After Apple Picking -1914 Lesson Objective/s Outcomes: To develop an understanding of the destination of ‘After Apple Picking’ To be able to discuss Frost’s literal and figurative ideas. Outcomes: To have identified and commented on any potential symbols and metaphor Frost uses. To have commented on the importance of place in the poem To have commented on any potential themes in the poem To have commented on how the poem contrasts with what we have read so far

‘It’s just about apple-picking’ – Robert Frost ‘There are many things I have found myself saying about poetry, the chiefest of these is that it is metaphor, saying one thing and meaning another, saying one thing in terms of another, the pleasure of ulteriority (going beyond what is seen)’ Robert Frost What common metaphors can we derive from the collection of poems we have read so far?

Keep these things in mind when reading the poem. 1 – The poet, like every gardener desired a great harvest. 2 – The poet had almost finished his work of apple-picking. 3 – The poet, this particular season, did not have a good harvest despite his desires. 4 – The poem besides a psychological effect of the activity is also a spiritual experience. 1 – Describe the poet’s pleasant experience of apple picking? 2 – Is the tone one of happiness/regret? 3 – What does the ladder and tree, signify? 4 – What is the significance of the pane of glass? 4 – What do the apples signify? 5 – What does the empty barrel signify in After Apple Picking? 6 – What does the woodchuck signify? 7 – How is the word of reality and dream mixed in this poem? 8 – What kind of sleep does Frost sleep?

Common Interpretations. Which ones do you like? ‘It’s about life’ ‘It’s about human effort and the fact we do not get everything we desire in life’ ‘Unfulfilment’ ‘Acquiring knowledge’ ‘Lost choices’ ‘Death’ ‘We often dream what we desire but never achieve it’ ‘Sin and temptation’ ‘Opportunities’