Fire and Ice

Part 1: I chose this poem for two reasons. First of all, I have always enjoyed anything I have read by Robert Frost. Secondly, the poem is short and mostly straightforward. Even the first time I read it, I felt as though I understood any underlying meanings. It only takes a few words to say a lot, and it did not take me long to dissect.

Part 2: I loved the imagery in this poem, and there are two main images which are both equally important. Frost discusses how the world will end, and he offers two choices, which are opposites: “…in fire,/Some say in ice.” Fire is a metaphor for desire, which he mentions in the third line, and this would be his favorite choice. The other is ice, and it is a metaphor for hate. He is familiar with both, and each is extremely destructive in one way or another.
The idea of desire being painful brought me to the conclusion of unrequited love or the passion for something that cannot be attained. He is clearly familiar with desire when he mentions that, “From what I’ve tasted of desire/I hold with those who favor fire.” An interesting thought about desire is that it sounds hopeful, and it does not shut others out. In fact, desire and passion brings people closer together, or rather, melds, if you will. Fire burns and melts things slowly, just as desire can eat away at one’s mind. I also feel as though longing is something more personal and more individual, and because of this, people can connect and have a better understanding of one another. Yet although it could bring people together on some level, it can wear people down individually. It is quite an unfortunate ending, but would ice be better?
Ice is Frost’s second choice, and it represents hatred. As I looked more closely at ice as an image, I thought about how hatred is what tears people apart; I think that ice is an excellent representation of that. Ice is so easily broken, and could symbolize disconnection between individuals. Unlike fire, ice is broken apart quickly, just as quickly as hatred can be established. Another key characteristic of ice is that once it is cracked and broken into pieces, it is not so easily put back together. Desire has a light of hope behind it, whereas hatred feels final. Hate also seems somewhat impersonal, and more so directed at a large group of people rather than dealing with just one individual, like desire does. Frost also mentions towards the end of the poem that, “ice/Is also great/And would suffice.” The word “great” in this would mean “powerful”, and it would “do the job” if the world really were to end.
It seems that Frost wants the reader to take a look at the big picture, and look at the problems in the world. These problems are both individual and global, and perhaps we need to work together and change our way of life if we want to save ourselves from destruction. Clearly, it has made me do a lot of thinking, so perhaps less is more after all.