Fire and Ice qa
Summary
'Fire and Ice' is a short poem by Robert Frost. In this poem, the poet
refers to two predictions of how the world will end. Some say it will
end in fire while others say it will end in ice. According to the poet,
'fire' stands for desire, greed, avarice or lust. The more you try to
satisfy them, the more they grow. There is no end to it. They spread
rapidly like fire and engulf your whole life. One becomes selfish and
sometimes cruel also. On the other hand, 'ice' according to the poet,
stands for hatred, coldness and rigidity. One becomes insensitive and
indifferent towards the feelings of others. The poet says that both fire
and ice are growing with such a rapid speed that the world will soon
perish either way, in fire or in ice.
Reference to the context
Some say .......... suffice
1. Choose the CORRECT statement about the givenpoem.
(A) Fire and ice are images - they help the readers visualise the power
of nature over man.
(B) Fire and ice are symbols- not of natural disasters, but of
humanity's ability to create disasters of its own.
(C) Fire and ice are elements- not of Nature but man-made and
possess the ability to create havoc for mankind.
(D) Fire and ice are agents they -change the
thinking of mankind from negative to positive and brings harmony.
Ans. Option (B) is correct.
2. Select the option that correctly classifies the
connotations(significance) for fire and ice, as suggested in the poem.
(1) rage (2) violence
(3) indifference (4) hate. (5) greed
(A) Fire-3, 4; Ice-1, 2, 5
(B) Fire - 2, 5; lce -1, 3, 4
(C) Fire - 1, 3, 5; Ice - 2, 4
(D) Fire - 1, 2, 4; Ice - 3,5
3. The poem is a......... put across by the poet.
Ans. powerful warning
Explanation: The poet has warned in the poem that the world will end
due to escalation(growth) of negative human emotions like greed,
hate, violence, rage and indifference.
4. What do the words Fire and Ice stand for? Name the poetic devices
used in line 1 and 2.
Ans. The word Fire stands for greed, avarice , desires etc. whereas Ice
stands for hatred, indifference, cruelty, etc.
The poetic devices used in line 1 and 2 are anaphora and alliteration.
SHORT ANSWER TYPE QUESTIONS
1. Explain why the poet personally holds the conviction that the world
will primarily end in fire? [CBSE SQP 2022-23]
Ans. The poet personally holds the conviction (a very strong opinion
or belief)that the world will primarily end in fire because he was a
victim of the fiery aspect of desire. He has mentioned the same in the
poem also.
"From what I've tasted desire
I hold with those who favour fire."
Thus we can say that the poet, Robert Frost had experienced the
destructive effects of 'fire' in his life.
Q.2 Fire and Ice project is pessimistic(the state of mind of someone
who always expects the worst). A outlook. Comment.
Ans. According to me, 'Fire and Ice' projects a realistic outlook rather
that a pessimistic one. The poet brings forth the view that the world
will soon end. It can be either by fire or ice. He mentions that he has
tasted everything in life after the World War I. So, it would soon end
either with greed or indifference.
Q3. According to the poet, what do ‘ice’ and ‘fire’ symbolise?
[CBSE QB, 2020-21]
Ans. According to the poet ‘ice’ symbolizes hatred, coldness and
rigidity and these human cold emotions and lack of love are
destructive enough to remove the warmth of fire and destroy the
world. Fire symbolises unlimited wishes and desires of human beings
like violent feelings of anger, cruelty, brutality, etc., that might end
the world.
Fire and Ice – Poetic Devices
Rhyme scheme — stanza 1 is abaa while for stanza 2 it is ababa.
Symbolism – Symbolism is the use of symbols to signify some ideas
by giving them symbolic meaning different from their literal meaning.
Fire – symbolizes desire with human emotions like lust, fury, cruelty,
greed etc..
Ice – symbolizes the hatred with cold feelings of humans such as
rigidity, jealousy, indifference, intolerance etc..
Imagery —Imagery is the visualisation of the poetic description
through our sensory organs. Here, the reader would visualise the
destruction through fire or ice. The imagery formed would depend
on how we perceive and imagine in the context being portrayed in
the poem. It makes a poem picturesque as images are formed in the
minds of the reader.
Personification —Personification is to assig human qualities to non-
living things. In this poem, ‘fire’ and ‘ice’ are capable to destroy
the earth.
Anaphora — Anaphora is the repetition of a word or expression at
the start of two or more consecutive lines.
For example:
‘Some say’’ is repeated at the start of the lines 1 and 2.
Alliteration —Alliteration is repetition of the same sound used at the
beginning of the nearly placed words.
Example: The sound of ‘s’ in some say, ‘f’ in ‘‘Favour fire’’,
and ‘w’ in ‘‘world will’’.
Assonance – Assonance is the repetition of same vowel sounds in
different words in the same line.
e.g., ‘‘I hold with those who favour fire.’’ In this line, the long
sound of ‘O’ is used.
Enjambment—It is a line or clause that does not come to an end at a
line break, rather it moves over to the next line. This device has been
used prominently in the poem.
For Example:
‘‘From what I’ve tasted of desire
I hold with those who favour fire’’
Metaphor – It is a literary device that is used to make a covert
comparison without using the words ’like ‘or ’as ‘.
Here, the poet has used the terms ‘fire’ and ‘ice’ as metaphors
for the human emotions related to desire and hatred.
Antithesis – Fire is the antithesis of ice. Two contrasting and directly
opposite destructive forces have been the hallmark of this poem; Fire
and Ice
