Finding Happiness Within

People find happiness in life through both intrinsic and extrinsic motivations. Intrinsic motivation is when one can motivate themselves. Extrinsic motivation is when other people or objects motivate someone. For example, doing something that makes one happy, like losing weight because they want to is intrinsic motivation. Extrinsic motivation would be losing weight because the doctor says one is at risk of getting diabetes. In the end, they will be happy because they will not have diabetes. Robert Frost introduces intrinsic and extrinsic motivations in his poem “After Apple-Picking.” Frost uses metaphors in his poem to show the message of doing what one desires in life, but having too many regrets.

Frost uses metaphors in his poem to help readers understand how important taking opportunities can be. All of the metaphors in his poem are difficult to figure out because he wants his readers to have to think hard and relate to them. Frost states, “And there’s a barrel that I didn’t fill/ Beside it and there may be two or three/ Apples I didn’t pick upon some bough” (l. 3-5). The speaker is looking back on all of the opportunities he passed up.. The barrel symbolizes all the opportunities that he could have taken but chose not to, and the apples symbolize the missed opportunities that could have changed his life.

Frost also uses metaphors to show readers how regretting something just gets people nowhere. When someone regret something, all they do is think about what they could have done differently. No one wants to live their entire life dwelling on the past and regretting things they can no longer change. Frost says, “For I have had too much/ Of apple-picking: I am overtired/ Of the great harvest I myself desired” (l. 27-29). When he says this, I think he is comparing apple-picking to life. He is tired of the same routine. He no longer wants to do this anymore. He wants to give up on apple-picking, because he feels he has done this for too long. Since he is comparing apple-picking to life, I think he is ready to die. He knows it is his time. He wants to convey the message of living life without regrets, because life is too short to wake up with regrets.

Frost uses metaphors in his poem "After Apple-Picking" to explain to his readers that people should live as if money were no object and do what makes them happy. If money were no object, I would attend the top law school in the United States, Harvard. I would go to be a lawyer and make many changes in the world. I want to be one of the greatest lawyers out there. I would be happy to pursue my dream and do what I love without any regrets.