Fire and Ice Class 10 English Poem Summary

Fire and Ice Class 10 English Poem Summary is given below. By reading through the prose detailed summary, CBSE Class 10 students will be able to understand the chapter easily. Once the students finished reading the summary they can easily answer any questions related to the chapter. Students can also refer to CBSE Class 10 English Poem summary notes – Fire and Ice for their revision during the exam.

CBSE Class 10 English Poem Fire and Ice Summary

Fire and Ice summary in both english and hindi is available here. This article starts with a discussion about the author and then explains the chapter in short and detailed fashion. Ultimately, the article ends with some difficult words and their meanings.

Fire and Ice – About the Author

Robert Frost was a famous American poet. He was born in San Francisco on March 26, 1874. His father belonged to New England, and his mother was a Scottish immigrant from Edinburgh. By the 1920s, Frost was the most celebrated poet in America. His poetical works ‘A Boy’s Will’ (1913), ‘North of Boston’ (1914), `New Hampshire’ (1923), ‘A Further Range’ (1936) ‘Steeple Bush’ (1947) and ‘In the Clearing’ (1962) increased his fame and honour. The poem ‘Dust of Snow’ was published in ‘New Hampshire’ in 1923. This collection gave him the Pulitzer Prize.

Short Summary of Fire and Ice

‘Fire and Ice’, is an extremely compact little lyric. Not a syllable is wasted. The theme of the poem is the age-old question. The question is whether the world will end in fire or in ice. The poet decides that any of the two options would achieve its purpose sufficiently well. The poet shares the common belief that everything that exists will have its end too. People are divided on this issue. Some think that the natural element of fire will cause the destruction of this world.

Others believe that ice will be the cause of the end. Putting in terms of human emotions, the element of ‘fire’ stands for passions, desires, and love. Unbridled passions and desires can cause the end of the world. The poet has experienced both these emotions. It doesn’t matter how the world will end. Even hate born out of cold and icy reason is sufficient to cause destruction and the end of the world.

Summary of Fire and Ice in English

The poet is very much sure of the destruction of humanity on someday. He is talking about the two different beliefs regarding the end of this world. These are on the basis of the sayings of the people. The poet says that he is in favour of those people who say this world will end in fire. This is because he has seen the effect and result of uncontrolled and unending desires over the life of human beings. He finds that human evil desires are similar to the fire in its nature. So this fire may become a big reason to destroy humankind and this world too.

On the other hand, the second belief in this regard says that ice is also sufficient for destroying this world. Here the poet compares the nature of ice with hatred feelings of humans with the other humans. As ice can make the body numb with its prolonged contact, similarly hatred can also give the numbness to our mind and thoughts. And hence it can make us insensitive and cruel. Such cruelty towards humanity will be more responsible for the destruction of the world compared to the desire.

The speaker brings us all into the middle of the argument between two different categories of the people. One who thinks that the world will come to a fiery end and other people who think the world will freeze resulting to the end. Poet is possibly talking about the literal end of the world. But he is also talking about the power that human beings have to destroy each other.

The poet experiences the romantic desire that he has taught the passion for emotions like love and lust. These will probably have the power to turn the earth into a big fireball. But he has also experienced the other extreme side. This is about colder emotions like hate which have great destructive power. It is a common fact that love gets all the publicity, whereas hate is the silent killer. It may not have the same effect as the fireball ending, but it will do the trick.

Conclusion of Fire and Ice

The poem is revolving around the theme that human emotions are destructive, and has two possible forms.

Summary of Fire and Ice in Hindi

किसी दिन मानवता के विनाश के बारे में कवि को बहुत यकीन है। वह इस दुनिया के अंत के बारे में दो अलग-अलग मान्यताओं के बारे में बात कर रहा है। ये लोगों के कहने के आधार पर हैं। कवि कहता है कि वह उन लोगों के पक्ष में है जो कहते हैं कि यह दुनिया आग में समाप्त हो जाएगी। ऐसा इसलिए है क्योंकि उन्होंने मनुष्य के जीवन पर अनियंत्रित और असमान इच्छाओं का प्रभाव और परिणाम देखा है। वह पाता है कि मनुष्य की बुरी इच्छाएँ उसके स्वभाव में आग के समान हैं। तो यह आग मानव जाति और इस दुनिया को भी नष्ट करने का एक बड़ा कारण बन सकती है।

दूसरी ओर, इस संबंध में दूसरा विश्वास कहता है कि इस दुनिया को नष्ट करने के लिए बर्फ भी पर्याप्त है। यहाँ कवि बर्फ की प्रकृति की तुलना मनुष्यों से अन्य मनुष्यों के साथ घृणा की भावनाओं से करता है। जैसे बर्फ अपने लंबे संपर्क से शरीर को सुन्न कर सकती है, उसी तरह नफरत भी हमारे दिमाग और विचारों को सुन्न कर सकती है। और इसलिए यह हमें असंवेदनशील और क्रूर बना सकता है। इच्छा के मुकाबले दुनिया के विनाश के लिए मानवता के प्रति ऐसी क्रूरता अधिक जिम्मेदार होगी।

स्पीकर हम सभी को दो अलग-अलग श्रेणियों के लोगों के बीच तर्क के बीच में लाता है। जो सोचता है कि दुनिया एक उग्र अंत तक आ जाएगी और अन्य लोग जो सोचते हैं कि दुनिया समाप्त हो जाएगी। कवि संभवतः दुनिया के शाब्दिक अंत के बारे में बात कर रहा है। लेकिन वह उस शक्ति के बारे में भी बात कर रहा है जिसे मनुष्य को एक दूसरे को नष्ट करना है।

कवि रोमांटिक इच्छा का अनुभव करता है कि उसने प्यार और वासना जैसी भावनाओं के लिए जुनून सिखाया है। इनमें संभवत: पृथ्वी को एक बड़े आग के गोले में बदलने की शक्ति होगी। लेकिन उसने दूसरे चरम पक्ष का भी अनुभव किया है। यह नफ़रत जैसी ठंडी भावनाओं के बारे में है जिसमें बहुत विनाशकारी शक्ति है। यह एक सामान्य तथ्य है कि प्यार को सभी प्रचार मिलते हैं, जबकि नफरत मौन हत्यारा है। हो सकता है कि आग का गोला खत्म होने जैसा असर न हो, लेकिन यह टोटका करेगा।

Difficult Words and their Meanings

Some — some people, End in fire — in the end, this world will end in a fireball, In ice — this world will freeze and ice will cause the end of this world,  From what I have tasted — (here) from my experience, Tasted of desire — experienced passions and desires in love, Hold with those — stand with those, support those persons, Who favour fire — those who believe that this world will end