Fire and Ice – Robert Frost.
Some
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.
Summary
This short poem outlines
the familiar question about the fate of the
world, wondering if it is more likely to be destroyed by fire or ice. People
are on both sides of the debate, and Frost introduces the narrator to provide his
personal take on the question of the end of the world. The narrator
first concludes that the world must end in fire after considering his personal
experience with desire and passion, the emotions of fire. Yet, after
considering his experience with “ice,” or hatred, the
narrator acknowledges that ice would be equally destructive.
Interestingly, the two
possibilities for the world’s destruction correspond
directly to a common scientific debate during the time Frost wrote the poem.
Some scientists believed that the world would be incinerated from its fiery
core, while others were convinced that a coming ice age would destroy all
living things on the earth’s surface. Instead of
maintaining a strictly scientific perspective on this debate, Frost introduces
a more emotional side, associating passionate desire with fire and hatred with
ice. Within this metaphorical view of the two elements, the “world” can be recognized as
a metaphor for a relationship. Too much fire and passion can quickly consume a
relationship, while cold indifference and hate can be equally destructive.
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