Analysis of “Fire and Ice” Poetry by Robert Frost

“Analysis of “Fire and Ice” Poetry by Robert Frost”

(Historical Approach)

IMAGERY

There is a man talking to himself, he tries to convince his own self about two thing which clash in his mind. Two different things with different starting point, different process, but end in a same hole, the end of the world. He seems like standing in the crossroad and doesn’t know which patch to choose. In a time when he thinking, He almost believes that a thing, named “fire” is better than the other, in this case is “ice”. There is a lot of evidence flashing through in his mind which proves that “fire” is better than “ice”. He ever heard it from some people who talking about “fire”. A lot of people who already proves that fire the greatest thing on earth. Those people said that making friend with fire is good. Making friend with “fire” will make someone’s life “on fire”. Fire is not only making someone’s life “on fire” but also makes someone’s life full of desire. In this case, the man, agree with it. Because he ever tastes what desire is. He ever tastes desire in a form of power. He understands that having such a big power, especially destructive power like “fire”, is very great. And from his experience of tasting desire, for a while, he agree that “fire” is only thing which able to make the world end.

Then doubtness comes in his mind. He realized that “fire” is not the only one thing which is destructive. Ice is also destructive thing which exist on earth. He realized that “Ice” has its own way to destroy the world, calm but deadly. It makes him think twice. Now he is thinking, again. He tries to find out why the “Ice” is also destructive. Then he found the way how “ice” destroys a thing. He realized that “ice” destroys a thing by keeping them inside, “ice” burry a thing and makes them vanish in a silent way. Just like a people who keep angriness beneath his heart. He ever heard some people said that angriness which never been expressed will become “hate”. And if those “hate” become more and more, and still be saved, it will creates a big power, the power of hate. Then he realized it, that situation that seems familiar with him. He ever feels it, keeping his angriness beneath his smile. Then in a moment, that man realized that “ice” is as destructive as “fire”, and also vice versa. Both have different way to make the world end. Fire will make the world end on the unstoppable desire and Ice will make the world end in the deepest most hate.

At the last gasp, that man just let himself in silent. He stops thinking, start admiring. He admires the power of the “fire” and the “ice” has. He is between the devil and the deep blue sea. He can’t choose which one is more destructive, and he can’t predict how the world will end.

THEORY

A.     New Historicism

“A simple definition of the new historicism is that is a method based on the parallel reading of the literary and non-literary texts, usually of the same historical period. That is to say, new historicism refuses (at least ostensibly) to ‘previlege’ the literary text: instead of a literary ‘foreground’ and a historical “background” it envisages and practices a mode of study in which literary an non-literary texts are given equal weight and constantly inform or interrogate each other”

(Barry,p. 9)

Based on the definition above we do historical research by using some data which come from the same historical period to analyze the literary work. We use that data as the background of our research and we relate that data with the work itself. In interpreting the work, we put the literary text within the frame of a non literary text.

B.     Cold War

Cold war happened among 1945-1960. Cold war is competition between the Communist World—primarily the Soviet Union and allies—and the powers of the Western world, primarily the United States and its allies. It is fought by all means - propaganda, economic war, diplomatic haggling and occasional military clashes.

Before we going further, let’s we take a look at the history of the war (World War I, World War II and Cold War). World War I is a war between world greatest powers, the central power versus the allies. The central power including Germany, Austria-Hungary, Italy and the allies including Britain, France and Russia, United states and others.

Figure 1

 

Above is the map of the participants in World War I: Allied Powers in green, Central Powers in orange and neutral countries in grey. World War I is end with the victory in the allied side. Allies’ victory creates global change. A lot of changes aftermath of World War I. One and the worst result of World War I is communism and socialism become stronger and get new level of popularity. These feelings were most pronounced in areas directly or harshly affected by the war. Out of German discontent with the still controversial Treaty of Versailles, Adolf Hitler was able to gain popularity and power. World War II was in part a continuation of the power struggle never fully resolved by the First World War; in fact, it was common for Germans in the 1930s and 1940s to justify acts of international aggression because of perceived injustices imposed by the victors of the First World War.

World War II is the war between the allies ant the axis. The allies including two greatest powers that win the World War I, United States and Soviet Union, versus the axis (Germany and six other country). World War II as a part of continuation of the World War I creates several thing which influence the world. World War II is not only a physical war but also an Ideology war. Ideology war is started when Germany brought its Nazi in this war. Nazi which we know as a symbol of communism changes the world point of view. Even though Germany lost in the World War II but they still win in spreading the Ideology of communism. Soviet Union, one of the victors of the World War, use communism for their Ideology. In the other hand, United States as the other victors of the World War use different ideology named Liberalism. This different leads a new clash between the victors of the World War, Soviet Union with its Communism and United States with its Liberalism. This new war often called as Cold Ward.

