Fire? Or Ice?
Claire Berlinski, Ed. ·
May 7, 2011 at 8:39am
Let's revisit an old debate in light of this week's news:
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 say that for destruction ice
Is also great,
And would suffice.
I hold with those who favor fire, all the way.
Where does the rest of Ricochet stand?
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Comments :
Jul '10
Re: Fire? Or Ice?
All I know is that ancient Mayan carvings say the end will be presaged by the rise of The Bieber and The GaGa.
Aug '10
Re: Fire? Or Ice?
I see you one Frost and raise you an Eliot:
The dove descending breaks the air
With flame of incandescent terror
Of which the tongues declare
The one discharge from sin and error.
The only hope, or else despair
Lies in the choice of pyre of pyre—
To be redeemed from fire by fire.
Who then devised the torment? Love.
Love is the unfamiliar Name
Behind the hands that wove
The intolerable shirt of flame
Which human power cannot remove.
We only live, only suspire
Consumed by either fire or fire.
Anyhow, Claire, you're right, as usual. It's fire.
Sep '10
Re: Fire? Or Ice?
I'll say fire, since I'm a southerner and a fire sign and because I imagine that the environment leading to death by fire would be much more comfortable than the one leading to ice. At my age, I'm all about the meantime!
Jul '10
Re: Fire? Or Ice?
They say freezing is like going to sleep. People who burn to death scream. I have to think about it.
Aug '10
Re: Fire? Or Ice?
Or, you could go with the Heat Death of the Universe, which is neither fire nor ice but a sort of lukewarm soup in between.
Until you take cosmic expansion into account, in which case it becomes the Big Freeze.
Apr '11
Re: Fire? Or Ice?
I'm going with fire. Having just survived another Vermont winter, ice would be just too cruel.
Mar '11
Re: Fire? Or Ice?
Depends on which model of the universe ends up being valid: A closed universe collapses in a " big crunch" , hence fire, an open universe ends up in a cold, disordered state, hence ice.
Mar '11
Re: Fire? Or Ice?
Depends on which model of the universe ends up being valid: A closed universe collapses in a " big crunch" , hence fire, an open universe ends up in a cold, disordered state, hence ice.
Apr '11
Re: Fire? Or Ice?
I use to agree with you and Frost a sudden spark of passion and desire to set the world ablaze; however, now I am a firm believer in Ice. I fear that it is harder to melt hearts of ice than to dowse the flames of passion. Hate has a power and stubbornness to it that allows it to endure long after desire has faded.
Re: Fire? Or Ice?
What is a youth?
Impetuous Fire!
What is a maid?
Ice and desire --
And the world wags on...
See http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CCOafzKxfpA
May '10
Re: Fire? Or Ice?
Robert Frost is my favorite American poet, but I do like that Eliot verse.
Fire obscures one's vision. Ice will be our end because fire has people pointing at mirrors in alarm.
Dec '10
Re: Fire? Or Ice?
I believe the current cosmological model in vogue is the open universe. But, as far as us humans are concerned, the only way we will end is if we do it to ourselves. The poets and Claire agree. Fire it is.
Re: Fire? Or Ice?
I hope they really nail the candidates with this question in the next debate. I want to see--hands up, hands down--exactly where they stand on this.
I'm inclined not to trust the "ice" types. They're like the people who when asked which superpower they'd choose, flying or invisibility, choose the latter.
Aug '10
Re: Fire? Or Ice?
Perhaps or doesn't have to be an exclusive choice (logicians use or as if it's not). Then having the world end in fire or ice includes the possibility that it ends in both.
Frost is a favorite of mine, too. And I love that Eliot passage. (Eliot -- like many of us -- was at his best when he kept thing short.)
I think the fact that Frost wrote poetry approachable to the average reader has lost him snob-appeal (obviously, the only way for a poem to have "deep meaning" is for it to be hard to follow).
"Frost Chooses Fire". Makes a funny newspaper headline.
Apr '11
Re: Fire? Or Ice?
Claire Berlinski, Ed.:
I'm inclined not to trust the "ice" types. They're like the people who when asked which superpower they'd choose, flying or invisibility, choose the latter.
I went for fire, but what's so bad about invisibility? Modern technology has allowed us to gain a lot of the ability that would otherwise be given by the ability to fly, but as far as I know no one's been made invisible yet.
Jan '11
Re: Fire? Or Ice?
The end is either fire or ice,
(Both of which could be quite nice)
But if not one of two should be,
For me, I think and choose ennui
Apr '11
Re: Fire? Or Ice?
Since <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Arrow_of_time">The Arrow of Time</a> always points towards entropy, the end is ice, or <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Heat_death_of_the_universe">the Heat Death of the Universe</a>.
The heat death of the universe.
Jul '10
Re: Fire? Or Ice?
Frey or Freya, by the Lord or by Friday?
She was fertility, he was the weather.
She owned half the souls lost in battle, He could sail where he will, in a ship that fit in his pocket.
It shall be by Fire... on a Friday I think.
Re: Fire? Or Ice?
Dan IV I went for fire, but what's so bad about invisibility? Modern technology has allowed us to gain a lot of the ability that would otherwise be given by the ability to fly, but as far as I know no one's been made invisible yet. · May 7 at 10:44am
ACT ONE. INVISIBLE MAN VS. HAWKMAN.
Basically, I just find the "I'd be invisible" people kind of ... cold. Ice-like.
Jan '11
Re: Fire? Or Ice?
'Twixt fire and ice (the only choice)
And given leave to add my voice
I'd choose the fire, without remorse
(I live in Northern climes, of course)