Success

There are several writers who discuss themes of seizing opportunities and achieving success. Some of these works include: “Success is Counted Sweetest,” “After Apple-Picking” and “Mowing.” Each writer has their own style to portray these themes in their works. These themes are timeless and also relevant to today’s world. People are always looking for success in the world and embracing or straying away from opportunities.

In Emily Dickinson’s work, “Success is Counted Sweetest,” the theme of achieving success is evident. She talks about how “those who ne’er succeed” place a higher value on success and “count it sweetest.” People tend to desire things more when they don’t have them. When they finally achieve that success, it is more meaningful to them because they have worked hard to get it, rather than someone else who always succeeds.

The nectar she writes about is a symbol for victory and luxury. In order to “comprehend a nectar” you must require the “sorest need,” meaning that the only way you will understand the worth of a victory is if you want it bad enough. For example, the defeated, dying man understands victory more clearly than the triumphant army does. Although the man is losing his life, he is reimbursed by gaining an understanding of what victory is. In a way, the theme is ironic because the soldier may never find the success in

being a soldier because the success of a soldier is often dying with honor for the good of their country. The soldier has a “forbidden ear” because he has never won and feels even more defeated when he hears the cheers of the victorious army or “purple Host.” Although the “purple Host” won, they are not able to define success because they win all the time. Only those who have worked hard for it can clearly define it.

Robert Frost’s poem, “After Apple-Picking,” talks about the opportunities in life. He uses apples as symbols for new opportunities. The speaker is tired after a long day’s work of picking apples. Although he is done with his work, he hasn’t filled one of the barrels and has also left a few apples on the tree. He also feels that a strange sleep is overpowering him.

The speaker says “there’s a barrel that I didn’t fill” which gives a sense of incompleteness. He also says that “there may be two or three apples I didn’t pick.” Each apple he left behind represents a missed opportunity in life. Later, he wonders how his life would’ve been different if he had seized those opportunities. This also symbolizes a person’s regrets of missed opportunities and bad choices that affected their life.

He also gives clues that winter is coming, which can metaphorically mean death. The “woodchuck” hibernates during the winter, and the apple’s scent is the “essence of winter sleep.” The speaker also says “I am overtired/Of the great harvest I myself desired.” He means that because he has desired a great harvest, he has strained himself. There were too many apples, and