Robert Frost’s Poetry – “Stopping by Woods” &“Fire and Ice”

Presented by- Divya Choudhary Class- M A Semester- 3 Paper no.- 10 paper name – American Literature Batch Year- 2015-17 Enrolment No.- PG15101007 Email id- choudharydivya400@gmail.com Submitted to- Smt. S B Gardi Department of

English Maharaja Krishnakumarsinhji Bhavnagar

University

Stopping by woods

Robert Frost

About AuthorRobert Frost (1874-1963) was born in San Francisco, California. His father William Frost, a journalist and an ardent Democrat, died when Frost was about eleven years old. His Scottish mother, the former Isabelle Moody, resumed her career as a schoolteacher to support her family. The family lived in Lawrence, Massachusetts, with Frost's paternal grandfather, William Prescott Frost, who gave his grandson a good schooling. In 1892 Frost graduated from a high school and attended Dartmouth College for a few months. Over the next ten years he held a number of jobs. Frost worked among others in a textile mill and taught Latin at his mother's school in Methuen, Massachusetts. In 1894 the New York Independent published Frost's poem 'My Butterfly' and he had five poems privately printed. Frost worked as a teacher and continued to write and publish his poems in magazines. In 1895 he married a former schoolmate, Elinor White; they had six children.

What is symbolism Symbolism is the use of symbols to signify ideas and qualities by giving them symbolic meanings that are different from their literal sense.According to Oxford Dictionary“ Symbolism means use of symbols like objects, character, use of color to represents abstract idea or quality. ”

Stopping By Woods on a Snowy Evening  Whose woods these are I think I know.His house is in the village though;He will not see me stopping hereTo watch his woods fill up with snow.My little horse must think it queerto stop without a farmhouse nearbetween the woods and frozen lakethe darkest evening of the year.He gives his harness bells a shaketo ask if there is some mistake.The only other sound's the sweepof easy wind and downy flake.The woods are lovely, dark and deep.But I have promises to keep,And miles to go before I sleep,And miles to go before I sleep (By Robert Frost)

Symbolism in stopping by woods

Here woods are symbolizes as contrast to civilization. Through this poem woods can be categorized as a symbol of death.

The most significant symbol in the poem “stopping by woods on a snowy Evening” would be woods.

The woods may symbolize temptations in life, from a view they seem mysterious beauty.

And some are tempted to stay and enjoy the view, but the traveler chooses to continue his journey through life to reach his destination, which should be our goals in life too.

“And miles to go before I sleep, And miles to go before I sleep.”

Here this line suggests that Death is the ultimate reality of the life but before that one has some duty to fulfill and the words like “miles to go” indicates that there are so many works and responsibility and one has to compete. Death is not the greatest loss in life .The greatest loss of it what dies inside us while we live. Here “sleep” symbolizes the death.

Nature: In this poem, nature is the symbol and the snow is a symbol of coolness, while frozen lake is a symbol of the death and chillness of life.

Horse: In this poem Robert Frost takes Horse as a symbol, which symbolizes as a soul of the poet.

Village: Village is symbolized here as society and civilization

Fire and Ice by Robert Frost

Some say the world will end in fire,Some say in ice.

From what I've tasted of desire

I hold with those who favour fire.

But if it had to perish twice,I think I know enough of hate

To say that for destruction ice

Is also greatAnd would suffice.

Summary

This short poem outlines the familiar question about the fate of the world, wondering if it is more likely to be destroyed by fire or ice. People are on both sides of the debate, and Frost introduces the narrator to provide his personal take on the question of the end of the world. The narrator first concludes that the world must end in fire after considering his personal experience with desire and passion, the emotions of fire. Yet, after considering his experience with “ice,” or hatred, the narrator acknowledges that ice would be equally destructive.

Analysis

In the first two lines of the poem, Frost creates a clear dichotomy between fire and ice and the two groups of people that believe in each element. By using the term “some” instead of “I” or “an individual,” Frost asserts that the distinction between the two elements is a universal truth, not just an idea promoted by an individual. First lines also outline the claim that the world will end as a direct result of one of these elements. It is unclear which element will destroy the world, but it is significant to note that fire and ice are the only options. The poem does not allow for any other possibilities in terms of the world’s fate, just as there are not any other opinions allowed in the black-and-white debate between fire and ice.

To be continue…

Interestingly, the two possibilities for the world’s destruction correspond directly to a common scientific debate during the time Frost wrote the poem. Some scientists believed that the world would be incinerated from its fiery core, while others were convinced that a coming ice age would destroy all living things on the earth’s surface. Instead of maintaining a strictly scientific perspective on this debate, Frost introduces a more emotional side, associating passionate desire with fire and hatred with ice. Within this metaphorical view of the two elements, the “world” can be recognized as a metaphor for a relationship. Too much fire and passion can quickly consume a relationship, while cold indifference and hate can be equally destructive.

To be continue…Although the first two lines of the poem insist that there can only be a single choice between fire and ice, the narrator acknowledges that both elements could successfully destroy the world. Moreover, the fact that he has had personal experience with both (in the form of desire and hate) reveals that fire and ice are not mutually exclusive, as the first two lines of the poem insist. In fact, though the narrator first concludes that the world will end in fire, he ultimately admits that the world could just as easily end in ice; fire and ice, it seems, are strikingly similar.

Symbolism in Fire and Ice

Fire: Warmth, Emotions, DesireIce: Coldness, Dryness, Hatred

Both are extremes and these extremes lead towards destruction.

Fire symbolize for desire, and ice symbolizes here for hate.

Hatred or DesiresThe Poem is not talking about heaven and hell, as I thought the same thing because in the last lines he says the destruction Ice would also be great.Meaning fire was great too, and we all know if he got to die twice, after the first time in hell he would know it was not great. I believe it is talking about relationships ending in hatred or desires, either for other men or women or possessions.

Personal responce

In my opinion, the author is expressing his feelings about the human race. Fire is the symbol of war in any shape or form. Fire is passionate hate, which could very easily end the world as we know it. The other extreme is ice which could, possibly symbolize human nature's "icy" tendency for laziness, detachment and general "who gives a damn" that people are dying all over the place due to a various range of catastrophes.

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