Fire and Ice
Robert FrostSome say the world will end in fire,
Some say in ice.
From what I’ve tasted of desire
I hold with those who favor 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.
Although I know Mr. Hill that you said you didn't quite like this poem, I enjoy it. Frost uses very simplistic language to propose his views on the world ending. Most poets often discuss death about their self, but Frost tries to depict the extinction of the whole human race. I also think it's pretty peculiar about how Robert Frost is very nonchalant about the whole thing and gives his opinion on what he would prefer.
ReplyDeleteThis poem is short but interesting. It talks about such a big subject so easily, as if it is nothing. He accepts that the world will end, its only a matter of time. The end rhymes are also quite unique. This rhyming scheme really helps the flow of the poem. He also uses words like perish, destruction, and end. All these words point to the fact that there will be an end.
ReplyDeleteI think what makes this poem is the rhyming. Although it is simple, "fire" and "desire" create a tone for the poem that is attractive to readers. Honestly, I don't think readers even pay attention to what the poem is actually saying. At least I didn't until just now. I never considered the world ending in either fire nor ice. So the poem doesn't relate to me at all, yet I like the poem. I guess that's what a good poet can do.
ReplyDeleteI think it's important that Robert Frost only gave those two options of how the world would end, as if the world couldn't end in any other way. I agree with Count Chocula and Artemis about how he's very chill about such a crucial subject.
ReplyDeleteThe "taste of desire" refers to the fire, while the hatred refers to ice. I think when he's talking about desire, it's about passion because that's similar to fire. And hatred is cold, like ice. So maybe he isn't talking about a literal end of the world, but more of an end to something smaller, yet just as real.
This poem was good I like how it uses two contradicting things "fire" and "ice" and how they can relate. I did not really think about the poem when I first read it because I was focusing on the words that stood out to me. Also the line that says from what I've tasted of desire stood out to me because a person can not really taste desire so that line was good because it gave the reader something to think about
ReplyDeleteThough Frost is obviously talking about the end of the world, I think that he could be talking about the end to all life - including the after-life. I think he is referring to hell in this poem. In heaven, souls are still "living" figuratively. But in hell, there is only suffering. I believe Frost is alluding to Dante's "Inferno" when he discusses fire and ice. Many people believe that hell consists of just fire; however, in Dante's "Inferno," the ninth circle of hell (the worst) has traitors frozen in a lake of ice. Dante thought that ice is the worst punishment of hell. So, it makes sense that Frost would rather perish eternally in fire than ice.
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