Whats the theme of this poem??

Question

can anyone tell me what the theme of this poem is?

Fire and Ice

Some say the world will end in fire,
Some say in ice.
From what I've tasted of desire
I hold with those who favor fire.
But if it had to perish twice,
I think i know enough of hate
To know that for destruction ice
IS also great
And would suffice.

-Robert Frost

Answer 1

destruction of the world

Answer 2

Hi, well out of the two I probably prefer the first one. Let me walk you through my thoughts (as always use what you like, ignore what you don't): Poem 1 This opening is why I like poem 1 better. A slow dance on his wedding day is more evocative than a hidden secret in the vaults. It's a good image to hold our attention. Okay enough on the aside let's take apart the lines. a slow dance on his wedding day strong arms embrace borrowed time With free verse, you really need to be careful with your line breaks. Think about what you are trying to convey. You start with "a slow dance" but it is an incredibly short line. The line reads fast when what you are going for is the observer later in the poem aching to see another being held in this way. Also in line two: "on his" is not how you want to break a line in general it's a bit choppy and artificial. You could almost rewrite it in fewer lines: a slow dance on his wedding day strong arms embrace borrowed time Now the strong arms embrace break works very well. It's a strong verb. It plays well off of arms and borrowed. The layering seems good. Borrowed time to me though is a bit cliche. You could probably come up with something better. An unrequited brooding love, a passion buried in her frame. She longed that she should be the one who held him close and called his name. This strophe is a little obvious. You're just stating it. Maybe re-express it with some imagery. Find a way to describe the jealosy this person is feeling. emotions hidden undercover learned to stamp on kick and smother kept the ashes can't be found out of sight gone to ground Okay this section has some potential. I like where you are going with it however I would rather you used something as a metaphor for the emotions instead of just calling them out again. Hidden undercover seems a bit redundant as does can't be found and out of sight. I think there's a good idea here that can be brought out more fully. My one comment on the second poem is the reference to coals is a good replacement for emotions. It also gives the stronger idea of the heat of jealosy and the ashes that are the result of pursuing that course. I hope some of that was helpful. Best, Todd

Answer 3

Id say relationships

desire (human emotion) can be like an all consuming fire
and many relationships breakup with an angry heated argument
but then sometimes the relationship gets rekindled and
people get back together again.

but what really kills a relationship is when the feelings turn cold
Hate is really an opposite of desire
and the relationship is over for good.

Answer 4

Destruction... the end of the world

Answer 5

Mortality.

Answer 6

Civilization will likely end because people are so passionate ("fire"), but that it should end because people are simply indifferent ("ice") is almost as likely.

Answer 7

fire, ice, and destruction

Answer 8

a simple desire