A Strategy for Understanding an Author’s Message (THEME) in a Poem

Fire and Ice by Robert Frost Some say the world will end in fire, Some say in ice. From what I’ve tasted of desire I side with those who favor fire. But if I had to perish twice, 5 I think I know enough of hate To say that for destruction ice Is also great And would suffice.

TPCASTT strategy  T – Title  P – Paraphrase  C – Connotations (what are the emotional connections of the images, figurative language, word choices, allusions, symbols?)  A – Attitude  S – Shift  T – Title (again)  T - THEME

Title Fire and Ice Commentary: These words are opposites. Why are they in a title together?  HINT:  Be sure to know all meanings of words in titles  Consider how the words in a title relate you each other, other literary works, you, the world…

Paraphrase Some say the world will end in fire, Some say in ice. From what I’ve tasted of desire I side with those who favor fire. Paraphrase: The world will end from fire, possibly a result of desire. HINT: Be sure to look up any words you don’t know. Put into your own words lines or entire stanzas from the poem. Don’t be fooled by a short poem. Sometimes those short poems are full of ideas.

Paraphrase cont’d But if I had to perish twice, 5 I think I know enough of hate To say that for destruction ice Is also great And would suffice.  Paraphrase: The world could also end in ice, possibly the result of hatred.

Connotations Fire a symbol for desire Ice a symbol for hate The author connects these words, and the emotional meanings are connected with the world ending. Hate will end the world; desire will end the world. These things are part of our human nature, but they can be destructive. HINT: Consider the emotional meanings of words, phrases, images, allusions, figurative language, symbolism. Make connections among and between words.

Connotations (cont’d)  “suffice” The last line uses this word which seems understated compared to the topic of the world ending. The speaker sounds “matter of fact” about the causes of the ending. HINT: Look for sarcasm, understatement, hyperbole to determine emotional connections to topics.

Connotations (cont’d)  Fire and ice are opposites, yet they both will end the world. This is a paradox (a contradictory yet true statement), and the author shows us that these extremes can both have the same result.

Attitude  The speaker seems to be accepting and matter-of-fact. It seems that all things must end because human beings move between “desire” and “hate” all the time. HINT: Attitude is how the speaker feels about the topic. What exactly is the topic?

Shift  The shift of this poem occurs at the beginning when the author moves from the perspective of “some” to the personal pronoun “I” perspective. There seems to be a personal connection to how things will end. HINT: Look for changes in meter, rhyme scheme, topic, point of view, setting.

Title (again) Fire and Ice What do these destructive forces mean to others? What do they mean to the speaker. Not the end of the world but the end of something else—maybe a relationship? HINT: Think about how the title now has connections to the connotations and attitude in the poem.

Theme  Relationships can be destroyed by wanting something too much or by hating something.  This could be connected to personal relationships or connected globally to relations between countries. HINT: If you are struggling to understand a message, put it together like this: Topic 1. Topic (destruction) Topic phrase 2. Topic phrase (destruction from fire and ice) Theme 3. Theme: Relationships can end from wanting too much or from hating too much.

Conclusion T Title P Paraphrase C Connotations A Attitude S Shift T Title (again T Theme What a great strategy for understanding what a poem means!