Explication Essay: Fire and Ice
Casual in its tone ‘fire and ice’ is a poem that presents much to the reader. It introduces to the reader the fact that the world would end in two possible ways. Firstly he offers the idea that the world would end through fire and later on in the poem he adds that maybe it may also end through the ice. Fire and ice employ a lot of symbolism. In essence, the themes of this poem are desire and hatred represented by fire and ice respectively. So this essay seeks to have a sneak in-depth look at both of these themes and how they relate to real-world events experienced in the globe today.
The speaker begins by saying that when it comes to how the world will end some favor fire while others favor ice. At this point, one would quickly think that it is about natural disasters. One may think that fire represents dinosaurs or asteroids while ice could be brought about from the effects of climate change which would lead to the earth freezing slowly. Ice could also relate to the future ice age or the freezing over of the sun. However, as the poem progresses, it is made clear that these elements are symbols that indicate humanity’s ability to create disasters which would likely cause the end of the world.
Everyone knows that the world will end at some point, and the question in many people’s minds is how. This poem suggests that fire and ice are the possible ways that would cause the demise of the world. The speaker links fire to the components of human emotion like violence and blood lust. At the beginning of the poem ‘from what I’ve tasted of desire, I hold with those who favor fire’ it is clear that the poet suggests that he stand with the notion that the world with end through fire.
Fire in this context can represent desire and more so evil ones that stem from a love for violence and war. Throughout history, the world has experienced some significant conflicts causing a lot of bloodshed, and for a time, it seemed that the world would come to an end through warfare. Written shortly after the World War, the poem portrays that the desire that burns through many souls would as well lead to the end of the world when people act on those desires.
As the poet says that he favors those who say that fire may be the end of the world, he continues to push the reader’s mind to visualize how fire and warfare are related. By ‘fire’ the speaker means a desire that comes with a powerful and destructive force. Humanity could bring the end of the world, through passion, lust violence and as we see warfare nowadays. That I very likely as some parts of the world continues to ravage in wars which are totally controlled by human beings and their thirst for violence and would possibly bring the end of the world especially considering the nuclear weapons.
Most say that Frost got the inspiration from Dante’s Inferno that deals with the subject of sinners with hell. Others claim that it came as a result of a conversation between Frost and an astronomer who claimed that the sun would explode thus causing the end of the world. However, what we notice is that the fire is a symbol, and he meant for It to stand for the fiery emotions in man that would most likely cause and extinction of the whole earth.
‘Fire’ in these modern days can also be used to represent global warming. In close inspection, it is clear that the rising hot conditions in the world could result in catastrophic effects over time. The rising water levels continue and will continue for years to come, and the world may be filled over, causing human life to be impossible on earth. This is a real-world situation directly linked with the fire, and we know the light is known to warm up things and could by itself cause a lot of devastation. The bad or good thing is that humans are the ones causing this effect and seem to ignore the fact that it is a severe issue which needs to be addressed.
Fire is being used as a symbol for evil desires like corruption and no respect for authorities that would quickly cause the end of the world. It is a fitting way to portray how these small desires on a bigger scale could have a catastrophic effect on humanity. Fire consumes and destroys and similarly desire works. The narrator seems to believe that these impulses and emotions might very well lead to the apocalypse as it places people on a path of no return. At the beginning of the poem, the speaker favors the notion that the world would end through fire.
Frost likes to play with dualism, and the fifth line brings this about. The track brings a comparison between fire and ice. He writes, “But if it had to perish twice” this goes to show that he has a different feeling about the matter altogether. He indicates that if the world were to end twice, then the ice would be a possible way of this end of existence. He uses ice to symbolize several things, including hatred.
In this eschatological prediction, ice takes a special place in this account. Ice takes centre stage when it comes to matters of climate change and the notion of a future ice age. Ice has hints of coldness and indifference which by their own would lead a catastrophic effect on the human race. Here a possible notion is that the world would end by inaction preferably by a single major event. Ice in this context could mean that if people fail to act on their patterns, we would gradually assure our doom.
In these times, one of the most common things about human is hatred. Many people have a lot of hate for people who are different from them. This indifference and coldness towards each other would assure mutual destruction. People have hatred for different races, religious beliefs or due to geographical location. This indifference creates rifts among people that in the end, would cause a lot of harm. Through ‘ice’ the writer clearly shows that hatred stands the chance of bringing down the world solely.
From line 2, the end of the world could come from the ice age or the death of the sun. These were real-life situations in the past years, and there is a huge possibility that these events will repeat themselves. The proposition that ice also would have a significant bearing on the end of the world is added through hate. In truth, the writer links ice to hat and indifference and the failure of people to empathize with each other. Though seemingly not a big issue, the narrator wants the readers to ponder the fact that this hate which is experienced everywhere, might very well be the cause for the world’s demise.
Climate change has been linked to ice in the poem. Here we see that ice could be a representative of a future ice age. If this happens, then there will be no doubt that the human race will come to extinction. Also, ice has the symbolic statement directing to the notion that the sun will freeze over. The importance of the sun and its vitality to human survival is unquestionable. If at all the sun would freeze over then plant and animal life would be near impossible.
Lack of empathy and apathy has been experienced all over the world, and the results are nothing but devastating. Wars have been known to come as a result of these feelings. These kinds of emotionless nature in humans will have a detrimental effect on the human race. Frost clearly attest to this by using ‘ice’. Though it may be slow cause it is gradual and assures destruction over a specified period.
The themes add to the literary work as it influences people’s minds to have an in-depth look at these issues. These themes are an under-layer which helps reach a new understanding of the human condition. The themes touch the core of the readers and help them resonate and think deeply about the said themes, in this case, desire and hatred.
The Themes of hatred and desire have been seen in multiple genres. Whether it is on plays, books, poems or mere articles writers overtime have in one voice come against hatred and desire as they accept that these two could very well lead to the end of the world.
Sources
www.poets.org
The Poetry Handbook, John Lennard, OUP, 2005
www.poetryfoundation.org
https://owlcation.com/humanities/Analysis-of-Poem-Fire-and-Ice-by-Robert-Frost