FIRE and ICE by Robert FROST class 10.pptx

Fire and ice by robert frost

1. FIRE and ICE - Robert Frost

2. 1. How do you think the world will come to its end?

3. INTERPRET: He found himself being cold-shouldered by his former colleagues.  At the party the two former friends consciously gave each other the  cold shoulder .  I had a burning ambition to be a journalist.

4. About the poet: An American poet (1874-1963) His best-known works include “The Road Not Taken” and “Stopping by Woods on a Snowy Evening,” both of which have become synonymous with the genre of nature poetry. Frost, though, was much more than just a nature poet. Fun fact: Robert Frost won the Pulitzer Prize four times, more than any other poet in history.

5. Model reading of the poem

6. Exposition of words: hold with: (here) go along with favour: (here) support perish: die especially in a violent and sudden way suffice: be enough or adequate

7. Explanation: ‘Fire and Ice’ by Robert Frost is a poem in which the speaker questions whether the world will end in either fire or ice and states that both are equally destructive. The speaker uses these natural elements of fire and ice as symbols for desire and hatred, respectively, arguing that both emotions left unchecked/untamed/unbridled have the capacity to destroy civilization itself. Humanity, then, could bring about the end of the world through passion, anger, violence, greed, and bloodlust. 

8. So we may affirm that this poem is about the apocalypse (the final destruction of the complete world). The poet, very artistically, underpins the deep philosophy that if we let our emotions rule us and if we don’t control them, they will surely destroy everything around us bringing human race to a catastrophic end.

9. Message : The crystal clear message that the poet is trying to give is that nothing in this world is eternal(lives forever). Everything will perish either in fire or ice. We should, thus, not forget this supreme reality (ultimate reality) and keep ourselves above all selfish matters. transient or transitory or short lived death is inevitable

10. Poetic devices: Alliteration- Assonance is the use of vowel sounds in the same line such as the long sound of /o/ in “I hold with those who favor fire”. Alliteration- Consonance is the repetition of consonant sounds in the same line such as the sound of /f/ in “I hold with those who favor fire”. Imagery is used to make readers perceive things involving their five senses. For example, “Some say the world will end in fire” and “To say that for destruction ice, is also great”. Symbolism is a use of symbols to signify ideas and qualities, by giving them symbolic meanings different from their literal meanings. “Fire” is the symbol of desires and “Ice” symbolizes hatred. Anaphora refers to the repetition of a word or expression in the first part of some verses. For example, “Some say the world will end in fire, Some say in ice.”

11. Personification is to give human qualities to inanimate or lifeless objects. In this poem, “Fire” and “Ice” are capable of destruction. Therefore, the poet personifies fire and ice by giving them a mind which is capable of destroying almost anything. Enjambment is defined as a thought or clause that does not come to an end at a line break or when the poet changes the line rather, it moves over the next line. For example, “From what I’ve tasted of desire I hold with those who favor fire.” The rhyme scheme followed by the entire poem is S1- a b a a S2- a b a b a

12. Teacher’s notes: Fire and Ice  is one of Robert Frost's shortest poems but gives the reader much to ponder on. Casual in tone, with clichés, it introduces to the reader the profound idea that the world could end in one of two ways, with fire or ice, through desire or hate. Either way, the end of the world is brought about by the emotional energy of humans. As this poem is about the apocalypse, the poet expresses how the world will end. Some people believe that the world will be destroyed by fire, while others argue that it will be frozen. Initially, the speaker also supports those who are in favor of fire. But, as the poem progresses, he remains undecided.

13. The poet discusses the destructive features of human emotions. He uses the symbolism of fire and ice to show how desires and hatred contribute to making the world stand at the verge of chaos. Also, these powerful emotions will eventually drag the world toward a catastrophic end.

14. Additional questions: Q1. What is the message of the poem ‘Fire and Ice’ as presented by Robert Frost? Q2. Which age old question does the poem revolve around? Q3. Discuss how human behaviour can lead the world to its catastrophic end with respect to ‘Fire and Ice’? Q4. Which emotion, Fire or Ice has been stronger for the poet?

15. Answers: 1) Frost deals with a hypothetical (imagined) question about the bleak (miserable) future of the world. There is a growing fear that our race is working towards its own destruction. Fire and Ice as stated by the scientists are our two worst enemies. Fire may be natural so you can think of it as global warming (which is a reality) or forest fire (think of the Amazon forests). It can be man-made too, may be an atomic war, closer home, think of the situation we are struggling with.

16. If not by fire, all life on earth may be destroyed with the coming of ice age. The melting of ice at the poles may submerge many countries. The lack of warmth in human relations can also be a potent cause of destruction of the world or its catastrophic world. 2) As this poem is about the apocalypse, the poet states the two possibilities which will eventually drag the world to its catastrophic end.

17. 3) ‘Fire’ here could mean greed, anger, lust or jealousy- unbridled or untamed desires. ‘Ice’, here, stands for indifference, hatred, insensitivity, loss of warmth and brotherly feelings. The poet holds the view that if human beings are carried away by their passionate desire or hatred then their end is not far. 4) The poet, as he shares has been a victim of passionate desire. In today’s world, mankind’s greed is endangering the very existence of the planet Earth.  The fact that he has had personal experience with desire leads him to first conclude that the world will end in fire. However, he acknowledges ‘ice’ as an equally powerful weapon.