17 Comments
Sadiya Momaya
2/13/2014 03:13:53 am
An apple gathering appears to be an allegorical fable similar to Goblin Market. There are many various hidden meaning behind the simple sad story of a girl being disappointed just because she could not get any apples. First of all the story reflects the typical Victorian society who does not allow women a little freedom. The significance of apples comes from the Garden of Eden, were the forbidden fruit was consumed; however, the narrator in this poem plucks the pink blossoms instead, which can suggest the act of impatience (sex before marriage) or earthly pleasures which is linked with the idea of temptation. However, we can suggest that the narrator here chooses to capture the beauty of life or emotional happiness rather than sexual pleasures or an attempt to commit sin however; she is still considered to be seen as a ‘fallen woman’. The color pink is associated with flay fullness, innocence and feminist which shows that Rossetti here emphasised with the narrator’s melancholic feelings and harsh treatment by society. In the third paragraph, the narrator suggests ‘Lilian and Lilias smiled in trudging by’. The two names are related to purity as they come from the flower lilies. The idea of them ‘trudging by’ can show how her pureness has been lost due to her acts and the fact that ‘their mother’s home was near’ reveals the fact that they must be on their journey to become mothers and this is why they are considered to be pure in a society’s perception. The next paragraph again taunts the narrator for her acts because it says ‘Plump Gertude passed me with her basket full’, whereas out narrotr is left with none, at this point we might understand that apple at this stage symbolises knowledge, fertility and joyness which can only be consumed by married woman. The reason for her ‘ basket full’ was because she had a ‘stronger hand’ which could suggests the physical support of her husband which is why she was treated better. Rossetti now reflects how society viewed married woman in contrast with fallen woman. No matter how strong they were on their own, they always require a ‘stronger hand’ which is the husband for them to be seen equally. The 4th paragraph mentions the lover of the narrator Wille. Willie is a Scottish name which means determined protector. However, his name contrasts with his actions because we learn that the narrator’s ex-lover has left her because he valued his reputation more than the love of his beloved. Interestingly, Rossetti did have an affair with a Scottish poet called William Bell Scott and according to many critics; it is known that Rossetti referred William in many of her poems. So the emotional side of an apple Gathering could reflect the actual experience of Rossetti in real life. In this paragraph the apples are associated with earthly desire; the narrator seems to question her love if he valued the earthly desire more than her love. Rossetti also includes the word ‘stooped’ which shows how the lover must have picked up the narrator like a fallen apple and when he made use of her, he abandoned her. Rossetti here reflects the downfall of morality and collapse of relationship between a man and a woman. Her idea must have been that even though, the mistake was coming from the male’s side, it is the woman that suffers the consequences and she is left to be ‘loitered’. The ending of the poem makes us sympathise with the narrator because she is left to be all alone without any hopes to return back to normal. This poem proposes the inner emotional struggle of ‘fallen woman’ in society.
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Amrita Ahluwalia
2/15/2014 06:27:08 pm
An excellent, detailed reply. Well done! What do you think Rossetti's view on fallen women really is considering she believes in redemption, but then has a poem such as 'An Apple Gathering'?
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Majbeen
4/18/2015 02:24:02 am
Well developed response with plenty of AO2 consideration. To improve: "paragraphs " are known as stanza's in poetry.
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Anisha
2/13/2014 04:37:19 am
The poem focuses on an extended metaphor using apple gathering for lost love. The first line of the poem ‘I plucked pink blossoms from mine apple tree’ we know it is a first person narrative which allows us to attach more with the reader. Rossetti’s choice of using fruit image ‘apple tree’ suggests the sensation of love is enticing yet easily to consume.
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Amrita Ahluwalia
2/15/2014 06:29:38 pm
Some good points raised, but more detail is required. Do you mean the first person narrative allows us to relate to the narrator? Where is it demonstrated that the narrator looks older and how is it apparent that she is feeling regretful? You must support all comments by referring back to the poem.
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Jaspreet
2/13/2014 05:11:17 am
The poem embodies a first person narrative to express the misfortune of the narrator, whose relationship with her lover crumbles on his disregard of her love due to his high regard of earthly pleasures over her, which undoubtedly leads to the downfall of the narrator in society’s eyes. Through the continuity of ‘I’, Rossetti signifies how society has isolated her and thus discarded her presence as if she has become invisible, therefore of inhuman status. The reason for her fall is made apparent through line 1 in the verb ‘plucked’ showing the narrator’s eagerness of the need to please her lover ‘Willie’ seen to be by having sex out of wedlock. The narrator expresses how her ex-lover used her and then abandons her in order to seek other earthly pleasures excluding her from his life. Rossetti emphasis the struggles of ‘fallen women’ through first person narrative in an attempt to unravel, how society has misjudged the woman by solely accusing her by depicting her as being responsible for her own fall into discontent, enhancing the impracticality for women in Victorian society to achieve redemption through Victorian eyes. Moreover, the effectiveness of first person narrative is that it establishes the narrator’s channel of emotions due to the betrayal from her lover. Furthermore the poem condemns society for their discriminatory actions against the woman, which succeeds in creating sympathy for the woman as we connected with the narrator in the circumstances that we feel sorrow for her mistreatment.
