The end of the world is arriving – what do you picture? Robert Frost imagined two extremes. Fire and Ice. This poem was written during the World War I era, where much violence, hate, betrayal, destruction and depression was present. German expressionism, surrealism, and the Great Depression grew to fruition and influenced Mr. Frosts' idea and interpretation for the reason of the world’s ultimate ending. The author compares and contrasts two elements of destruction in nature: fire and ice. Fire being the most visual, depicting the strong emotions of passion and desire in humans, and its destruction of the physical. Meanwhile, ice contributes to mental demise, working behind the scenes in the population’s heads to cause hate and inaction toward something or someone. Who’s to say which will cause the end of the world; the flashy destructive force, or the silent but deadly force?