The Cold War was the continuing state from roughly 1946 to 1991 of political conflict, military tension, proxy wars, and economic competition between the Communist World—primarily the Soviet Union and its satellite states and allies—and the powers of the Western world, primarily the United States and its allies. Although the chief military forces never engaged in a major battle with each other, they expressed the conflict through military coalitions, strategic conventional force deployments, extensive aid to states deemed vulnerable, proxy wars, espionage, propaganda, conventional and nuclear arms races, appeals to neutral nations, rivalry at sports events, and technological competitions such as the Space Race. The origins of term “Cold War” is created by an English author and journalist named George Orwell. At the end of World War II, English author and journalist George Orwell used the term Cold War in his essay “You and the Atomic Bomb”, published October 19, 1945, in the British newspaper Tribune. Contemplating a world living in the shadow of the threat of nuclear warfare, he warned of a “peace that is no peace”, which he called a permanent “cold war”, Orwell directly referred to that war as the ideological confrontation between the Soviet Union and the Western powers. Cold war is more dangerous than World War I and World War II. “…the Cold War is marked by both the ideological dimension and by the crudest definition of power, the military one. Thus what made the Soviet Union look as a formidable threat to the other Western countries in 1945 was not just its subversive ideology or its military power, but the combination of both plus the contemporary vacuum which opened up in central Europe at the end of World War II – a vacuum which made Soviet power appear as even more impressive that it may have actually been.” (Reinterpreting the End of the Cold War, p.46). This ideology war is spreading around the world. Both of them try to doctrine another country to use their ideology. One of the results, Korea divided into two parts, North Korea and South Korea. This thing happened because north and south Korea has different ideology.

ANALYSIS

Fire and Ice

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 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.

Fire and ice is one of Robert Frost's most popular poems, published in December 1920 in Harper's Magazine and in 1923 in his Pulitzer-prize winning book New Hampshire. The years when the poetry made is the same years when a big event in this world happened, World War. We’ll try to put the “fire and ice” within the frame of a non literary text, in here is data about World war I, world war II and Cold War. We’ll try to correlate what the thing inside this poetry with the thing outside this poetry when its made.

First, we’ll find out what “thing” that represented by the word “some” then we go to interpret the words “fire” and “ice” which can leads to the “end of the world”.

Some say
Fire	Ice
End of the world	End of the world

By using the theory and data about Cold War, I interpret the word “Fire” as the “Liberalism” and the word “Ice” as the “Communism”. The reason is, “Fire” represent something related with desire. In here, by viewing the result of the Cold War, America (with their Liberalism ideology) has a big desire, desire to create world with liberalism. As we know, aftermath of the World War II there are two greatest powers who leads the allies, America and Soviet Union. In the vacuum time after World War II, Soviet power appear as even more impressive that it may have actually been. This thing leads America to do something. They try to tackle-down the Soviet power. Their effort is not by performing an open war like World War I and World War II. They prefer to do “peacefully war”. The thing that America wants to tackle-down is the Soviet ideology which seem will spread all around the world. If this thing is not stopped, the communism will be the world ideology. That is why America feels being threatened by Soviet.

“Peace that is no peace” that what Orwell, an English author and journalist, said. It means there is no “peace” in peace. Both, America and Soviet, are fighting each other ideology. They are not performing war but they do propaganda, economic war, diplomatic haggling and occasional military clashes. And in here, America “seems” win the game. Liberalism is accepted in many countries around the world. Many countries around the world support the idea of the importance of liberty and equal right. Some country uses the principle of Liberalism to build their own Ideology and some country use the Liberalism as their ideology. Liberalism is not only bringing “the world ideology” but also destructing the previous ideology that every country in this world has. Some of these country never realized that the Liberalism, slow but sure, become their ideology. In the other hand, communism seems “lose the game”. But actually, they not “fully lose the game” because the communism is still exist in this world. Communism just loses in amount, but they never lose the power. Communism is not only bringing an ideology but also bring a destructive power within. The existence of North and South Korea is one of the result clashes of ideology. A part of Korea use communism and the other is not. That is why Korea separated into North and South Korea. Both of them are separated by clash of ideology.

Now it is clear that the word “some” in this poetry is referring country (with its people) who support one of two ideology above (liberalism and communism). “Some say the world will end in fire” the word “some” refer countries in this world which use Liberalism as their Ideology. “Some say in ice.” The word “some” refers the country in this world which use communism as their ideology. Communism and Liberalism are two different things. Communism which is loses in amount seems hate the existence of liberalism. Liberalism is viewed as a thread for the existence of Communism, vice versa. That is why “some” people agree that Liberalism is “better” than Communism, vice versa. 

“End of the world” in this poetry doesn’t mean like Armageddon. “End of the world” here refer the existence of two ideology above (liberalism and communism). “Some say the world will end in fire” means that all the country (and its people) in this world use liberalism as their ideology. In the other hand “Some say (the world will end) in ice.” means that all the country (and its people) in this world use communism as their ideology. Which one will be the end of the world? We’ll never know. It is just the matter of time. The way people thought is one of big factor in this process.

Bibliography

Barry, Peter (2002) An Introduction to literary and cultural theory, Manchester University Press

Figure 1 http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/4/4f/WWI-re.png

Pons, Silvio and Romero, Federico (2005) Reinterpreting the End of the Cold War; Issues, interpretations, periodizations, Frank Cass

Robert Frost, "Fire and Ice", in the selection "A Group of Poems" by Robert Frost, Harper's Magazine , December 1920, p. 67.