Complete the following suitably :
According to Robert Frost, fire refers to __.
Complete the following suitably :
According to Robert Frost, fire refers to __.
Official answer
desire (passion/greed/lust) — Frost's own experience of desire's consuming power is why fire stands for it in the poem.
Marking scheme
- 1.1 mark: correct word/phrase — 'desire' (accept 'passion', 'greed', or 'lust' as the underlying emotion fire represents).
Hint
Recall the line 'From what I've tasted of ________ / I hold with those who favour fire' to identify what fire stands for.
Quick oral answer
According to Robert Frost, fire refers to desire — the passionate, consuming emotions capable of destroying the world.
Common mistakes
- 1.Answering literally with 'heat' or 'burning' instead of the symbolic meaning 'desire'.
- 2.Confusing fire's symbolism (desire) with ice's symbolism (hate).
Analysis and explanation
Frost uses fire as a symbol for desire, drawn from his own felt experience of its consuming power.
Concept
- Fire = desire (passion, greed, lust) — an intense, consuming human emotion.
- Ice, by contrast, symbolises hate — cold and equally destructive.
Key points
- Line evidence: 'From what I've tasted of desire / I hold with those who favour fire.'
- The poem's technique is using elemental forces to stand for emotional ones.
Common mistakes
- Answering literally ('flames'/'heat') instead of naming the symbolic emotion, 'desire'.
Interesting facts
Frost balances the poem's two symbols so precisely — desire (fire) versus hate (ice) — that critics often read the poem as a comment on how opposite emotional extremes can lead to the same destructive end.
Question details
Q36 of 72 questions
- Board
- CBSE
- Class
- Class 10
- Subject
- English (Language & Literature)
- Year
- 2026
- Section
- Section C
- Marks
- 1
- Type
- Fill in the Blank
- Chapter
- Fire and Ice (First Flight — Poetry)
- Topic
- Symbolism in Fire and Ice
- Bloom's level
- remember
- Syllabus topic
- First Flight: Fire and Ice by Robert Frost — Symbolic meaning of fire
- Author
- CBSE
- Reviewed by
- Padhantu Academic Team
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Frequently asked questions
What does ice symbolise, by contrast?
Ice symbolises hate — a cold, indifferent, unforgiving emotion — which Frost says would also be sufficient to destroy the world.