“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
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.
0 komentar:
Posting Komentar