Fire and Ice

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 know enough of hate

To say that for destruction ice

Is also great

And would suffice.

I was first introduced to this poem when we conducted poetry

readings in class. After closing our unit involving literary works that

discussed the whole relationship between "good" and "evil," I

realize that I understand this poem a lot better than the first time I

encountered it. Just as we have been discussing the extremes of fire

and ice within the inner conflictions of the "monstrous" mind, this

poem employs fire and ice as symbols of larger ideas that

represent the human mind.

My perception of the poem read the poem as presenting two sides

of a universal argument. Fire represents passion, something that can

be kindled inside of humans - I perceive this as love, affection,

intimacy, desire, hate, anger, etc. Ice on the other hand represents

the lack of sort of "hot" desire, perhaps including cruelty, apathy,

indifference, solitude, or the lack of any intense emotion. Will the

crazy passion that consumes the human race be responsible for the

end of humanity? Or will the indifference and apathy that

condemns humans be responsible for the end of humanity? The

narrator claims that from what he has "tasted" of fire, he believes

that holds the upper hand in this argument. By using the word

"tasted," the narrator implies he has only experienced a small part

of this sort of "hot" and "passionate" emotion, and through this he

understands the overwhelming power of such a feeling. Because

this feeling is so powerful, he is convinced that it will be the more

"animal-like" side of the human race that will lead to its own

demise.

But as I continued reading this poem, the idea sort of shifted. The

narrator then claims if he had to "perish twice" (meaning if the

world were to end once again after it had already ended from the "fire" side of humans), he believes ice would be "suffice" in ending the world. But the difference here is seen in the way he backs his reasoning by saying he has seen enough of "hate" to know ice would be suffice in ending the world. Through that line, the implication shows that the word "ice" may not mean indifference and apathy the way I first perceived it to be, but rather it represents hate and negativity. This could mean fire represents love, and ice represents hate. The narrator essentially states that both extremes of love and hate are capable of ending the world - perhaps he is telling us we need balance to keep the world alive.

More importantly, the author shows us that both fire and ice have

the came capabilities, thus portraying them as one and the same.

Although fire and ice - love and hate (and whatever larger meanings

these connote), are treated as exact opposites, they may simply

both be extremes that are responsible for destruction. Through this,

the poem seemed to be stressing the importance of maintaining a

balance within our desires and actions.

The idea of balance is definitely an idea I saw repeated through

Frankenstein and Grendel, and due to this I was able to relate to

this poem more, and associate larger real life and literary examples

to give this poem deeper meaning.

Light vs. Dark - Blake and Gardner 

There is absolutely no way in which we can explore the idea of contradictions and paradox without the acknowledgement of artist and poet William Blake - a figure in a time of revolution, fixated upon the idea that without contraries, there is no progression. Frankly, after having recently discussed some of Blake's work in class, I'll warn you this guy may give you a headache (hopefully though, it'll be the good kind - the kind that make you think). 

While probing in and out of Blake’s various works, I gravitated most towards the two introductory pieces to his interrelated major works “Songs of Innocence” and “Songs of Experience.” Not only were they enlightening on their own, they also served as an interesting supplement to our previous novel, Grendel, exemplifying much of the same thematic components prominent within the novel.

The human is filled with contradictions in thought, in feeling, and in actions. Life itself becomes paradoxical – we live to die and die to live. In the introduction to “Songs of Innocence,” the piper – often a character that connotes enthusiasm and passion, a child “wept with joy to hear” the song the piper enthusiastically sings to him. By the end of the poem, the child asks the piper to write the songs in a book for all children to hear, yet when the piper describes this process he claims, “I stain’d the water clear.” Extracting these details made me think of the whole idea of a transformation from innocence to maturity. The songs represent something capable of staining the purity of innocence, and the child weeps with joy to hear them. The child, being innocent, is incapable of understanding that these songs foreshadow destruction, yet Blake hints at it by commenting on the way the child weeps, which connotes sadness and helplessness. This is relatable to Grendel as well, because this whole poem represents a perspective of the loss of innocence. Is transitioning into adulthood as positive as it may seem? Grendel was internally conflicted between the pull of gaining experience and being “enlightened” versus the idea of remaining in a state of blissful ignorance. It is interesting to see how both Blake and Gardner have elements of the others ideas within their own works, and the reason for which Gardner included part of Blake’s work in the beginning of his own novel was explained through the overlapping themes that both literary figures discuss.

In the introduction to “Songs of Experience,” the poem talks of a Bard who sees the “Present, Past, & Future.” Through this, I think the poem is almost referring to those who are experienced, and when relating to Grendel, those who are enlightened. This part of the poem actually reminds me very much of the dragon himself, who was able to see through all of time. The third stanza of this poem manifests the theme of light versus dark as it speaks of the magnificence of Earth, but follows it up with the worn sense that swallows the night. This light versus dark parallels knowledge verses darkness or good versus evil. This is similar to Grendel, as Grendel struggles with defining what is good and what is evil. He is torn apart by the beauty of the Shaper’s songs, yet he refers to the Shaper’s words as ridiculous. He is drawn by the dragon’s knowledge, but his attempt to follow the dragon’s advice leads to his own doom. The real question is what truly is good? And what truly is evil? 

Though universal questions with no universal answers, both Blake's works and Gardner's Grendel help us see the varying perspectives on these questions.