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Amrita Ahluwalia
2/15/2014 06:31:47 pm
I like your analysis of the first person narrative, but could you explain further how the poem 'condemns society for their discriminatory actions against the woman'?
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sana
2/13/2014 06:06:14 am
To start with the narrator begins by ‘plucking pink blossoms’ to fashion in her hair. Immediately the connotations of the colour pink are those attributed to love, as a result the narrator seeks love similar to the symbolic apples which have disappeared ‘in due season when she went to see’. On analysis this could implicate that her ‘love’ too has disappeared making her ‘empty handed’ .Additionally ‘With dangling basket all along the grass ,As I had come I went the selfsame track’ the narrator feels the empty basket almost taunting and highlighting her inadequacy that has led to her empty basket ,alternatively mirroring her situation of finding eternal love. Ironically she feels the weight of the empty basket wound her more than if she really was carrying apples. Lilian and Lilias smiled in trudging by, Their heaped-up basket teased me like a jeer’. The apples significantly advertise the weight of their love, their smiles infer their happiness all which ‘teased’ the narrator possibly mocking or ridiculing her empty basket and widowed status. The poem narrates the story of a widow who cherishes her husband memories, attempting to relive their time spent together at an apple gathering in which they first met ‘laughing and listening in this very lane’. Albeit Rossetti clearly presents the apples as an advertisement of love, the nature of the apple should also be clearly taken into consideration. After all it was the apple from the tree of knowledge that Adam and eve had taken their bite, and the crab apples in Goblin market that were ‘sweet to tongue and sound to eye’ that had tricked Laura. Perhaps Rossetti conveys the deception of ‘apples’ or love that is misleading us to seek momentarily satisfaction only for it to be a facade, covering the masked betrayal that is yet to come ,a theme commonly known to run through Rossetti poems
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Amrita Ahluwalia
2/15/2014 06:35:20 pm
You state that the poem 'conveys the deception of...love that is misleading us to seek...satisfaction only for it to be a facade conveying the masked betrayal yet to come', but what is that betrayal? If you're arguing that Willie has passed away, but then can it be argued that the narrator has been betrayed, or could it be Willie did not pass away and that in fact an act of betrayal has taken place? Consider the argument further.
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Nasra Ali
2/13/2014 06:34:20 am
In 'An Apple Gathering' it is from the point of view of a girl who plucks "apples" before they have bloomed and watches her neighbours pass her by with heaps of ripe apples. This is an allegorical poem and reflects the reality of a girl who becomes unchaste and loses the chance to marry.
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Amrita Ahluwalia
2/15/2014 06:41:09 pm
I like your analysis regarding day/night - good link to context.
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Majbeen
4/18/2015 02:33:59 am
Love this response. However, since the question is asking you about An Apple Gathering, you should not mention/explain other poems of Rossetti.
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Sade
2/13/2014 08:45:08 am
The poem uses a first person narrative to depict the tale of a woman who had prematurely "plucked pink blossoms" from her apple tree, representative how the narrator prematurely engaged in earthly desires.
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Hannah
2/13/2014 11:37:51 am
In the Apple Gathering, the poem reflects a view of women who take haste in the idea of marriage or even simpler, commitment. As the poem describes a woman eager to 'pluck' fruits before their time,this then would show the extent at which women at her age were blinded by the need for commitment, & lead astray by earthly desires. Rossetti uses the idea of the fruits she plucked to be early or before their time so to speak, to show how unready women are going into such relationships which require patience,virtue and maturity. Rossetti uses the impatience to present how women spend too much time distracted, this is also made obvious through the use of colour. As she plucked 'pink blossoms' this would connote to a softer love, a young simple love which lacks passion and understanding. It has much more left to learn in maturity, this then adding to the theme of impatience which runs through the poem.
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Amrita Ahluwalia
2/15/2014 06:44:02 pm
An interesting perspective, does this then mean that you feel that to an extent Rossetti is suggesting that the innocence of women, perhaps even their ignorance, is to blame for them becoming fallen in the eyes of society?
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Iman H
2/13/2014 04:42:38 pm
The regularity of four lines in each stanza could symbolise that she will never be able to escape from her suffering and she is struck,as she is being portrayed as a fallen women within this poem.Rosetti is trying to tell the poem through a use of scenes,the harvesting season shows women picking their own apples,this could be a metaphor where the apples actually represent men.
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Amrita Ahluwalia
2/15/2014 06:37:00 pm
How can you develop your analysis? What is the poet's agenda? You are commencing the foundation of what could be a strong argument, but more detail is most definitely required.
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