"Fire and Ice" by Robert Frost
Fire and Ice by 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 favour 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.
** Remember to write down words you don't know in your journal and find out the definition!
SOME DEFINITIONS:
desire: a strong feeling of wanting to have something/wishing for something to happen.
favour: a liking for someone/something.
perish: to suffer complete ruin or destruction.
destruction: the action of causing so much damage to something that it no longer exists or cannot be repaired.
suffice: to be enough.
1. Rhyme
What is rhyme?
Rhyme is when more than one word ends with the same sounding sound.
EXAMPLE:
"From what I've tasted of desire, / I hold with those who favour fire."
2. Symbols
What is a symbol?
A symbol is something that represents/stands for something else--especially a material object representing something abstract. (Abstract: not a material object.)
EXAMPLE:
Desire = fire. / Hate = ice.
Questions to think/talk about:
What is the significance of the title of this poem?
How often does the poem rhyme? Is there a pattern?
What do the symbols of 'fire' and 'ice' tell you about the speaker?
In this poem, 'ice' is a symbol for hate. Make a list of what else ice can be a symbol for. (Eg. paranoia, unexplored territory, death.)