Fire And Ice

by Robert Frost

Considering the title I expect the poem to be about a contrast between fire and ice and two different points of view or two natural forces.

Considering the lay-out, the reader can see the poem is organized in free lines, it consists in 9 lines.

It is arranged into two alternate coupes : the first follow an alternate rhyme scheme and the second a rhyming scheme.

In the first couple the poet explain two different opinions about how the world will end.

In the second couplet the poet explain his opinion and consideration. He also give us a reason of his opinion. Thanks to his experience the speaking voice's opinion is that the world will end in fire, but then he adds another consideration.

There is a first person narration that says that some people think that the world will end in fire, other in ice.

The speaking personal opinion believes that from his experience the world will end burning. After that he adds a consideration, he supposes the ice would be suffice to destroy the world, so he thinks both, ice and fire will destroy the world.

Indeed, the choice of alternate rhyme adds meaning to the two different opinions : on one hand (A) there are those who believe the world will end in fire, on the other (B) there are those who are convinced it would end in ice.

The poet plays with the assonance of sound “I”, so that the two words (fire and ice) recall each other; also there is an alliteration of sound “W”, to that the word “world” becomes central in the first line. Also the verb “end” has got a stressed syllable and comes in key position.

The poet exploits an anaphoric syntax creating phonological sound effect.

The first line ends with a comma, so that the reader's attention stops on the word fire. The second line focuses the attention on the word ice.

The poet shows an argumentative structure. From his experience of having a desire someone or something, he believes the world will end burning.

The third line, along with the forth and the sixth reveal the first person speaker, keen to let the reader in on his idea of things. His world view.

From line three, it becomes clear that the “fire” in this poem is more symbolic than literal.

The speaker directly links “desire” with “fire” which asks the reader to call on the symbolic associations that they have with the element.

Fire comes to stand for inflamed passions, love, strong emotions..

Lines three and four express the speaker's own belief that fire is more likely cause of the word's end.

Lines from five to nine explain that the speaker sides with fire, ice would be equally “great”. In fact, humanity probably has enough capacity for destruction to end the world multiple times over.