Fire And Ice, Class 10th English

 

Fire And Ice, Class 10th English 

By Robert Frost 

1- Central Idea Of The Poem

2- Stanza Wise Explanation

3- Poetic Devices Of The Poem

4- Word-Meaning

5- Textbook Exercises 

6-  Previous Year Question Answers

7-  To conclude.

1- Central Idea Of The Poem 

This is a symbolic poem.Fire symbolises desire, greed, passion etc.  Whereas Ice symbolises hatred. According to Robert Frost, Fire and ice are capable enough to destroy the world. He beautifully expressed the idea by using poetic devices Like rhyme scheme, Alliteration, Personification, Anaphora,Paradox etc.Now let's take Stanza wise explanation of the poem.

2- Stanza Wise Explanation 

Stanza 1st

Some say the world will end in fire

Some say in ice.

From what I have tasted of desire

I hold with those who favour fire.

Explanation- 

In the above lines, the poet states that  There can be two possible reasons for the end of the world. According to some people,the world will end because of fire. Here fire symbolises desire, greed, passion etc of human beings. On the other hand, there are people who favor ice. Here the poet has used eyes for hatred. He believed from his experience that the world will end with fire. Thus, he remained  With those people who favour fire.

Stanza 2nd

But if it had to perish twice,

I think I know enough of hate

To say that for destruction ice

Is also great

And wood suffice.

Explanation-

Now the poet thinks that if the world had to end twice, Ice would also be able to destroy it completely. For him, ice (hatred) is as powerful as fire (desire). Thus, according to the poet , ice or hatred is sufficient enough to bring the world to an end.

3- Poetic Devices Of The Poem 

This is a symbolic poem.

1- Rhyme Scheme- abaab cbcb

2- Alliteration-  It is the occurrence of the same sound at the beginning of closely connected words. 

Example - Some say the world will end in fire

Some say in eyes

I hold with those who favour fire.

3- Personification-  It occurs when a writer gives human traits to non - living objects. It is similar to simile or metaphor that also uses comparison.

Example - Fire and eyes are capable of destruction.

Here fire is used for desire, wish,passion. Whereas Ice signifies hatred.

4- Anaphora-  The repetition of a word at the start of two or more consecutive lines.

Example - 'Some say' is repeated at the start of lines 1 and 2.

5- Paradox-  A true statement but seems untrue.

Example - But If it had to perish twice.

4- Word-Meaning 

• Desire - wish, want(something)
• Favour- support, approval
• Perish- die,lose one's life
• Destruction- injury, harm
• Suffice- be enough, adequate
• Consecutive- back to back

5- Textbook Exercises 

i-  There are many ideas about how the world will 'end'. Do you think the world will end someday? Have you ever thought what would happen if the sun gets so hot that it 'bursts' or grows colder and colder?

Ans-  Anything that has a beginning will have an end. Definitely the world will end someday.

If the sun got so hot that it burst, the whole Earth would be destroyed immediately. Not a single part of the Earth would be capable enough to bear the heat of the sun. Similarly, if the sun grows cold,life will end. Extreme cold would definitely affect the life of all creatures on Earth. 

ii-  For Robert Frost, what do fire and ice stand for?

Ans- According to Robert Frost,  Fire stands for desire, greed, passion etc.

Whereas Ice stands for indifference and hatred.

iii-  What is the rhymes scheme of the poem? How does it help in bringing out the contrasting ideas in the poem?

Ans-  The rhyme scheme of the poem is abaab cbcb. This rhymes scheme is helpful in finding out the contrasting ideas of fire and ice. According to the poet, fire and ice are capable enough to bring the end to this world. In the poem, fire symbolises desire, passion whereas ice symbolises indifference and hatred.

Read the Stanza & answer the following:

1st Stanza

Some say the world will end in fire

Some say in ice.

From what I have tasted of desire

I hold with those who favour fire.

i- As per these lines what can be the cause of world's destruction?

• Fire
• Ice
• Both

Ans- Both

ii- What does ice symbolize?

• Love
• Indifference
• Passion

Ans- Indifference 

iii- According to the poet fire refers to

• Passion

• Jealousy

• Both

Ans- Both

iv- What message does the poet want to convey through this poem?

  • Everything is temporary

• Everything is permanent

  • Everything is unpredictable

Ans- Everything is temporary.

2nd Stanza

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. 

i- What does 'it ' refer to?

• World

• Earth

• Fire

Ans- World

ii- What is the meaning of the word perish?

• Decay

• Appear

• Improve

Ans- Decay

iii- What would be the better option to end the Earth?

• Fire

• Ice

• Both

Ans- Both

6- Previous Year Question/Answers 

i- Write down the two different views about the end of the world.(C.B.S.E.2012)

Ans- Some people believe that the world will end in fire.Here fire symbolises desire, passion. Whereas some people believe that ice can be the cause of the destruction. Here ice represents indifference and hatred. 

ii- Briefly write about the ideas, how the world will end? (C.B.S.E.2016)

Ans- Some scientists believe that the world will come to an end due to fire(desire), while other scientists are of the view that ice (hatred) can also be the source of destruction. 

iii- To say that for destruction ice Is also great for the poet, what does 'ice stands for? How is it sufficient to bring destruction? (C.B.S.E.2014)

Ans- Ice symbolises indifference and hatred. Hatred stays in one's mind for long that leads to cruelty. One becomes hard hearted, which gradually leads to the destruction of the world. 

iv- Which age old question does the poem revolve around? (C.B.S.E.2013)

Ans- It revolves around the age old question that the world will end in fire or ice, whether it would freeze or burn to death. 

v- Discuss how extreme behaviour can hasten the end of the world with respect to 'Fire and Ice? (C.B.S.E.2013)

Ans- Fire symbolises desire, passion etc. It can become so intense that it can lead to the destruction of humanity. The other view is of ice that symbolises indifference and hatred. It can end love, kindness, sympathy etc.So fire and ice are capable enough to bring destruction to the world. 

vi- How will the world end? Support your answer with scientific explanation. (C.B.S.E.2014)

Ans- According to the scientists, the two reasons for the destruction of the world would be either fire or ice. Some scientists believe that the world will end due to fire(desire, passion), or due to ice that symbolises indifference and hatred. 

The poet tries to warn the people against the two greatest problems faced by humanity. 

7- To Conclude

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