Fire and Ice
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Love and Loathing in Palm Toast
In the most literal interpretation of Robert Frost's poem "Fire and Ice", the speaker relates his opinion as to how the world will likely end. "I hold with those who favor fire." (Frost 582) It is obvious that some very intelligent people cannot get past the literal meaning at the surface of the poem, for them the apocalyptic imagery obscures the deeper inner message. "For a poet, Robert Frost was a pretty good scientist, say astrophysicists Fred Adams and Greg Laughlin. Frost's fire-or-ice scenario neatly sums up two outcomes from their new study of possible future encounters between our solar system and passing stars." (Hansen 27) Readers that are more discerning will be rewarded with the discovery of the much more moving inner voice of this poem. "Fire is directly equated with desire, the kind that kindles antagonism and conflict. Ice is equated with hate. Fire and ice are born in the dark reaches of inner space, in the smoldering, ice-sheathed human heart." (Hansen 27) This poem dramatizes the conflicts present in the emotions of all of mankind...