Fire and Ice: Analysis and Discussion

Introduction

        Fire and Ice has long been one of my all-time favorite poems. As such, I have given the piece a fair amount of thought, and have come to the conclusion that it is a play in two acts, so to speak. 

In Act 1, we have the obvious...fire. The great destructive force, capable of swallowing entire civilizations and coming back for more. It, like us, thrives on oxygen and it, like us, seems to destroy most of what it touches. That much is not metaphor, per se, but fact. 

In Act 2, however, Frost becomes more nuanced. He makes a nod at the equally destructive antithesis to fire( ice). Most of the poem serves to hail (pun intended) ice and similarly the very concept of freezing as both deadly and worthy of extreme respect. 

As most English teachers would tell you, it is helpful to examine the tragedies both backward and forwards, act by act, so let's do just that. After all, you can't understand why Rosaline was truly lucky if you haven't examined the fate of Juliet closely.