CLASS 10 ENGLISH : FIRE AND ICE

 FIRE AND ICE 

Poetic Devices

Rhyme: The poem follows a simple rhyme scheme, with the first and third lines of each stanza rhyming with each other (fire/desire, twice/ice). The first three lines follow an ABA rhyme scheme, while the last five follow an AABB rhyme scheme.

Symbolism: The use of fire as a symbol is typically associated with passion, desire, and intense emotion. The speaker contrasts fire with ice, which is commonly associated with coldness, indifference, and hate.

Repetition: The repetition of the phrase “Some say” at the beginning of the first two lines of the poem creates a sense of contrast and tension between the two ideas.

The two contrasting elements of fire and ice in these stanzas represent two different ways in which the world could end.

Metaphor: “Fire” and “ice” are used as metaphors for desire and hate, respectively.

The use of “fire” as a metaphor for desire creates an image of intense passion and uncontrollable flames, while “ice” symbolizes a cold and indifferent attitude towards the world’s destruction.

Personification: “if it had to perish twice” treats the world as a person.  

‘fire’ and ‘ice’ are personified as capable to destroy the earth. These elements are personified as destructive forces that can end the world.

Alliteration: The use of repeated initial consonant sounds, such as “world will end in fire” and “favour fire” creates a musical quality to the poem and emphasizes the importance of the words.

Antithesis: The poem presents two opposing ideas (fire and ice) and then reconciles them in the final stanza, suggesting that both are equally capable of bringing about the end of the world.

Enjambment: The lines “From what I’ve tasted of desire / I hold with those who favour fire” are enjambed, meaning the sense continues onto the next line without pause.

Assonance: It is repetition of vowel sounds in same line. The repetition is at different places in different words.

Example- The long sound of “o” in “I hold with those who favour fire”

Anaphora: Anaphora is a literary device where a word or phrase is repeated at the beginning of successive clauses or sentences.

In the first stanza, the repetition of the phrase “Some say” is an example of anaphora:

“Some say the world will end in fire Some say in ice.”

Irony: The speaker’s preference for fire despite acknowledging ice as a viable destructive force, and the use of the word “suffice” which suggests a sense of resignation.


Extract Based Questions

Some say the world will end in fire
Some say in ice.
From what I’ve tasted of desire
I hold with those who favour fire.

1. Who is the poet of these lines?   

Ans. Robert Frost

2. What is the poet’s opinion about the world?

Ans. According to the poet, the world will end in fire.

3. What is the contradictory opinion of the public?

Ans. The contradictory opinion of the public is the debate whether the world will end in fire or ice.

4. How are ice and fire similar to each other though they have contradictory traits?

Ans. Both ice and fire are similar in the sense that both of them would destroy everything in the world.

5. What is the poetic device used in the line “Some say the world will end in fire”?

Ans. Metaphor

6. What poetic device is used in the line “From what I’ve tasted of desire”?

Ans. Metaphor

7. Which two things will destroy the world?

Ans. Hatred and Desire.

8. What is the prediction of the people about how the world will come to an end?

Ans. Some people say that the world will come to an end in a fire while others say it will come to an end in ice.


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.

1. What does ‘it’ refer to in the first line?

Ans. ‘It’ refers to the world.

2. What do you mean by ‘perish’?

Ans. Perish means to die or to be destroyed.

3. What does ice stand for?

Ans. Ice stands for coldness.

4. What would be the cause of destruction?

Ans. Ice or fire would be the cause of destruction.

5. What is the meaning of the word “suffice” in the context of the poem?

Ans. To be enough or adequate

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