NCERT Solutions for Class 10th: Fire and Ice (Poem) First Flight English

By Robert Frost
Page No: 15

Thinking about the Poem

1. There are many ideas about how the world will ‘end’. Do you think the world will end some day? Have you ever thought what would happen if the sun got so hot that it ‘burst’, or grew colder and colder?

Answer

Yes I believe that this world will end some but when nobody knows. Whether the sun gets hot or it gets colder in both the situations end of this world is sure.

2. For Frost, what do ‘fire’ and ‘ice’ stand for? Here are some ideas:
Greed
Avarice
Cruelty
Lust
Conflict
Fury
Intolerance
Rigidity
Insensitivity
Coldness
Indifference
Hatred

Answer

‘Fire’ stands for greed, avarice, lust, conflict and fury. ‘Ice’ stands for cruelty, intolerance, rigidity, insensitivity, coldness, indifference and hatred.


3. 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: a, b, a, a; b. c, b, c,b.
The contrasting ideas of ‘fire’ and ‘ice’ are presented using this rhyme scheme. He mentions that both fire and ice are probable ends of this world. While he talks about how fire represents desire and can therefore be a cause of the end of the world, he also mentions ice in between to symbolise that the coldness and indifference towards one another will also be enough to end the world. In the second stanza, he says that he knows of enough hate in the world to be sure that even destruction through ice would be sufficient to bring about the end of the world.

Summary of Fire and Ice

Go Back To NCERT Solutions for Class 10th First Flight

Class 10 First Flight Summary for all Chapters
Previous Post Next Post