Question

Figures of speech in the poem fire and ice

Answer 1

Type of Work
......."Fire and Ice" is a lyric poem of nine lines centering on destructive emotions.

Publication

......."Fire and Ice" first appeared in the December 1920 issue of Harper's. In 1923, it appeared in New Hampshire, a collection of Frost's poems published in New York by Henry Holt & Co.

Meter

.......Frost wrote "Fire and Ice" in iambic tetrameter (lines 1, 3, 4, 5, 6, and 7) and iambic dimeter (lines 2, 8, and 9). In iambic tetrameter, a line has four pairs of syllables, each pair with an unstressed syllable followed by a stressed syllable. In iambic dimeter, a line has two pairs of syllables, each pair with an unstressed syllable followed by a stressed syllable. The first two lines of the poem demonstrate the tetrameter-dimeter format.


.......1...................2..................3.................4....
Some SAY..|..the WORLD,..|..will END..|..in FIRE
.......1...................2
Some SAY..|..iin ICE.
Rhyme
.......The poem contains three units of end rhyme. The first unit consists of lines 1, 3, and 4. The second consists of lines 2, 5, 7, and 9. The third consists of lines 6 and 8. All of the end rhymes are masculine.
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Text of the Poem and Notes
Some say the world1 will end in fire,
Some say in ice.
From what I've tasted of desire2
I hold with those who favor fire.
But if it had to perish twice,...................5
I think I know enough of hate
To say that for destruction ice3
Is also great
And would suffice.4


1...world: Frost appears to mean the world of an individual—that is, his life—as well as civilization itself.
2...desire: Desire, or passion, is considered a "hot" emotion. Hence, the punishment for yielding to forbidden desire is fire. For further information, see "Dante's Influence," below.
3...See "Dante's Influence," below.
4...Note that the word suffice contains the word "ice."
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Figures of Speech
Alliteration

Some say the world will end in fire,
Some say in ice.
I hold with those who favor fire.

Anaphora
Some say the world1 will end in fire,
Some say in ice.
Paradox
But if it had to perish twice
Dante's Influence
.......Frost derived inspiration for "Fire and Ice" from "Inferno," one of the three divisions of Dante’s monumental epic poem, The Divine Comedy.
.......In "Inferno," Dante and his guide, the Latin poet Virgil, witness the punishment of souls in hell, constructed in nine circles—one atop the other—in the shape of a cone. Those who committed sins of desire, such as lust and greed, suffer the pain of fire and other tortures. (Note lines 3 and 4 of Frost's poem). These sinners are confined in the upper circles. Those who committed the sin of betrayal are confined to the bottom circle, the ninth, in a frozen lake. Among them are Judas and Satan. Frost’s poem substitutes hatred for betrayal as the cardinal offense that entombs souls in everlasting ice. (Note lines 6-9 of Frost's poem.)
.......Frost’s poem contains nine lines, an apparent representation of the nine circles of Dante's hell.

Answer 2

Answer:

A plethora of figures of speech is used in the poem 'Fire and Ice' including personification, anaphora, alliteration, antithesis, etc.

Explanation:

Many different poetic devices are used in the poem 'Fire and Ice'.

• Personification: Fire and ice are given the human qualities of destruction.
• Anaphora: Certain words are repeated at the start of the stanza like 'some say'.
• Alliteration: The sound 'f' is repeated in 'favour fire'
• Metaphor: Fire and ice are indirectly compared to destruction and desires.
• Antithesis: Opposite ideas are expressed in the same sentence.