Long Questions and Answers
Question 1 : Discuss how extreme beahviour can hasten the end of the world with respect to ‘Fire and Ice’.
Answer : ‘Fire’ symbolises desire and ‘Ice’ symbolises hatred. Desire is a kind of intense love or want that focuses people on getting and possessing and acquiring. Our society is full of people who spend their lives working to get a bigger and better TV, a more stylish car or a more extravagant house. This kind of desire can lead people to destruction in the form of bankruptcy or even broken relationships. Frost’s poem speaks on the issue of greed corrupting people and even society. The power of hate, which is symbolised by ice, is just as great as desire. While desire consumes quickly, hate produces shy yet restrained devastation. For instance, hate is the root cause of racism and war. It can linger in people’s mind for lifetimes.
Moreover, it consumes the hater even more than the person being hated. It thus, ruins lives.
Question 2 : The poem ‘Fire and Ice’, carried with it very deep thematic ideas. Elaborate on these darkest traits of humanity.
Answer : Frost presents the two of the darkest traits of humanity; the capacity to hate and the capacity to be consumed by lust or desire. Of the two , he attributes the greater of the two evils, is desire. In giving desire the foremost position with regard to the destruction of the world, Frost is providing a powerful statement on the subject of greed and jealousy, saying that above all else, desire is the trait of humanity that is most likely to lead to its demise. Desire represents the greatest problem that attributes to the cause of the war. Frost then attributes hatred with the same capacity to do harm.
However, he lessens the relative importance of hatred but still presents it as having the ability to lead to the destruction of the world if it were to happen for a second time.
Question 3 : The poet presents two reasons which will lead to the destruction of the humanity. What values do you garner from the two possible causes provided by him?
Answer : The poet provides and deals with two possible causes for the end of the world. He points more towards the emotional and sentimental side of the issue. As for him, fire denotes deep passion and burning desire, while ice is highlighted for its icy cold and hatred side of the emotions.
He favours both the arguments and says that either the deep burning passion or the cold hatred and jealousy factor will push the people to walk on the path of destruction. The poet is sure of this destruction of humanity.
He first talks about the destruction because of fire and in case this fails, then ice will end the world. The love that people have for one another will turn into hatred. In race of climbing up and outdo one another, people will tend to hate each other. These negative emotions will become so strong that it will surpass all the love and lead to the destruction of humanity.
Question 4 : How will the world end? Support your answer with scientific explanation.
Answer : According to the scientists, the two reasons for the destruction of the world will be either fiery core or the ice age.
Some scientists believed that the world would be incinerated (destroyed) from its fiery core, while others were convinced that a coming ice age would destroy all living things on the earth’s surface. In other words, either the deep heat or fire under the earth beds will lead to natural calamities like volcano eruptions, earthquakes and tsunamis which will one day end the world, or the melting of ice from the snowy mountains due to global warming will shrink the world. As a result, one day the entire world will die of the icy water. Frost, thus, tries to warn people against the two greatest problems being faced by humanity and the consequences of human vices and increased effectiveness.