Question 2 - Fire and Ice - First Flight - Poems (Literature) - English Class 10

Read the given extract and answer the questions-

Extract:

But if it had to perish twice,

 I think I know enough of hate

 To say

 that for destruction 

ice Is also great

(Fire and Ice)

Question(i)  

What is the rhyme scheme of the extract?

Answer:

As written by the student:

The extract has an ABBA rhyme scheme.

Step-by-step explanation:

•  A rhyme scheme is how we describe the way a poem rhymes.
•  To find the rhyme scheme, we look at the last words of each line and give them a letter based on how they sound.
•  For example, if two words sound the same, they get the same letter. If they sound different
•   If they sound different, they get different letters.
•  In this extract, the words "twice", "ice", "great" and "suffice" all have the same sound. They rhyme with each other.
•  So we give them the letter A and write it next to each line that ends with them.
•  The words "hate" and "late" have a different sound. They rhyme with each other, but not with the A words.
•  So we give them the letter B and write it next to each line that ends with them.
•  The rhyme scheme of the extract is ABBA, as shown below:

But if it had to perish twice, A

I think I know enough of hate B

To say that for destruction ice A

Is also great A

Question (ii)

What does the use of the word "perish" suggest?

Answer:

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As written by the student:

The use of the word "perish" suggests that the speaker is talking about the death or destruction of the world.

Step-by-step explanation:

•  To analyze the use of a word, we need to look at its meaning, its context and its effect.
•  The word "perish" means to die or to be destroyed, especially in a violent or sudden way.
•  The context of the word is the speaker's speculation about how the world will end, either in fire or in ice.
•  The effect of the word is to create a sense of doom and finality, as well as to emphasize the speaker's detachment and indifference.
•  The word "perish" suggests that the speaker is not concerned about the fate of the world or its inhabitants, but only about his own personal experience of desire and hate.

Question (iii)

Why does the speaker say "if it had to perish twice"?

Answer:

As written by the student:

The speaker says "if it had to perish twice" because he thinks that the world has already been destroyed once by fire and could be destroyed again by ice.

Step-by-step explanation:

•  To interpret the meaning of a phrase, we need to look at its literal and figurative meanings, as well as its connection to the rest of the poem.
•  The literal meaning of the phrase is that the world would have to die or be destroyed two times.
•  The figurative meaning of the phrase is that the world has experienced two kinds of extreme emotions: fire (desire) and ice (hate).
•  The connection of the phrase to the rest of the poem is that it shows the speaker's opinion that both fire and ice are equally powerful and destructive forces that can end the world.
•  The speaker says "if it had to perish twice" because he has tasted both desire and hate and knows how they can consume and ruin everything. He implies that the world has already suffered from fire (desire) and could suffer again from ice (hate).

Question (iv)

What is the meaning of "suffice" in this context? 

Answer:

As written by the student:

The meaning of "suffice" in this context is to be enough or adequate.

Step-by-step explanation:

•  To find the meaning of a word in a context, we need to look at its definition, its synonyms and its usage in the sentence.
•  The definition of "suffice" is to meet the needs or requirements of a situation or person.
•  Some synonyms of "suffice" are to satisfy, to fulfill, to do or to serve.
•  The usage of "suffice" in the sentence is to show that either fire or ice can achieve the same result of destroying the world . The speaker does not care which one does it, as long as it happens. He says that either fire or ice would suffice for destruction.

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