The poem is an attempt to describe the nature and intensity of one's feelings and opinions. Often, however, these thoughts are too vague or complex to articulate. How does a poet translate these abstract ideas into something more tangible and achievable? Simple, metaphorical objects and situations can be used to represent more elusive concepts. These can be interpreted in many different ways, however, and poets often use the same symbols to produce different effects. Comparing Robert Frost's "After Apple-picking" and Laurie Lee's "Apples" one can see how the poets casually use similar topics to discuss a larger and more significant issue. Both Frost and Lee use apples in their poems to illustrate the relationship between humans and nature and to highlight 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. Frost and Lee both 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 humans disturb nature and attempt to control it for their own benefit. His poem is about winter and an apple picker, with his "ladder sticking out of a tree." The narrator faces the consequences of his actions and realizes the gravity of his mistake. “I can't erase the strangeness of my vision that I got from looking through a sheet of glass that I grazed from the watering hole.” Frost demonstrates how quickly and harshly the cold seems to come after the apples are unnaturally plucked. This reflects the way the Earth is written... in the center of the paper... h "Apples" reflects the empathy that connects Lee with nature. Both poets reflect their opinions by creating appropriate tones in their poems. Frost and Lee illustrate the intended messages in their poems through the use of reflective tones and styles. They also use the simple apple symbol to represent nature on a larger scale. This allows poets to illustrate the importance of respect for nature and to demonstrate the effects of man's relationship with the environment. By examining Frost's "After Apple-picking" and Lee's "Apples," it is possible to understand how poets often use the same topic to discuss different aspects of an issue. This is a valuable skill for communicating complex or anonymous ideas. It allows the poet to overcome the difficulty of describing the nature and intensity of his abstract feelings.