The apples
The most important symbolic objects in the poem ‘’After Rain’’ are the apples that remain in the tree even after all the leaves had fallen off and the weather became cold, windy and rainy. The apples are described as ‘’golden’’ when the rain stops and the idea transmitted is that the apples were not affected at all by the rain. Because of this, we can assume that the apples are used here as a symbol to make reference to the ideas and beliefs that will always survive, no matter the circumstances.
The rain
The train is the major symbol that appears in the poem ‘’Ambition’’ and the narrator looks at it from his window and marvels at the train’s power. The train is described as being even more powerful than nature and so the narrator thinks that the train deserves to be respected. The train is used in this poem as a symbol and it stands for the power technology has nowadays. As the narrator pointed out, this power exceeds sometimes even the power nature has.
Fallen elm
In the poem ‘’ As The Team's Head-Brass’’, the narrator stops by a fallen elm to have a conversation with a farmer. As the conversation progresses, the narrator finds that the farmer had a friend who died in war and if the friend were to still be alive, the elm would have been removed a long time ago. The elm is used in this context as a symbol for the damage done by the war. Just like the elm can’t be moved, the damage can’t be hid and forgotten.
The nests
The narrator talks about the way in which the autumn wind uncovered the many nests built by the birds over the summer in the poem ‘’Bird’s Nest’’. As the winds blew, the narrator realized that some of the nests were at eye level and could have been easily seen by everyone and yet no one noticed until the wind came. Both the wind and the nests are used in this context as symbols. The wind is used as a symbol for the hardships a person may endure in their life while the nests are the flaws and the hidden aspects of a person’s true self undiscovered by those hardships.
The trees
The trees are the major symbol in the poem ‘’Bob’s Lane’’. Bob is described as a person who loved nature above everything else. He took care of animals and planted trees during the time he lived. When he passed away, the trees continued to live on, stretching further than Bob might have anticipated. In this sense, the trees are used here as a symbol for the things a person may leave behind one death takes them.
