Fire and Ice

By Robert Frost

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’d know enough of hate

To say that destruction ice

Is also great

And would suffice

Personal Commentary:

“Fire and Ice” by Robert Frost, is a very short yet complex poem. When I first

read it, I thought only of the poem’s literal meaning and I didn’t realize its deeper

purpose until much later. Frost states that the world will either end in fire or ice, but he

really means that it will end from human desire or hate. After discovering the poem’s real

significance, I found it to be very unique and intriguing.

Analytical Commentary:

Through “Fire and Ice”, Frost states his opinion that human emotions can be very

destructive powers. Frost uses implied metaphors throughout the poem, such as when he

compares fire to desire (“From what I’ve tasted of desire, I hold with those who favor

fire”). He also relates ice to hate (“I think I’d know enough of hate to say that destruction

ice is also great”). The poem has an eerie mood and Frost has a wise and knowing

attitude towards the audience. The poem does include end rhymes, and has a rhyme

scheme of “abaabcbcb”.
Sonnet 18

By William Shakespeare

Shall I compare thee to a summer's day?

Thou art more lovely and more temperate:

Rough winds do shake the darling buds of May,

And summer's lease hath all too short a date:

Sometime too hot the eye of heaven shines,

And often is his gold complexion dimm'd;

And every fair from fair sometime declines,

By chance or nature's changing course untrimm'd;

But thy eternal summer shall not fade

Nor lose possession of that fair thou owest;

Nor shall Death brag thou wander'st in his shade,

When in eternal lines to time thou growest:

So long as men can breathe or eyes can see,

So long lives this and this gives life to thee.

Personal Commentary:

I found “Sonnet 18” by William Shakespeare, to be one of the most beautiful and

romantic poems I have ever read! Shakespeare expresses his love for a girl in an original

way, by comparing her to summer. My heart melted as he declared her beauty so vividly,

and it made me curious to know who this mysterious maiden was.

Analytical Commentary:

Shakespeare uses personifications numerous times throughout the poem. For

instance, he says that death can brag (“nor shall death brag thou wander’st in his shade”)

and says that the poem will live and give life (“so long lives this and this gives life to

thee”). The poem uses exact rhyme “day and May” and approximate rhyme “temperate

and date”. Shakespeare also uses lots of imagery as he describes summer with “darling

buds of May” and “the eye of heaven shines…gold complexion dimm’d”.

The Seven Ages of Man
By William Shakespeare
All the world’s a stage,
And all the men and women merely players,
They have their exits and entrances,
And one man in his time plays many parts,
His acts being seven ages. At first the infant,
Mewling and puking in the nurse's arms.
Then, the whining schoolboy with his satchel
And shining morning face, creeping like snail
Unwillingly to school. And then the lover,
Sighing like furnace, with a woeful ballad
Made to his mistress' eyebrow. Then a soldier,
Full of strange oaths, and bearded like the pard,
Jealous in honour, sudden, and quick in quarrel,
Seeking the bubble reputation
Even in the cannon's mouth. And then the justice
In fair round belly, with good capon lin'd,
With eyes severe, and beard of formal cut,
Full of wise saws, and modern instances,
And so he plays his part. The sixth age shifts
Into the lean and slipper'd pantaloon,
With spectacles on nose, and pouch on side,
His youthful hose well sav'd, a world too wide,
For his shrunk shank, and his big manly voice,
Turning again towards childish treble, pipes
And whistles in his sound. Last scene of all,
That ends this strange eventful history,
Is second childishness and mere oblivion,
Sans teeth, sans eyes, sans taste, sans everything.
Personal Commentary:

“The Seven Ages of Man” by William Shakespeare, makes a unique comparison,

which I had never thought of before. Shakespeare compares life to a stage, and different

ages to character roles. I found the poem to be creative and entertaining yet completely

true. I especially enjoyed specific details that Shakespeare stated for each character.

Analytical Commentary:

The entire poem is an extended metaphor, from the beginning (“All the world’s a

stage”) to the end (“Last scene of all, that ends this strange eventful history, is second

childishness and mere oblivion.”) Shakespeare compares men and women to characters in

a play. He uses imagery to give us a visual of his characters (“the whining school boy

with his satchel and shining morning face.”) Shakespeare also has a fair amount of

similes in his work (“creeping like snail”), (“sighing like furnace”), and (“bearded like

the pard”). The numerous comparisons help Shakespeare to get his point across.