Here’s the summary and theme of the poem “On Killing a Tree,” along with the answers to its “Thinking about the Poem” questions, presented with ease to understand with emojis! 🌳🔪
Summary of the Poem “On Killing a Tree” 📖#
“On Killing a Tree” by Gieve Patel is a poem that delves into the resilience and tenacity of a tree’s life 🌱. It argues that simply cutting or hacking a tree is not enough to truly kill it. The poem describes how a tree grows slowly by consuming the earth, absorbing years of natural elements like sunlight, air, and water, and developing a tough, discoloured bark. Even if a tree is cut down, its “bleeding bark” will heal, and new green twigs and boughs will sprout from near the ground, eventually returning to their former size if left unchecked. The poet explains that to truly kill a tree, one must uproot its source of life – the root, which is hidden deep within the “anchoring earth”. Once the root is pulled out and exposed to the sun and air, it will brown, harden, twist, wither, and only then will the tree finally be killed. The poem thus highlights the immense life force within a tree and the extensive, brutal process required to extinguish it.
Theme of the Poem “On Killing a Tree” 🧐#
The central themes of “On Killing a Tree” are:
- The Unyielding Resilience of Nature 🌍💪: The poem vividly illustrates that nature, symbolised by the tree, possesses an incredible capacity to endure and regenerate, resisting human attempts to destroy it through superficial means.
- The Depth of Life Force 🧬❤️: It highlights that a tree’s life is not merely on the surface but deeply rooted and sustained by its connection to the earth, suggesting that true life runs deeper than what is immediately visible.
- The Brutality of Destruction 💔: By describing the arduous and violent process required to “kill” a tree completely, the poem implicitly condemns such acts, drawing attention to the force needed to overcome nature’s inherent will to live.
Answers to “Thinking about the Poem” Questions ❓#
Here are the answers to the questions from the “Thinking about the Poem” section for “On Killing a Tree”:
I. 1. Can a “simple jab of the knife” kill a tree? Why not? 🔪🚫 No, a “simple jab of the knife” cannot kill a tree. This is because the tree has grown slowly by consuming the earth, rising out of it, feeding upon its crust, and absorbing years of sunlight, air, water. Such a simple action would only cause “pain” to the tree, and its “bleeding bark will heal”.
I. 2. How has the tree grown to its full size? List the words suggestive of its life and activity. 🌱 crecer The tree has grown to its full size slowly. It has achieved this by:
- “consuming the earth”
- “Rising out of it”
- “feeding Upon its crust”
- “absorbing Years of sunlight, air, water”
- “Sprouting leaves” from its “leprous hide”
- Later, “will rise curled green twigs, / Miniature boughs / Which if unchecked will expand again / To former size”.
I. 3. What is the meaning of “bleeding bark”? What makes it bleed? 🩸 “Bleeding bark” refers to the sap or resin that oozes out from the tree when it is cut or hacked. It is made to “bleed” when it experiences pain from being “hacked and chopped”. This is a poetic way of comparing the tree’s reaction to an injury to a human’s bleeding.
I. 4. The poet says “No” in the beginning of the third stanza. What does he mean by this? ❌ When the poet says “No” at the beginning of the third stanza, he means that mere hacking, chopping, or causing pain to the tree is insufficient to kill it. He is asserting that these actions, though damaging, will not lead to the tree’s ultimate death; a more drastic action is required.
I. 5. What is the meaning of “anchoring earth” and “earth cave”? ⚓️🕳️
- “Anchoring earth” refers to the earth that holds the tree firmly in place with the help of its roots, providing stability and nourishment.
- “Earth-cave” metaphorically describes the hollow or cavity within the earth where the tree’s roots are deeply hidden and protected.
I. 6. What does he mean by “the strength of the tree exposed”? 💪👁️ By “the strength of the tree exposed”, the poet means that the root, which is the source of the tree’s life, nourishment, and resilience, is laid bare and made vulnerable. This “white and wet” root, “most sensitive” and “hidden / For years inside the earth,” is where the tree draws its fundamental power, and its exposure signifies the complete disruption of its life-sustaining connection.
I. 7. What finally kills the tree? 💀 What finally kills the tree is the uprooting of its entire root system from the “anchoring earth”. After being pulled out, the exposed root is then subjected to “scorching and choking / In sun and air,” leading to its “Browning, hardening, / Twisting, withering,” which completes the process of killing the tree.