AFTER APPLE – PICKING
– Robert Lee Frost
Comprehension
(A) Answer the following questions in one sentence each:’
1.) Why does the poet say that he is done with apple-picking?
Answer: The poet is feeling sleepy and drowsy due to overwork. He picked many apples and there are still more apples to pick but the poet is tired.
2.) What meaning is conveyed through the expression, “instep arch keeps the ache”?
Answer: The poet picked apple whole day and he was standing on the ladder whole day therefore his foot are aching and it is expressed with line “instep arch keeps the ache”.
3.) What does the poet see in his dreams?
Answer: The poet sees is dream that the magnified apples appear and disappear and stem end and blossom end.
4.) Which phrase in the poem suggests that the poet has had bumper harvest?
Answer: “And I keep hearing from the cellar-bin
The rumbling sound
Of load on load of apples coming in.
For I have had too much
Of apple-picking: I am overtired
Of the great harvest I myself desired.”
Above lines suggests that the poet has had bumper harvest.
5.) What helps the poet in balancing his weight on the ladder-round?
Answer: The instep arch of the feet of poet helps the poet in balancing his weight on the ladder-round.
6.) What is the meaning of “fleck of russet”?
Answer: “Fleck of russet” means slightly changed reddish brown colour of the apple.
(B) Answer in three or four sentences each:
1.) Why can’t the poet rub strangeness from his sight?
Answer: The poet is working whole day. He picked apple whole day by standing on ladder hence, he is tired and feeling drowsy. The poet rested in night though he hasn’t overcome from the drowsiness. The poet is too much exhausted that even he woke up in the next day morning, he is still unable to rub strangeness from his sight.
2.) What is implied by the phrase, “just some human sleep”?
Answer: The poet is expecting just a human sleep which help the poet to overcome through the exhaustion and make him feel fresh after he wakes up but the poet is too tired that his hasn’t overcome from the drowsiness hence, he says that he don’t know what kind of sleep was that. It was long like the woodchuck’s long sleep or it is just some human sleep.
3.) What does the repeated reference to “sleep” in the poem imply?
Answer: The “sleep” has two means in this poem, first is a normal sleep of human which help to overcome from tiredness of the day. This is the type of sleep which refresh next morning. And the second type of sleep is long sleep like a woodchuck. Woodchuck hibernate itself in the winter season till the winter season ends. The poet compare his sleep with woodchuck’s sleep because after even he has taken a sleep for a night, he is not feeling fresh and still feeling tired.
4.) “For I have had too much Of apple-picking: I am overtired Of the great harvest I myself desired.” Explain the above lines.
Answer: The poet worked hard to harvest apple and now he is tired of picking apple. He has done this work so long that he is seeing apples in his dreams too. The poet accept that he wanted great apple production but now the poet is overtired and he is done with apple picking. But there are still few branches from which apples are yet to pick.
5.) “For all That struck the earth, No matter if not bruised or spiked with stubble, Went surely to the cider-apple heap As of no worth.” What worth is the poet referring to?
Answer: The poet is saying that there are some apples which fall automatically on the earth and due to it struck on the earth it is damaged and lost value. Those damaged apples whether those are bruised or spiked with stubble are going to the cider-apple heap.
(C)Answer in four to six sentences each:
1.) Give the central idea of the poem.
Answer: The poem is about the poet who has a big field having apple tree in it. The poet working in the farm and picking apple by standing on the long two-pointed ladder. The barrel is yet to be filled and the poet hasn’t picked apples from two or three bough. The poet is picking apples to process further. The poet is farmer and he is working in the field very dedicatedly. The poet is picking apple from morning to night hence he is tired physically and mentally. The poet is so tired that even in his dreams he is seeing apple and poet is very tired also, even the poet wakes up next day morning he is not feeling fresh due to uncomplete sleep. The poet feels that he needs a long sleep like the woodchuck animal who hibernate itself in winter season. The poet is want just some huma sleep.
2.) Justify the title of the poem, “After Apple-picking.”
Answer: The poet is picking the apple and the poet explains the difficulties that poet face while picking the apple. The poet is using two-pointed ladder to pick apples from the height. The poet is picking apples in winter season and he need some sleep at night. The poet is drowsing off and unable to rub the strangeness from his sight. The poet removes the ice from the apple tree and it melted and fall and break. The poet sees big apples in his dreams appearing and disappearing. The poet also says that it is difficult to stand on the ladder and pick the apple cause it keeps the pressure of a ladder-round and ladder sway when the boughs bend and it cause ache instep. The poet is overtire by working in the field and got great harvest as he desired. Thus the poet explain all his difficulties after picking the apple hence the “After Apple-picking” is good title for the poem.
3.) The poet has achieved a bumper crop at the cost of considerable physical and mental exhaustion. Elaborate.
Answer: The poet admits that he desired great harvest and it happened. The poet harvested huge amounts of apples but he also sacrificed his rest, time. The poet took effort and harvested apples and while doing it the poet is tired working in the field specially while picking the apples. The poet picked apple but yet there are many apples to pick. The poet feeling drowsiness due to uncomplete sleep, he is unable to rub the strangeness from his sight. Even in his dream the poet is seeing apples. Due to standing on ladder the poet feeling pain in his feet. The poet is overtired and yet there are ten thousand thousand apples to touch. The poet just want to get rid of drowsiness by having a good sleep, short sleep or long sleep like woodchuck doesn’t matter, the poet just want to feel fresh again. He want some human sleep.
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