Hi Everyone!! This article will share Fire and Ice Important Questions & Answers.
In my previous posts, I have also shared Fire and Ice MCQ, Dust of Snow Important Questions & Answers and Amanda Important Questions and Answers so, you can check these posts as well.
Fire and Ice Important Questions & Answers
Question 1: For Frost what do ‘fire’ and ‘ice’ stand for?
Answer: For Robert Frost, ‘Fire’ represents greed, fury, avarice, violent passions of cruelty and conflict which can quickly consume a relationship and cause the end of the world. ‘Ice’ stands for cold emotions like indifference, hatred, insensitivity and intolerance which may suppress good human values and can bring the world to its doom.
Question 2: Explain: “Some say the world will end in fire.”
Answer: Some people think that violent feelings like anger, enmity, cruelty and fury will bring the world to a fiery end. Because of the violent tendencies of people in the modern world, it would be destroyed completely.
Question 3: What does ‘fire’ signify literally and symbolically?
Answer: Literally, ‘fire’ implies the burning heat and refers to the global warming which can turn the earth into a big fireball. Symbolically, ‘fire’ stands for the heat of love, desires and passion and also signifies human cruelty, violence and ruthlessness.
Question 4: Why are ‘ice’ and ‘hatred’ placed side by side?
Answer: The poet has placed ‘ice’ and ‘hatred’ side by side because ‘ice’ has such a freezing power which in its intensity may be as destructive as fire. ‘Hatred’ is a cold emotion which freezes human emotions and can prove to be a destroyer of human values and can bring about an end of the world.
Question 5: Explain: “Some say in ice”.
Answer: Some people think that cold emotions like greed, indifference, hatred, insensitivity, intolerance lead to inhuman actions which may spell the end of the world.
Question 6: Explain: ‘I hold with those who favour fire.’
Answer: The poet favours the idea that human tendency to engage in cruel, lustful and brutal conflicts will cause utter destruction of the world. His belief comes from his personal observations and experiences in the world.
Question 7: What has the poet tasted of desire? What is the significance of the word ‘tasted’ here?
Answer: The poet refers to his experience of man’s selfish and self-centred desires. Here, ‘desire’ implies strong passions and feelings and ‘tasted’ implies that the poet has got the first-hand experience and knowledge of these passions.
Question 8: What, according to the poet, would happen if the world were to perish twice?
Answer: The poet means that if the world had to get destroyed twice, each time by an absolutely different force. The poet is of the opinion that ‘fire’ will engulf the world and destroy it completely. But if it comes to life again, it will be destroyed by ice. ‘Ice’ symbolically stands for cold feelings of jealousy, hatred and selfishness which have the power to drive the world to its end.
Question 9: Explain: “And would suffice.”
Answer: The poet believes that hatred is very intense and is quite widespread. It is such a destructive force that in itself it is sufficient to destroy the world.
Question 10: For destruction ‘ice is also great’. Why has the poet used the word ‘also’ in the second stanza?
Answer: The poet means that though the obvious factor for the destruction of the world is fire (anger) but ice (hatred) too can bring the world to an end. Since, he is talking about two different elements of destruction, so, he has used ‘also’ in the second stanza.
Question 11: What is the rhyme scheme of the poem? How does it help in bringing out the contrasting ideas in the poem?
Answer: The rhyme scheme of the poem is abaa in the first stanza and ababa in the second stanza. The two stanzas put forward two contrasting ideas. The first stanza talks of fire. The variation in the second stanza is to show the contrasting element of destruction, that is ‘ice’.
Question 12: Why does the poet call the ice ‘great’?
Answer: In a satirical way, the poet has used the word ‘great’. Usually, the word stands for something grand. Here, the poet is using the adjective in the context of destruction.
Question 13: What message does the poem ‘Fire and Ice’ give to mankind?
Answer: The poem appeals for ending all fiery emotions like anger, cruelty, violence, and intolerance, and icy emotions like hatred, jealousy, and apathy, for they destroy the human society and relationships. They have caused irreparable damage to races, countries, and the environment and are responsible for the loss of countless lives. He envisions a world full of love, peace, and harmony and believes in the oneness of mankind.
Though destruction is easy however the more challenging task is to create and maintain a world wherein all peoples can coexist mutually. The poem conveys the message that greed, lust or a life full of jealousy and hatred will destroy all peace of mind and charm of life. Thus, the poem gives a warning that human beings must learn to check negative feelings for a great future of mankind.
So, these were Fire and Ice Important Questions & Answers.