Robert Frost was a celebrated American poet known for his realistic depictions of rural life. In his poem "Fire and Ice", Frost considers two possibilities for how the world could end: in fire or in ice. Fire represents human desire and passion, which could lead to warfare and destruction if left unchecked. Ice symbolizes hatred and indifference between humanity - a lack of care that could cause the world to perish slowly. In the end, Frost suggests that both desire and hatred are powerful human emotions that could be great enough to destroy the world.