Tuesday, October 4, 2011

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 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.


(Click for audio)

Fire and Ice by Robert Frost : The Poetry Foundation

I thought this was a good choice for a poem because it shares another individuals opinions on the end of the world due to war and environment. He shows his choice of which apocalyptic event he would prefer.He first says he would prefer fire which could mean war and nuclear devices. He said this based off of his knowledge of the human nature and, what I can assume, is his past experience. In stanzas three and four it says "From what I’ve tasted of desire, I hold with those who favor fire" He could mean that humans are willing fight for resources, money, and power that they would unleash devastating bombs that could crack up the surface of the earth causing the end of the world has everyone knows it. Another meaning it could have is that the poem (although he wasn't around to know about it) is that it is about global warming. Temperatures due to global warming have reached new highs. Global warming has caused fire forest fires and the melting of the ice caps resulting in the burning and flooding of land. However in stanzas six and seven he said "I think I know enough of hate, To say that for destruction ice" in direct contrast with his first opinion. That could be related to global warming with the ice cap slidding down and crushing the land and civilization we love so much. Another possible outcome is that the nuclear bombs could cause a nuclear winter for all the survivors left.

These depictions of the possible future show us some of the problems we have today in the present, such as our government's over dependence on war to solve feign troubles and our over use of coal powered machines to power everyone's daily lives.

1 comment:

  1. It could also be referring to a more metaphorical sense. What is often associated with fire? Wrath. Frigidness or (to be) Scornful is often associated with ice. Notice these are negative emotions; it could also imply these emotions are going to be the end of us.

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