Don't just scroll past this i'm desperate what does the conflict that the speaker experiences in the poem illustrate? fire and ice by 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. cold hatred and fiery passion are equally destructive. love can be cold like ice or warm like fire. desire is a stronger emotion than hatred. hatred is an emotion that will destroy the world. cold-blooded hatred is more destructive than fiery love.