Meta Language Analysis in Fire and IcePoem by Robert Frost

By : I Gede Yoga Permana

1212021100
6D
yogapermana@gmx.com

Introduction
Poem is a work of art. Literally, poem is a piece of creative writing in verse that
expressing deep feeling (Oxford Advanced Dictionary). One of famous quote of what poem
is by Robert Frost. He said Poem provides the one permissible way of saying one thing and
meaning another Poem is when emotion found its thought and thought has found words.
So, poem is a language used by poets to say something that contains feeling and thought.
There are some elements in poem that build the poem itself such words, figurative language,
lines, verse, rhyme and stanza.
Piscayanti (2014) said that words in poem is not just a word, but a symbol of ideas,
images, metaphor, or even an abstract thing that has the power to move people who read it.
Figurative language uses figures of speech as what stated by Utami (2013). The function of
figurative language is to create image for the readers to understand the meaning that didnt
conveyed directly or through its literal words. The words and the figure of speech are the
most important elements in poem. The elements of figurative language according to Laurence
Perrince are metaphor, personification, metonymy, symbol and Allegory. This became my
rationale to analyse a poem. Poem that will be analysed is a poem by Robert Frost entitles
Fire and Ice . Robert Lee Frost (March 26, 1874 January 29, 1963) is an American poet.
The reason why I chose this poem because this poem contains symbolls . According to
Pierce, symbol is a sign that stands for something in an arbitrary convention-based way.
There are some symbols that signifying Robert Frost thought and feeling. This poem can be
assumed as a poem of all time because this poem told about the prediction of the world in
future. The outline of this poem is a thought of Robert Frost about the end of the world that

will be destroyed by fire and ice and human being has those two sides. Some prefer to be the
fire some prefer to be the ice
Theory
1. Ferdinand de Saussure (1857 1913) introduced the linguistic sign as a two-sided
entity which well-known as dyadic model. There are signified as the mental concept and
signifier as the sound or image. The relationship of the dyadic model is pictured as follows:
Signified ( Concept)

Signified Social
Media

Signified
( sound/image)

Signified Twitter

Saussure concept has been developed and it rise up metalanguage. In which signified
can be a new signifier. The concept of metalanguage can be seen below
Signified
Signifier

Signified
Signifier

Signified
Signifier

Apple

Steve Job

Steve Job
CEO

2. Perrine has defined the figurative language into two parts. Part one: Metaphor,
personification, metonymy and part two: symbol and allegory. As what I stated before, this
analysis is focused on the symbols used in poem. He explained that a symbol can be defined
as something that means more than what it is. He also stated that image, metaphor and
symbol are sometimes difficult to be differentiated. For example the use of symbol:

You cant teach an old dog new tricks

From this sentence, he told that he not only speaks about dog, but he speaks about a
living creature that symbolized by the word dog. We all know that every old creature is
difficult to learn something new or even they cant learn it at all.
The use of the word dog can mean something that unrelated to the real dog at all.
For example That dog break the rule . The word dog means a trouble maker. This can be
called as the use of methapor.
The other example can be seen in That cute brown dog has been stolen by
someone. The meaning of the word dog here is the real dog that is cute and has a white
color. This can be named as the use of imagery.

Analysis
Fire and Ice
Some say the world will end in fire,
Some say in ice.
From what Ive 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 say that for destruction ice
Is also great
And would suffice
Robert Frost (1874-1963)
Taken from Sound and Sense, An introduction to poetry

Some say the world will end in fire

The intention of this sentence is the word fire . So fire is the signified. The fire
signifies a disaster that related with fire such volcanic eruption. Indeed, a volcanic eruption
can destroy the world. We will be burnt by the fire from the volcanic eruption. But what Frost
want to say maybe not the disaster even the power of the volcanic eruption can melt the
world. This is what interesting from this poem. The volcanic eruption can be a new signifier
and it signifies the ambition of the people. Ambitious person can be described as someone
who is on fire to achieve his/her ambitions. A person with a big ambition, may be willing to
sacrifice everything even sacrifice someones life in negative context. For example the
terrorism and nuclear bom experiment.
From what Ive tasted of desire
I hold with those who favor fire
The word fire appeared once again in the fourth line I hold with those who favor
fire This signifies that Robert Frost itself is an ambitious man. He relized it from his life
experience. It is supported by the third line From what Ive tasted of desire
The relation of this meta language can be pictured as below
Fire
Volcanic
Eruption

Volcanic
Eruption
Ambitious

Ambitious
Robert Frost

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

Robert Frost not only prefer to be the fire. In his different side, he has a nature to be
the ice. It can be seen from what he wrote but if it had to perish twice. We know that we
life for once time only. Robert knows that the destruction made by the fire and ice is the
same. The two sides has the same power to destroy the world.
As the disaster by the fire, the word ice signifies the other disaster. It is related to
the north pole. The north pole can destroy the world because of the effect of globalization. In
the other side, the word of ice signifies the cold temperature and it signifies the human that
has cold nature. The cold person can be difined as person that is passive. If everyone is
passive, then the world will face its end. Imagine if there is no one care with the other and no
one care with the world. Globalization is one off the effect of human actions. Such
consuming too many nature material, greenhouse, cutting the trees etc. So, the word ice has
its own meta language.
Ice
The North
Pole

The north
pole
Cold

Cold
Passiveness

Conclusion
Actually, this poem is the prediction of Robert Frost about the end of the world. He
also told that the world not only can be destroyed by disasters but the human can destroy the
world. The message from this poem is to make the people aware of the world. Robert Frost
used the terms fire and Ice to signifies the nature of human being. If those natures cant
be controlled, the world will be destroyed.

References

Perrine,Laurence. Sound and Sense, An Introduction to Poetry, sixth edition. Harcourt Brace.
Piscayanti,Sonia. 2014. A course of Literature 1, Poetry and Prose Fiction.
Utami,Lokita. 2013. The Power Of Figurative Language In English Poem. An Aid to understand them
Coble,Paul and Jansz, Litza. 1999. Introducing Semiotics. Allen & Unwin Pty.

Andrew,Robinson. 2011. An A to Z of Theory Roland Barthes and Semiotics. From

https://ceasefiremagazine.co.uk/in-theory-barthes-1/
Chandler Daniel. 2014. Semiotics For Beginner: Denotation,Connotation and Myth. From
http://visual-memory.co.uk/daniel/Documents/S4B/sem06.html