Fire and Ice – Poetic Devices: The poem ‘Fire and Ice’ has many popular poetic devices that create their own impact on the reader. Here are given with examples the literary device used in the poem ‘Fire and Ice’.

Poem: 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 favour 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

Fire and Ice – Poetic Devices

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Rhyme scheme — stanza 1 is abaa while for stanza 2 it is ababa.

Symbolism – Symbolism is the use of symbols to signify some ideas by giving them symbolic meaning different from their literal meaning.

• Fire – symbolizes desire with human emotions like lust, fury, cruelty, greed etc..
• Ice – symbolizes the hatred with cold feelings of humans such as rigidity, jealousy, indifference, intolerance etc..

Imagery —Imagery is the visualisation of the poetic description through our sensory organs. Here, the reader would visualise the destruction through fire or ice. The imagery formed would depend on how we perceive and imagine in the context being portrayed in the poem. It makes a poem picturesque as images are formed in the minds of the reader.

Personification —Personification is to assig human qualities to non-living things. In this poem, ‘fire’ and ‘ice’ are capable to destroy the earth.

Anaphora — Anaphora is the repetition of a word or expression at the start of two or more consecutive lines.

For example:

‘Some say’’ is repeated at the start of the lines 1 and 2.

Alliteration —Alliteration is repetition of the same sound used at the beginning of the nearly placed words.

Example: The sound of ‘s’ in some say, ‘f’ in ‘‘Favour fire’’, and ‘w’ in ‘‘world will’’.

Assonance – Assonance is the repetition of same vowel sounds in different words in the same line.

e.g., ‘‘I hold with those who favour fire.’’ In this line, the long sound of ‘O’ is used.

Enjambment—It is a line or clause that does not come to an end at a line break, rather it moves over to the next line. This device has been used prominently in the poem.

For Example:

‘‘From what I’ve tasted of desire

I hold with those who favour fire’’

Metaphor – It is a literary device that is used to make a covert comparison without using the words ’like ‘or ’as ‘.
Here, the poet has used the terms ‘fire’ and ‘ice’ as metaphors for the human emotions related to desire and hatred.

Antithesis – Fire is the antithesis of ice. Two contrasting and directly opposite destructive forces have been the hallmark of this poem; Fire and Ice’.

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