What does this Poem mean?

Question

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 know that for destruction ice
Is also great
And would suffice.

Answer 1

Hi Ariana, 

 

This is a poem by Robert Frost about the end of the world. Start your analysis by looking at the poem literally--

 

Some say the world will end in fire (There are scientists who predict the sun will supernova and burn up the earth-- fire! or perhaps a nuclear holocaust or world war would result in major fires & burning.)

 

Some say in ice. (There are also scientists who predict another ice age, which would certainly end the world for a majority of the population of humans-- penguins might survive, but they don't read poetry, so we can exclude them.)

 

With me so far? End of the world stuff-- apocalypse, death, destruction, etc. Bad news all around. 

 

Now, let's take a look at it symbolically because Frost is about to make some connections: fire=desire; ice=hate. If you don't believe me, listen to some rock and roll lyrics (Elvis Presley sang about a hunk of burning love & Foreigner sang about a lover who was cold as ice). I'm sure you've heard the cliches about burning with love or burning desire or a cold-hearted snake, etc. 

 

So, we continue with the poem: From what I've tasted of desire, I hold with those who favor fire. Now, if you're not sure what "hold" means in this sentence, probably a good idea to look it up. Hold here means "agree with" Sometimes with poetry, you'll need to look at other meanings of words you already know. So, Frost's narrator here is saying that he agrees with the people who say the world will end in fire-- because he knows how hot passion can burn! (Sexy stuff, eh?) 

 

Now, I've helped you with almost all the poem. Think you can finish it up with the last few lines? Remember to look up words you're not 100% familiar with. 

 

So, now that you can summarize the poem, the next step is analysis. For that, I offer a few questions to think about:

1) Why do you think Frost begins with scientific ideas then moves to emotions, which are not very scientific at all? 

2) What symbols do you see in the lines? What ideas do they symbolize? 

3) What about the words "I think" in line 6-- why isn't Frost sure about this? 

 

Good luck with your assignment.