Zachary T McCall

Mrs. Amy Carter

AP Language and Composition
9 March 2014

Fire and Ice

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, 5
I think I know enough of hate
To say that for destruction ice
Is also great
And would suffice.

Robert Frost

The sound of Robert Frost
America was perhaps at its greatest time in twenties. Not the same thing can
be said for Robert Frost. His mother died in the year of 1900, shortly before World
War I began. In the year 1920, Frost had to admit his sister into a mental hospital
where she did 9 years. In Frost eyes, it can be said that he could very well be
viewing the world coming to an end. Frost has experienced many feelings in those
20 years that could be all packed into his poem Fire and Ice.
Frosts structure makes it easy for anybody to read this poem. He has an
obvious rhyme where he deliberately breaks the last line to keep the rhyme and the
definitions of the words that are needed are the definitions that touch the surface. I
see his voice at the time sounding like this. Frost has had a difficult time recently
and he sees the world like it is and he is looking at everything on a very simple level.
Frost uses fire and ice as the basis for his rhyme in this poem. To rhyme
something with fire you must have the word ire in the end of the word and to
rhyme something with ice you must have ice in the end of the word. He keeps
this rhyme in his poem simple to carry on the simple nature he created with his
structure and diction. Frost makes a very intelligent choice by repeating these
sounds over and over. In the human mind, these sounds register as a drumbeat.
Comment [Z1]: I will not have any access to an
abundant amount of background information. The
only background information will come from prior
knowledge.
Comment [Z2]: I can knock these words down to
superficial definitions
Comment [Z3]: Take out first person
Comment [Z4]: Change to - Frost makes the
choice to keep repeating this simple rhyme scheme
for the readers benefit
It is recorded that Frosts family experienced mental issues and he himself
experienced depression in his life. In the last 2 centuries before this poem was
written, Frosts has experienced the death of his mother, World War I and the
admission of his sister to a mental hospital. Frosts experiences over the years can
be a substantial basis to create hate. What he would hate depends on what he
believes. To say that Frost hates life would not be an overstatement. When you
reach From what Ive tasted of desire/ I hold with those who favor fire (line 3-4)
you can see that Frost wouldnt chose what hes gone through in the last 2 centuries.
Frost would rather go down from passionate desire, then hatred with ice.
As America moves into its greatest years to date, Frost watches as people
around America build relationships full of passion and love. Unfortunately some of
these peoples relationships are built off of one anothers greed. The human has
desires that can over weigh better judgment. They see something better then what
they have and they naturally want it. Frost watches people do this as he is suffer
hardship and he sees what could happen. In his poem he expresses this concern
because once something goes up, it must come down and he would rather come
down in a fiery passion than in an icy indifference.
Comment [Z5]: Create a better transition to the
next paragraph
Comment [Z6]: Will not have the access to
background information
Comment [Z7]: Change to as he suffers
Comment [Z8]: Change to must always come
down
Comment [Z9]: Change to down. He
The sound of this poem is beautifully wretched anyway you look at it. Frost
keeps this poem simple because its what people at the time needed to understand
what would happen.