After+Apple+Picking

Errol

Poetry Robert Frost (1874–1963). Published in his book of poetry “North of Boston” (1914).

North of Boston was Robert Frost’s second book of poetry, but the first one to be published in America. The previous one had been published only in England.

CONTEXT · One of Robert Frost’s recurring themes is the use of nature within his poetry · Remember that Robert Frost often used the idyllic imagery he found back in America’s beautiful northeast. Type of poem: Synopsis of the poem: Theme of the poem: Create a controlling idea for the commentary: How do the literary features the poet uses contribute to the reading, interpretation or meaning of the poem? Form + meaning In analyzing the literary features, consider the following: Lyrical The Apple Picker The main idea behind Robert Frost’s poem “After Apple Picking” is to assign a metaphor to the tediousness of life. There are two basic kinds of structure, formal and thematic. //Formal structure//- The poem is written without a particular rhyming scheme, though there are some instances within the poem in which Robert Frost uses iambic pentameter. //Thematic structure//- According to Sparknotes (thought this was a good point I hadn’t considered before so I put it here): “The poem’s shorter lines of di-, tri-, and tetrameter serve to syncopate and sharpen the steady, potentially droning rhythm of pentameter. They keep the reader on her toes, awake, while the speaker drifts off into oblivion.” · The imagery used in After Apple Picking is primarily included so that the reader can connect with the metaphor easily. Is the poem direct or indirect in making its meanings? If there are no key statements, are there key or central symbols, repetitions, actions, motifs (recurring images), or the like? · The poem is full of echo and repetition of sound creating a dreamlike quality and rhythm to the poem. The poem begins with the onomatopoeic ‘sticking’, it is an accurate and earthy word that provides no romance to the image. The consonance of the double‘ll’ sound is used throughout the poem creating a slow rhythm and tempo. Interestingly much of this poem is about ending and the ‘ll’s peppered throughout the poem come as a peaceful ending. · The poem rhymes though irregularly and some rhymes are echoed quite far down. This again creates a dreamy confusion and a sleeplike quality. The word sleep is repeated three times in the final five lines, bringing a sense of finality to the poem heightened by the echo of ‘heap’. What kinds of words are used? How much and to what ends does the poet rely on connotation, or the associations that words have (as "stallion" connotes a certain kind of horse with certain sorts of uses)? Does the poem use puns, double meanings, ambiguities of meaning? · Biblical Allusion to Jacob’s Ladder – The ladder is a significant part of the poem, and it can be taken as an allusion to Jacob’s Ladder in the Book of Genesis, in which Jacob had a vision where there was a ladder that reached all the way to heaven. We can then compare this to the apple picker’s ladder going up the tree and towards a higher state of being or heaven, especially when considering his weariness (which might be taken as a way of Frost pointing out that the apple picker is elderly)
 * The poem is about the speaker and his job of picking apples, however the speaker reflects that the job is tedious and tiring, and that after a long day of hard work he is very tired.
 * Apple-picking process as a metaphor for life
 * 1. What is the genre, or form, of the poem?**
 * 2. Who is speaking in the poem?**
 * 3. What is the argument, thesis, or subject of the poem?**
 * 4. What is the structure of the poem?**
 * 5. How does the poem make use of setting?**
 * 6. How does the poem use imagery?**
 * 7. Are there key statements or conflicts in the poem that appear to be central to its meaning?**
 * 8. How does the sound of the poetry contribute to its meaning?**
 * 9. Examine the use of language.**
 * 10. Can you see any ways in which the poem refers to, uses or relies on previous writing?**

Explain how the poem is relevant to life, human nature or the world. Then apply this idea to your life or world.
 * After Apple Picking is ultimately relevant to all of our lives, and the end of our lives. And the weariness we will feel after a long and fulfilled life.