Fire and Ice Analysis

Kailey Ausley Ms. Shumpert position 1102 TGAF 04 April 2013 An Ambiguous Meaning A meter is used to express the emotions and experiences of the author. There are four types of poems narrative, lyric, instructive, and dramatic. A narrative poem contains a sequence of events in chronological order that tells the ref a story. A dramatic poem is norm whollyy used for onstage performances with dramatic monologue. A lyric poem is songlike, and the subject matter is not song appropriate. A lyric poem has rime, which is where lyric look alike, and rhyme, which is where the words sound alike only.A didactic poem teaches the subscriber morals or a lesson. A reader can, however, develop many meanings behind the poem due to a certain way he is picture or a life experience. In poetry, there is no right or wrong meaning. numbers speaks to each of its readers differently. In Robert Frosts poem hassle and Ice, it is both a lyric and didactic poem. There are several meanings that can be arg ued in Fire and Ice. Is Frosts Fire and Ice about the world ending or a past distinguish that has ended? In the first two lines, Frost writes, well-nigh say the world pass on end in fire, / Some say in ice. The first thought that comes to mind when reading these two lines is that the poem is about the struggle on how the world will one day end. Christians deliberate that the world is going to end in fire as the Bible says. Second Peter chapter three, verse twelve declares, But the day of the original will come as a thief in the night, in which the heavens will expand away with a great noise, and the elements will melt with fervent heat both the earth and the works that are in it will be burned up. People not of the Christian faith believe that the world is going to end, just not in fire.The Earth once experienced an ice age, and scientists crap deemed it confessedly that this is how the Earth will end once again. A reader may not go through the first two lines to be rel ated to a past relationship in any way. Consequently, the circumstance will probably have a literal meaning until reading further into the poem. The third and quaternate lines however may cause the reader to begin questioning the meaning behind the poem. Frost writes in these lines, From what Ive tasted of desire/ I hold with those who favor fire (Frost 441).Frost states that he has experienced desire at some point in his life, and he delighted in it. Frost could have experienced the love of God and could have known He is existent. Frost could also be using these lines to inform the reader of a passionate relationship. Although the reader does not know exactly what Frost is referring to, it is recognizable that he has a deep passion towards something. Frost writes in lines five through nine, But if it had to perish twice, / I come back I know enough of hate/ To say that for destruction ice/ Is also great/ and would fare (Frost 441).These five lines give the impression of contrad iction to the first four lines. Frost goes from talking about stopping point by fire to oddment by ice (Frost 441). Frost says though that if he had a jiffy chance he would choose ice. The reader can comprehend here that Frost is saying boththing will come to an end eventually. If he is talking about how the world will end, he knows that human death is inevitable and everyone will die. Perhaps Frost is talking about a relationship he knows that all good things must come to an end.He would rather the relationship to end in fire, or passion, but if it ends in cold, heartless ice, it is okay because it was going to end at some point (Frost 441). To simply say that this poem was about either of the aforementioned would not be fair. Poetry has its own way with each and every reader. However, there are two things that are certain no matter who the reader is this poem is a didactic because it teaches a lesson and lyric because it has rime and rhyme. The lesson of this poem is that ever ything must come to an end, whether it is good or bad.Frost neer revealed the true reason of writing this poem, but he did write it to express his emotions. Maybe he was literally talking about how the world was going to end, or he could have been talking about a lost relationship. Because Frost never gave the true meaning, the reader is left to let the imagination wonder. Without a true meaning, the reader can form his own opinion from what speaks to him within the poem. Frost, Robert. Fire and Ice. Backpack Literature An entering to Fiction, Poetry, Drama, And Writing. Ed. X. J. Kennedy and Dana Gioia. New York Pearson, 2012. 441. Print.