The verse form “ Fire and Ice ” by Robert Frost is one that deals with the antique subject of how the universe will stop. The rubric makes one think of fire, a hot, blistering, flesh combustion immorality, and ice, a freeze, blood chilling belongings. The inquiry for the reader is, does he or she thinks the devastation of our planet will stop in fire or ice? Which would be better? And what precisely is fire? Harmonizing to Webster ‘s Dictionary, fire is “ a province, procedure, or case of burning in which fuel or other stuff is ignited and combined with O, giving off visible radiation, heat, and fire ” ( Dictionary ) . Fire in this sense can be wholly different. As can be ice. Typically, you think of ice as being cold and harmless. But to believe of the universe stoping in ice, would be highly harmful.
Love and hatred besides play cardinal functions in the verse form, every bit good as in life in general. Serio explains in a diary that “ Fire and Ice ” is a similar verse form to Dante ‘s Inferno, being that it presents more luxuriant differences between the appendages of love and hatred ( Serio 218 ) . Frost uses tone, allusion, and enunciation to convey how both fire and ice can unite to hold the same effects if hatred or desires get out of manus.
“ Robert Frost was born in San Francisco in March 1874. His male parent died when he was eleven, and he moved to Massachusetts to populate with his grandparents. He was co-valedictorian for his high school, and began composing poesy during his high school old ages. He attended Dartmouth College for merely one term, and so worked at several different occupations, including journalist and school teacher. He sold his first verse form in 1894 and his first book of poesy in 1913. In 1897, he returned to school at Harvard, and attended two more old ages. In 1900, he moved to New Hampshire and attempted to go a domestic fowl husbandman, but he returned to learning in 1906. His old ages in New Hampshire provided many of the verse forms that he would go universe celebrated for, including “ Repairing Wall ” and “ Mowin ” ( Academon ) . This information about the background of Frost ‘s life shows his high mind and perchance concluding behind why his Hagiographas were in hard nature to understand.
In the first half of the verse form, the talker is demoing a feeling of withdrawal. The first two lines province that “ some say the universe will stop in fire, some say in ice ” ( 445 ) . This sentence expresses a sense of distance from the universe. The talker is detached in stating that the terminal of the universe will come in a controversial manner. The 2nd and 3rd lines of the verse form conveying the reader into position with the talker now presenting an sentiment. “ From what I ‘ve tasted of desire I hold with those who favor fire ” ( 445 ) . This besides introduces an angered tone in that by citing fire, gives the reader a idea of fury and choler. In this line of the verse form, it can be said that Frost holds with Aristotle ‘s belief in reprobating hatred as far worse than desire ( Serio 218 ) . Furthermore, the reader can garner from Frost ‘s work that wickednesss of ground could perchance be worse than wickednesss of passion that relate back to desires ( Serio 219 ) . Humor besides plays an of import function in the tone of the verse form. One would non believe that a simple rubric of “ Fire and Ice ” would be humourous in any manner, but lines five to the terminal alteration the attitude and convey about the chief inquiry for the reader, how do you believe the terminal of our civilisation will come about?
Frost is consummate in the manner he combines the thoughts of scriptural mentions and scientific discipline in a short verse form. The last line introduces the thought that the universe may stop in fire. This is an allusion to the Holy Bible of the Christian religion. The Bible speaks about how the Earth was flooded long ago during the clip of Noah, and that the 2nd devastation will be with fire. This is God ‘s will and he would hold the universe perish in this mode. God made this statement after acknowledging the universe should non of all time stop in inundation once more. Frost besides brings ice into position in the 2nd line of the verse form. This is a mention to science in relation to the Ice Age. Scientists believe that how worlds are handling this planet could convey about another Ice Age, yet there is still a big argument acknowledging the depletion of the ozone bed doing the Earth the become overly warmer over the old ages. By presenting this subject, the reader gets a contradictory feeling between faith and scientific discipline. Frost besides states that his sentiment could rock in either way between fire and ice destructing the universe. Simply stated, fire would be okay for the Earth to be destroyed, but ice “ would do ” ( 445 ) . Both beliing thoughts and the sentiments presented brand for a richer comparing of the two elements. Overall, by maintaining his significance unostentatious and simple to read, but more hard to understand, Frost well enriches the significance of his brief lyric-like verse form ( Serio 220 ) .
Frost besides uses words and phrases that seem above norm that keeps the verse form fluxing. For illustration, his tasting of desire is strong and AIDSs in his chief point to be easy indicated from reading. Although one can non really savor desire, Frost ‘s simpleness in authorship and his usage of nonliteral linguistic communication keeps the reader motivated and believing about his or her ain desires in life. The 3rd and last sentence of the verse form is about half of the verse form itself. This introduces the humourous facet that gives more insight into the head of Robert Frost. The wordplay of the word “ ice ” in the words “ twice ” and “ suffice ” seem to add to the acrimonious coldness of hatred by utilizing a ternary repeat ( Serio 220 ) . By stating that if the universe perished twice, that ice would make merely every bit good a occupation as fire, it shows that Frost has no penchant for agencies by which the terminal of the universe will take topographic point. It introduces the inquiry to the reader in more deepness and allows Frost to remain cryptic and leave the inquiry unanswered as he does in much of his work.
“ Always fall in with what you ‘re asked to accept. Take what is given, and do it over your manner. My purpose in life has ever been to keep my ain with whatever ‘s traveling. Not against: with. ” This quotation mark by Robert Frost brings into context the issue of faith in that we, as people, are asked to accept that God created the existence and he controls the concluding devastation of the universe. Science besides gets involved because and reels from scriptural facets. Science basically remakes the rules that are implicit in, and take what is given to make over thoughts into what is believed to be suited. A adult male named Harlow Shapley claims to be the Muse, so-to-speak, of Robert Frost when Frost wrote “ Fire and Ice. ” Sharpley claims that Frost begged for his attending and penetration into uranology and finally asked his sentiment on the affair of how the universe will stop ( Hansen 28 ) . The two conversed and later on in the eventide, met up once more to talk more on the affair. “ I told him that either the Earth would be incinerated or a lasting ice age would bit by bit eliminate all life on Earth ” ( Hansen 28 ) . This statement by Sharpley could really good be attributed to the authorship of “ Fire and Ice. ” Sharpley goes into farther item about why the universe will perchance stop in either of these two ways. Articles have been published that explicate even more that the head of Robert Frost can non be unhinged. Sharpley gives himself recognition for the significance behind the verse form, but in fact, non one individual can of all time truly construe the implicit in facts behind what Robert Frost could hold been believing.
In decision, the verse form “ Fire and Ice ” is filled with many different literary facets, every bit good as presenting a battalion of messages to the reader. There is no true definition of the verse form ‘s significance. Frost created his verse form as a encephalon teaser, and it has continued to be one throughout the old ages since.
