. It compares one thing to another, very different things. Love has the ability to overcome all types and kinds. And the poet with a mocking sympathy provides a consolation that the world will end not once, but twice. Log in here. It is love that has given their relationship the power it needs to succeed. Comment on this idea. eNotes.com will help you with any book or any question. We seem to be governed by these two juxtaposed contraries. Already a member? A reader can, however, develop many meanings behind the poem due to a certain way he is feeling or a life experience. If we examine the way in which the words "ice" and "suffice" are rhymed together, and if we look at the penultimate line, which is very short and merely states that ice for destruction "Is also great," we can see that the mood of this poem is very clinical and almost objective as the speaker weighs up the various benefits of ice and fire. Explain how Robert Frost supports the theme of the poem "Nothing Gold Can Stay" through his use of imagery. What does "darkest evening of the year" mean in the poem "Stopping by Woods on a Snowy Evening"? Educators go through a rigorous application process, and every answer they submit is reviewed by our in-house editorial team. In the poem Fire and Ice, poet Robert Frost, brings up the fate of the world. Two polar opposites are presented- love and hate. Summary of Fire and Ice. The poem is asking you to pick your poison. Thus the poet establishes the collective-consciousness. It seems the fate of the world is predestined by these two sole governing factors. The poet takes up the first person narrative technique as he engages the readers in a cathartic experience of contemplating his sins of pride, envy or uncontrolled passion. Top subjects are Literature, Social Sciences, and History. This rhyme scheme helps in bringing out the contrasting ideas of ‘fire’ and ‘ice’ presented in the poem. The poem is thus a blending of scientific and literary tone.
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