Fire and Ice

) Carefully read the following poem by American poet Robert Frost.

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.

Using Frost's poem as a starting point, discuss the symbols of fire and ice in Dante's Inferno. Where does he employ each and for what purpose? How does each symbol relate to Dante's overall plan in designing his hell? [NOTE : Make sure that you have read all of Circle 9 before answering this question.]


In Dante's Inferno there are multiple sins, each with a different punishment. The greater the sin, the lower you are in hell. Sometimes Dante's arrangement of hell can be confusing as he puts the fortune tellers and hypocrites below murderers. The reason for this is because Dante believes sins of reason are worse than those of passion. This belief is based on Aristotle's Ethica Nicomanchea/" Have you forgotten how your Ethics reads, those terms it explicates in such detail: the three conditions that the heavens hate,incontinence, malice, and bestiality,"(59). The heavens see these three things as sins but incontincence is the least punishable. The souls in the beginning of hell let passion sway their reason such as the hoarders and the gluttons. The souls at the end of hell like the flatters, the hypocrites, and thieves use there reason to decieve people making them use the gift of reason in the wrong way. The souls who are higher up in hell are punished with fire for fire represents feeling and emotion. The souls in the bottom of hell are punished with ice because they are cold and emotionless and also have cold intellegence. The lifelessness of the souls in circle 9 is part of their punishment/ " their eyes,which had before been only glazed, dripped tears down to their lips, and the cold froze the tears.."( 175). Tears are symbolic of life and feeling. Frozen tears indicates there souls can not have feeling or show people their feelings. They are numbed from the cold like they were numb to the emotions of others in life.
Frost's poem, relates directly to the inferno using fire and ice to symbolize the punishments of Dante's Hell. More interestingly the poem has nine lines, whereas Dante's hell has nine circles. Frost parallels desire and hate saying they are both destructive characteristics. The major theme of the poem is that human emotions are destructive when used in the wrong way as Dante also proves with his hell.
Frost's poem can be interpreted many different ways. Just as a slightly interesting ( and cheesy) side note,at the opening of Stephanie Meyer's eclipse, Bella says Robert Frost's poem."Some say the world will end in fire some say in ice." This represents her struggle with choosing Jacob or Edward.




^ just a visual with the poem to help understand

Symbolism of Trees

3) In Circle 7, the Violent are punished in three separate rounds depending on the nature of their violent tendencies. Choose one round within Circle 7 and explore an archetypal symbol that Dante uses there to explore the sin. You may, for example, look at the river of blood in Round 1 or the trees in Round 2 or the desert and fire in Round 3. Consider the archetype itself and then how Dante utilizes the symbol to enhance his own work.

     Nature scenes including trees and forests have many mythical and symbolic meanings. The meaning of trees is obvious in things like the tree of life or family trees. In round two of circle seven, Dante uses trees in order to explore the sin of suicide. In my opinion, Dante uses trees as an archetypal symbol to show sharp contrast between life and death. Trees symbolize life and nature. They are basicly the essence of life. We need trees in order to breathe in order to live. Their is alot of irony in the symbol considering suicide is the exact opposite of giving life.

      Trees, obviously, are a part of nature. Death is also a part of nature and suicide disrupts the nature of death. By killing yourself your are defying your natural way of death.The sinners are dropped into the wood after their souls leave their bodies as seeds that germinate" There, like a grain of spelt, it germinates, soon springs into a sapling, then a wild tree; at last the Harpies, feasting on its leaves, creae its pain, and for the pain an outlet,"(71). The souls arrive in hell as nature and have to stay as nature forever as a punishment. There leaves and branches serve as food for the Harpies thus contributing to the cycle of life. By disrupting the natural cycle of the life, the souls are forever in debt to nature.

   When we think of trees, we think of life and growth especially with fruit trees. The trees in the forest are exactly the opposite/" But twisted and entangled, no fruit, but thorns of poison bloomed instead,"(68). The trees dont produce sweet and tasty fruits but rather poisonous thorns.  The souls, although they are in the form of trees that grow, can not produce lively things. In life the sinners took their lives and now they can not give life to things.
    Dantes uses trees through out the Inferno. Dante always puts an emphasis on how the trees and tangled and gnarled. To me, this symbolizes Dantes belief that we cant go forward or straight in life without making mistakes. His use of trees in the Inferno enhances his work by providing unique symbolism and a contrasting point of view.


02-Cemeteries of London by ibccatlover

The sinners in all of the circles along with Dante are all trying to figure out the true meaning of god I feel. In this song the lyrics "I see god come in my garden but I don't know what he said for my heart it wasn't open," gives me the feeling that the singer is trying to search for god and is trying to find understanding much like the sinners in Hell.