“After Apple Picking”

People are motivated by a multitude of things, like money, power, success, satisfaction etc. Achieving these things takes a lot of hard work and determination. Robert Frost’s poem “After Apple Picking” deals with intrinsic (or internal) motivation, or doing something for the pleasure instead of money or reward. Through his use of metaphors, Frost projects the message of fulfilling “dreams”, yet still missing out on other enjoyable things and being tired in the end.

            In “After Apple Picking” the apple picker is motivated by satisfaction the apples make him happy. In the poem it states “There were ten thousand fruit to touch, cherish in hand, lift down and not let fall.” To cherish something means to treat it with love and tenderness. The way he treats the apples shows his love and devotion to them. This is the apple picker fulfilling what he thought was his dream and while he was doing this, his life was passing him by. Readers can learn from this not to focus on their dream too much or next thing you know that’s all you’ve ever done. The apple picker spent his life worrying about the harvest and which apples to make cider with, and now that he is done, he looks back over his life.

            In retrospect, the apple picker realizes just how much of his life apple picking had taken up. All he has to show for is apples. He sees how much he missed out on. It’s not even as if he could go and do whatever it was he missed because it is too late. He is old now; tired. He says “For I have had too much of apple-picking: I am overtired” he shows that no matter how much passion one may have for something it will eventually drift away. And that one must not spend too much time on one thing that makes them happy, but everything that makes them happy. Frost’s display of this is actually helpful to many people.

            No one wants to fulfill one of their dreams and end up old and regretful, tired and bitter. Frost wants people to live a full life and not lose sight of what else is important. Live like were dying, there’s more to life than work. I hope this message stays with me in the future, even though I’m sure it will. I desire to be an Obstetrician/Gynecologist, which is a physician who delivers babies and also specializes in treating diseases of the female reproductive organs. I want to provide life-saving surgeries and deliveries pro-bono to women cannot afford it. The way I see it: If they need it, and I can provide it, why be selfish? Some women have to walk miles, in labor, to a “hospital”.  I believe no child should be brought into this world like that. Pregnancy can still be a beautiful thing. Also, we need women to reproduce in order to survive, right? They need to be taken care of, too. I will not neglect other things I love though. When I have the time I will the other things that make me happy!