Exploring the Text

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  1. What do you think “fire” and “ice” represent in this poem?

    Question

    ALMF/kS1zzW73MouRsoXk1h0lKY=
    Exploring the Text: - What do you think “fire” and “ice” represent in this poem?
  2. What is the effect of the repetition “Some say” in the first two lines?

    Question

    ALMF/kS1zzW73MouRsoXk1h0lKY=
    Exploring the Text: - What is the effect of the repetition “Some say” in the first two lines?
  3. Do you think “Fire and Ice” is about the end of the world or about something else altogether? Explain your answer.

    Question

    ALMF/kS1zzW73MouRsoXk1h0lKY=
    Exploring the Text: - Do you think “Fire and Ice” is about the end of the world or about something else altogether? Explain your answer.
  4. Characterize the speaker of “Fire and Ice.” Try reading the poem aloud a few different ways, changing your intonation to put stress on different parts of each line. What effect does that have on your perception of the speaker?

    Question

    ALMF/kS1zzW73MouRsoXk1h0lKY=
    Exploring the Text: - Characterize the speaker of “Fire and Ice.” Try reading the poem aloud a few different ways, changing your intonation to put stress on different parts of each line. What effect does that have on your perception of the speaker?
  5. Frost scholar Tom Hansen refutes the claim of Harlow Shapley, an American astronomer and teacher, that his conversation with Robert Frost about the possible ways the world might end inspired “Fire and Ice.” Hansen instead believes that the poem is “an astute diagnosis of the chronic malfunction of the human heart.” What do you think? Which interpretation resonates more with you?

    Question

    ALMF/kS1zzW73MouRsoXk1h0lKY=
    Exploring the Text: - Frost scholar Tom Hansen refutes the claim of Harlow Shapley, an American astronomer and teacher, that his conversation with Robert Frost about the possible ways the world might end inspired “Fire and Ice.” Hansen instead believes that the poem is “an astute diagnosis of the chronic malfunction of the human heart.” What do you think? Which interpretation resonates more with you?