What does the speaker of After Apple Picking foretell about his dreams
After Apple-Picking is a notable literary work by Robert Frost. A complete discussion of this literary work is given, which will help you enhance your literary skills and prepare for the exam. Read the Main texts, Key info, Summary, Themes, Characters, Literary devices, Quotations, Notes, to various questions of After Apple-Picking.
Answer
What does the speaker of “After Apple Picking” foretell about his dreams?
“After Apple-Picking” (1914) by Robert Frost (1874-1963) is a lyric poem. The poem delves into the speaker’s musings on life, mortality, and the passage of time. After a day of apple picking, the speaker uses the imagery of apples and the act of picking them as a metaphor for the experiences and choices that shape one’s life. The speaker predicts his dreams, disclosing deeper insights into his feelings and emotions.
Physical Exhaustion and Reflection: Physical tiredness from apple collecting encourages the speaker to reflect on his experiences. He tells how the act of picking apples depleted him. He mentions,
I am overtired,
Of the great harvest I myself desired.
This weariness becomes a gateway to reflection, where he ponders the significance of his actions.
Dreaming of Apples: The speaker narrates dreaming about apples, suggesting that the metaphorical implications of the fruit consume his thoughts. He states,
I feel the ladder sway as the boughs bend
This indicates that he remains connected to picking apples even in his dreams. It shows the depth of his contemplation and the extended nature of his reflections.
Life’s Unfulfilled Goals: The speaker’s dreams are encumbered with unfulfilled aspirations and missed opportunities. He notes,
For I have had too much,
Of apple-picking: I am overtired;
Of the great harvest I myself desired
These sentences express remorse and an understanding that seeking goals and ambitions can lead to weariness and fullfilment.
Finally, “After Apple-Picking” utilizes an apple-picking metaphor to address themes of tiredness, introspection, and the complexities of human needs. The speaker’s contemplation of dreams emphasizes the consideration of his choices and the impact of those decisions. The picture of apples, the physical process of gathering them, and the speaker’s tiredness all come together to provide insights into life’s inevitable cycle and the bittersweet feelings accompanying it. The poem digs into the introspective nature of the speaker’s thoughts as he analyzes his journey and the dreams that remain in his fatigued mind through these aspects.