A Favorite Poem

[juanmax]

1. The poem is a pastoral poem because of the many clues and references that we, as readers, get that the setting is rural. Some clue words are ?blossom?, ?stem?, ?apples?, ?barrels?.

2. I believe the tone of the poem is one of peace and tranquility, not nostalgic. The man is clearly happy as a rural farmer. No kinds of resentment, anger or nostalgia are present in the poem.

3. I like the poem very much. It conveys a life philosophy that I am very fond of, actually. I think the poetic voice tries to express the idea that life should be used for achievement and happiness. So, when life gets dull and death comes, we at least have the satisfaction of knowing that our life was a success.

4. ?Sleep? is a metaphor for death. Whenever the poetic voice mentions sleep, he is referring to death and the many harsh feelings and thoughts that accompany it.

[juanmax]

1. The poem is a pastoral poem because of the many clues and references that we, as readers, get that the setting is rural. Some clue words are ?blossom?, ?stem?, ?apples?, ?barrels?.

2. I believe the tone of the poem is one of peace and tranquility, not nostalgic. The man is clearly happy as a rural farmer. No kinds of resentment, anger or nostalgia are present in the poem.

3. I like the poem very much. It conveys a life philosophy that I am very fond of, actually. I think the poetic voice tries to express the idea that life should be used for achievement and happiness. So, when life gets dull and death comes, we at least have the satisfaction of knowing that our life was a success.

4. ?Sleep? is a metaphor for death. Whenever the poetic voice mentions sleep, he is referring to death and the many harsh feelings and thoughts that accompany it.

[hcaceres]

1. I believe that the poem is a pastoral one maily because the author leaves many references to indicate that the setting is rural. Words like ?blossom?, ?stem?, ?apples?, and ?barrels? proves how the author uses this technique.

2. The tone of the poem seems to be tranquil and serene, as the farmer enjoys his life overall. That peace and fulfillment he experiences is transmited to the readers as well.

3. I like the poem because I share some part of the philosophy it embraces. I like the idea of using life to accomplish what you want, but specially accomplish what makes you happy. I believe that one should accomplish and succeed as much as he/she possibly can to fulfill one's role as a human being and reach happiness.

4. The word ?Sleep?, as used by the author, is a metaphor for death. When the word "sleep" is used in the poem, the connotation that accompanies it is a negative, lugubrious one.

[lucas89a]

1. Yes, i think this poem falls into the pastoral category because it's situated in a natural, rural scene.
2. The tone is very "laid-back". One reason for this would have to be the constant mentions to sleep, drowsiness, etc. The other reason is that the poet talks about a very "typical country-side scene" of apple picking.
3n'4. There's a word in spanish, "pach?", which is an adjective to describe a very mellow, laid back person. I felt that the poem depicted the life of this apple fan in a very simple way. He lived fully and died. It's about making your life and picking roads and all. Sleep I think means the end of it; you already did what you had to do and you can go to sleep now.

[cjkb90]

1. It is pastoral because it is set in the countryside.

2. The tone is very natural and relaxed. This is used to support a rural setting, which is usually linked to a more simple life than the urban one. The word choice is a technique that supports the tone.

3,4. Being tired and going to sleep is, quite obviously, not to be interpreted literally. They are both metaphors. Tired means that hes lived his life, but its enough already. He is ready for the eternal sleep, the one you never wake up from, death.
What are your impressions of this poem and its meaning?