Poetry is an attempt to describe the nature and intensity of a person's feelings and opinions. However, these thoughts are often too vague or complex to articulate. How can a poet translate these abstract ideas into something more tangible and actionable? Simple, metaphorical objects and situations can be used to represent more elusive concepts. However, these can be interpreted in different ways and poets often use the same symbols to produce different effects. By comparing Robert Frost's "After Apple-picking" and Laurie Lee's "Apples," we can see how poets serendipitously use similar topics to discuss a larger, more meaningful issue. Both Frost and Lee use apples in their poems to illustrate the relationship between man and nature and to emphasize the importance of allowing natural processes to occur without interference. In addition to the use of simplified symbols, the tone of each poem and the styles in which they are written also reflect the poets' views on the subject. Both Frost and Lee discuss humanity's interaction with the environment, using the apple to represent nature as a whole. Each poet achieves this differently. Frost focuses on the negative effects that occur when man disrupts nature and attempts to control it for his own benefit. His poem is about winter and an apple picker with his “ladder drilled into a tree.” The narrator faces the consequences of his actions and realizes the seriousness of his mistake. “I cannot erase the strangeness of my sight that I felt looking through a glass pane that I skimmed from the trough.” The frost demonstrates how quickly and harshly the cold seems to come on after the apples have been unnaturally plucked. This reflects how the Earth...... middle of paper ...... h "Apples" is written reflects the empathy that connects Lee to nature. Both poets reflect their views by creating appropriate tones in their poems. Frost and Lee illustrate the intended messages in their poems using thoughtful tones and styles. They also use the simple symbol of the apple to represent nature on a larger scale. This allows poets to illustrate the importance of maintaining respect for nature and demonstrate the effects of man's relationship with the environment. By examining Frost's "After Apple-picking" and Lee's "Apples," one can understand how poets often use the same topic to discuss different aspects of an issue. This is a valuable skill for communicating complex or indescribable ideas. It allows the poet to overcome the difficulty of describing the nature and intensity of his own abstract feelings..