"After Apple Picking"

what do you think the poem is about "After Apple Picking"?

In what ways can people connect with the poem?

how did Robert Frost life influenced the writing of this poem? Cite 2 specific examples, and explain how they relate to the poem. 

 

what do you think the poem is about "After Apple-Picking"?

Answer:

Robert Frost's 'After Apply Picking' was a poem with iambic pentameter and a formal rhyme scheme. A poem portraying Rural New England. It was about an ordinary day of a persona who was halfway to sleep and imagined that he went back to the orchard. It made him confused and disoriented. The poem depicted a long day of labor as the speaker almost fell asleep because of exhaustion. He felt drowsy and dreamy. He felt exhausted that he thought sleep could come but he wondered if his tiresome was because of his apple picking or it was something deeper. The poem was surreal and slightly unworldly in tone as time was blurry. The persona contemplated that maybe the fatigue that he/she felt is something deeper.

In what ways can people connect with the poem?

Answer:

The poem signified the life and death of a person and the association of death with sleep. It was perceived that the symbol of 'apples' in many cultures is life. When the persona said, "I am done with apple-picking now." It seemed that he was done with his life and decided to 'stop picking apples' as he fell himself 'drowsing off'. People can easily relate to the persona, as we too pick our apples. People followed the same cycle of waking up, working, and sleeping then repeats the same routine until we eventually die. As the audience, it is easy to relate to the persona's feeling of exhaustion to the extent that he might be dreamy. Same with us, most of our time, we spend it on our work. The picking of apples signified the various toils a man should be due during his life. At the end of the day, the persona said, "I am done with apple-picking now." The line suggested that he/ she was trying to question and value the efforts that he/she exerted. The same thing with us, when we are in our dying days, we tend to be nostalgic. Looking back on the things that we did and trying to quantify if our past actions were worth it, did we able to create change, and/ or did we lived a good life. On the other hand, 'no worth' suggested that after all the hard work of a person, maybe he did not bale to live a legacy. His hard labor would integrate, and he too would be forgotten. These are the sentiments people might ponder on, these are also the reasons why the poem was relatable to the audience as we all have the same cycle of life and death.

How did Robert Frost's life influence the writing of this poem? Cite 2 specific examples and explain how they relate to the poem.

Answer:

Robert Frost was an American poet. His works usually revolved around the depictions of rural life to examine the complex social and philosophical themes. One example was the presentation of life and death which were presented in his poem, 'After Apple-Picking'. Robert Frost depicted the pastoral scene but focused on the dramatic struggle that occurs within the natural world which was evident in 'After Apple-Picking'. Another was the fascination of Frost in everyday life activities which at first might be perceived as ordinary but have hidden meaning that needed to be explored by a poetic mind. An example was the simple activity of after apple-picking which was seemed normal and typical for a person to feel exhausted and sleepy. But Frost associated the word 'sleep' with death and the after apple -picking as the later days of a dying person.