Passage
Video
Review the Passage. How does the natural
setting of the poem contribute to the poem's
theme?
Robert Frost (1874-1963) was an American poet whose
work earned him four Pulitzer Prizes. Most of his poetry
depicts rural life in New England.
“After Apple Picking"
by Robert Frost
The outdoor setting develops the theme that nature
is a gift to be cherished and appreciated.
The orchard setting develops the theme that
abundance is available if one only looks for it.
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The winter setting develops the theme of finality and
the realization that an end draws near.
My long two-pointed ladder's sticking through a tree
Toward heaven still,
And there's a barrel that I didn't fill
Beside it, and there may be two or three
Apples I didn't pick upon some bough.
But I am done with apple-picking now.
Essence of winter sleep is on the night,
The scent of apples: I am drowsing off.
I cannot rub the strangeness from my sight
I got from looking through a pane of glass
I skimmed this morning from the drinking trough
And held against the world of hoary grass.
It melted, and I let it fall and break
But I was well
The rustic setting develops the theme that being
alone can be a powerful and healing force.