I.IntroductionofAfterApplePickingThispoemisatypicalpastoralpoetry.Itisessentiallyaboutafarmerpickingapplesreflectingonhisdayasheisabouttofallasleep.Thoughheisnotdoneharvest,hedecidesheistootiredtocontinue.Herehelookingthroughapieceoficethatblurredhisvision,andevenaftertheglassmeltedandbroken,theworldstillflurry.Thisgivesareaderanideahowtiredhewas.Thenheproceedstodreamaboutapplesevenheistryingtorest.Inhisdream,heisworkingandhementionsthepainandpressureonhisfeetasthoughheisstillstandingonaladderpickingapples.Finally,herealizedthatthroughhehadadesirableharvest,heissickofapple-picking.Hisworkhastakenoverhislife.Hewishestorestnow.Hehopesherestsaslongasthehibernationofawoodchuck.However,ifwedigdeeperfromcognitivestylisticsaspects,wecanfoundthepoembearsdeepphilosophyandprofoundmeaningbasedonconceptualmetaphors.II.ConceptualMetaphorsinthepoemTheauthorusedconceptualmetaphorstoillustrate“Americandreams”,“life”and“death”.ThatisAPPLEisDREAM,SEASONSisLIEF,andSLEEPisDEATH.APPLEisDREAMappleisthekeyimageinthispoem.AppleiscalledthefruitofknowledgeintheBible.AdamandEvepickandeatthefruitofknowledgeandthustheyaredrivenoutoftheGardenofEden.Fromthisperspective,appleisthetemptationtodepravation.Sameasthefarmerinthispoem,hecouldnotresisttothetemptationtoharvestmoreapples.Hefeltexhaustedafteralongtimeofhardworking.What'smore,theappleisthekindofthingwhichlooksquiteattractivebutisveryfragileandeasilybroken,justassameastheAmericanDream.Thevulnerable`'apple''metaphoricallyimpliesthattheAmericanDream'‘ofthefarmerisjustasoapbubble,beautifulbuteasytoburst.Andtheunfilledbarrelssymbolizehisunfulfilleddreams.ConceptualMappingbetweenAPPLEandDREAMAppleDreamapplepickingRealizingofone’sdreamunfilledbarrelsunfulfilleddreams.ladderstepstowarddreamCherishinhand,liftdown,andnotletfall.DreamisfragileApplesIdidn'tpickuponsomeboughTherootofthetemptationMagnifiedapplesMaterialwealthSeasonislifeTransmigrationofthefourseasonsrepresentedbirth,growth,deathandrebirtharoundtheworld.Itwasaprincipleofnaturewhichcoexistedwithpeople'slife.Inthispoem,theauthorusesfallthewintertorepresentaman’sprimarytimeandcomingofdeath.Autumnisaharvestseasonwithcountlessapplesonthetrees,thesameforaman.However,beforeheispickingalltheapples,winterhascoming,deathiscomingtoo.Thestrangenessrefersthechangeofseasons,winteriscoming.Inthispoem,apaneofglassisapieceofthickice.Hoarygrassrefersthatgrassiswithering.Astheharvestseasonisgone,earlywinteriscoming.Thewoodchuckhereservesastheroleofaprophet,whocomparesthehumansleepwiththehibernationofanimals.Animalshibernatebecauseofthecoldnessofwinter;theyhavetorelyonhibernationtoescapethelongwinter.Thesleepofthefarmerinthepoemisjustlikeananimal'shibernation.SleepisDeathItisaverycommonphenomenontocomparedeathtosleepmetaphorically.HereFrostusesthewordsleepfourtimestoemphasizethatthefarmerinthepoemisoldandexhaustedbythehardworking,thenhefallsasleep.Thiskindofsleepisthedeathofboththebodyandthedream,orinotherwordspeoplestoppursuingtheirownaspiration.Iwewillfindthatthispoemwroteaboutthemeditationupondeathaftergettingnumerousachievementsinthejourneyoflife.Iamdonewithapple-pickingnow/Essenceofwintersleepisonthenight/Thescentofapples:Iamdrowsingoff.Thebehavioroffinishingapple-pickingcanbeseenastheachievementsgainedinlife,however,Iamovertired/OfthegreatharvestImyselfdesired.Herethenarratorisgettingovertiredofwhathehadachievedandisbadlyinwantofagoodrest.``Onecanseewhatwilltrouble/Thissleepofmine.whateversleepitis.Thewoodchuckcouldsaywhetherit'slikehis/Longsleep,asIdescribeitscomingon/Orjustsomehumansleep.Actually,thenarratorwenttosleepbecauseoftheessenceofapplesafterovertiredness,andhedreamedaboutoncehewentto``foreversleep''ordeathhewillrecallthenumerousappleshehadpicked.Themappingfromthesourcedomain`'sleeptotargetdomain`'deatharousesthereaderstoimmerseinthedeepthinkingondeath.ConceptualMappingbetweenSLEEPandDEATHSLEEPDEATHWintersleeponthenightIndarknessBedrowsingoffStopthinkingUponthewaytosleepGotoheavenLongSleepForeversleepIII.Throughtheaboveanalysis,wecanunderstandtheimplicationsofthepoem.Thiswholepoemseemslikeaninnermonologueofthefarmer.Inhismonologuewecanfeelthechangesandcontradictionsinhismind.Thewholepoemcanbedividedintofiveparts.Thefirstlinetothesixlineispartone,givingabriefintroductiontothesituationofapple-picking.Thenfromtheseventhlinetotheseventeenthlineisthesecondpartofthepoem,illustratingtheinnerfeelingsofthefarmeronthismostcriticaltimeofapple-harvest.Inthethirdpartofthepoem(fromtheeighteenthlinetothetwenty-ninthline)hesawhisdesireinhisdream,hesawhimselfstrugglinginthedisillusionmentbitterly.Tiredashewas,hisdesiretosucceedhasnotdisappeared.Thethirtiethlinetothethirty-sixthlineisthefourthpart.Thefarmerwentbacktoworkinreality.Theroadisbumpyinthepursuitofthe`'Dream''andallhisworkwouldhavebeenwastedinspiteofaslightmistake.Justlikeabigredapplefellontothearoundbecomesworthless.Thelastsixlinesisthelastpartofthepoemwherethewordsleep''appearedforfourtimes,whichcanbeinterpretedasthelastresortofthefarmer.FromthispoemitcanbeseenthatFrostisapoetgoodatfindingi