When Hatred comes full circle: A comparison of “Fire and Ice” and “A Poison Tree”

Desire means an intense longing or want, while hate means an intense dislike or distaste. However, when the reader examines Robert Frost's “Fire and Ice” and William Blake's “A Poison Tree”, they may possibly notice the fact that desire and hate are intertwined. “Fire and Ice” discusses the idea of the end of the world, while “A Poison Tree” looks at the end of a relationship. In “Fire and Ice” and “A Poison Tree”, Frost and Blake make use of contrast, metaphors, and Biblical illusions to illuminate the bond between desire and hate.
In “Fire and Ice”, Frost juxtaposes the destructive powers of fire and ice. Frost states that “from what [he's] tasted of desire[,] [he] holds with those who favor fire”(lines 3-4), implying that fire and desire are linked. Also, Frost states that “[he] think [he] know[s] enough about hate to know that for destruction[,] ice is also great and would suffice” (lines 6-9), suggesting that ice and hate are connected just like desire and fire. Frost suggests that both types of destruction are related when he mentions “if the world had to perish twice” and “ice is also great and would suffice” (5, 7-9). Is seems that Frost is hinting at the idea that ice would be just as powerful as fire if the world has to be destroyed twice. This equality between fire and ice show that both elements have different qualities, but are equally destructive. In “A Poison Tree”, Blake contrasts the foe's desire and the speaker's hate through the poison tree. The speaker mentions that “[the tree] [bore] an apple bright [which] the foe beheld it shine” (lines 10-11), suggesting the speaker's foe may have had a desire to understand the speaker's hate. The speaker's hate is fully revealed when he or she mentions “[being] glad [to...

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...show that desire and hate can run amok in the worst of times. In “Fire and Ice”, the desire and hate is shown to bring the downfall of humanity. In “A Poison Tree”, the desire and hate slowly worm into every crevice of the speaker's mind until it ends up warping his or her mind and soul. Frost's final statement, that “ice is also great[,] and would suffice” (7-9), shows that desire and hate will be humanity's undoing. In both poems, the hate and desire come naturally and it is almost impossible to stop. However, as Blake mentions, “I told my wrath, my wrath did end” (2), the easiest solution is to acknowledge it and deal with it. Or else you will end up like the speaker at the end of Blake's poem, “glad to see [your] foe[s] outstretched beneath the tree” (15-16), viewing everything from a distorted perspective and only feeling relief when your foes are eliminated.