Academic Year 2024-25

Grade: 10 Subject: English

INTRODUCTION
"Fire and Ice" is a popular poem by American poet Robert Frost (1874-1963). It was written and published
in 1920, shortly after World War I, and weighs up the probability of two differing apocalyptic scenarios
represented by the elements of the poem's title. The speaker believes fire to be the more likely world-ender
of the two, and links it directly with what he or she has "tasted" of "desire." In an ironically conversational
tone, the speaker adds that ice—which represents hate and indifference—would "also" be "great" as a way
of bringing about the end of the world. There are two reported inspirations for the poem: the first of these is
Dante's Inferno, which is a poetic and literary journey into Hell written in the 14th century. The other is a
reported conversation Frost had with an astronomer in which they talked about the sun exploding or
extinguishing — fire or ice.
SUMMARY
The poet is very much sure of the destruction of humanity on someday. He is talking about the two different
beliefs regarding the end of this world. These are on the basis of the sayings of the people. The poet says that
he is in favour of those people who say this world will end in fire. This is because he has seen the effect and
result of uncontrolled and unending desires over the life of human beings. He finds that human evil desires are
similar to the fire in its nature. So this fire may become a big reason to destroy humankind and this world too.
On the other hand, the second belief in this regard says that ice is also sufficient for destroying this world. Here
the poet compares the nature of ice with hatred feelings of humans with the other humans. As ice can make the
body numb with its prolonged contact, similarly hatred can also give the numbness to our mind and thoughts.
And hence it can make us insensitive and cruel. Such cruelty towards humanity will be more responsible for the
destruction of the world compared to the desire.
The speaker brings us all into the middle of the argument between two different categories of the people. One
who thinks that the world will come to a fiery end and other people who think the world will freeze resulting to
the end. Poet is possibly talking about the literal end of the world. But he is also talking about the power that
human beings have to destroy each other.
POETIC DEVICES
1. Rhyme 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 - It 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 favour fire”.

QUESTIONS AND ANSWERS

1. 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 gets so hot that it ‘bursts’ or grows colder and
colder?
There are definitely many ideas about how the world will ‘end’. I do believe that the world will end
some day as anything that has a beginning will have an end. This stands true for the world also, if
the Sun got so hot that it burst, the whole of the Earth would perish immediately as no part of the
Earth can bear the heat of that intensity. But if the Sun grew colder and colder, everything will come
to an end as without sunlight, life will end.
2. For Frost, what do ‘fire’ and ‘ice’ stand for?
‘Fire’ stands for greed, avarice, lust, conflict and fury. ‘Ice’ stands for cruelty, intolerance, rigidity,
insensitivity, coldness, indifference and hatred.
3. What is the rhyme scheme of the poem? How does it help in bringing out the contrasting ideas in
the poem?
The rhyme scheme of the poem is- a b a a b c b c b
This rhyme scheme helps in bringing out the contrasting ideas of ‘fire’ and ‘ice’ presented in the
poem. The poet mentions that both fire and ice are probable ends of this world. He talks about how
fire represents desire and can therefore be a cause of the end of the world. Frost also mentions ice
in between to symbolise that the coldness and indifference towards one another will be enough to
end the world. In the second stanza, he says that he knows of enough hate in the world to be sure
that even destruction through ice . would be sufficient to bring about the end of the world.