7

Thinking about the Poem

Question: 1:

(i)    Find, in the first stanza, three things that cannot happen in a treeless forest.

(ii)   What picture do these words create in your mind: "... sun bury its feet in shadow..."? What could the poet mean by the sun's 'feet'?

Answer : 1:

(i)    The three things that cannot happen in a treeless forest are the sitting of a bird on trees, the hiding of insects and the sun burying its feet in the shadow of the forest.

(ii)   The sun radiates heat and the given words create a picture of the hot, glowing sun which is cooling its feet in the cool shade of the forest. The sun's 'feet' refers to its rays that reach the earth.

Question: 2:

(i)    Where are the trees in the poem? What do their roots, their leaves, and their twigs do?

(ii)   What does the poet compare their branches to?

Answer : 2:

(i)    I n the poem, the trees are in the poet's house. Their roots work entire night to break up themselves from the cracks in the veranda floor. The leaves make efforts to move towards th e glass, while the small twigs get firm with effort.

(ii)   The poet compares the 'long-cramped' branches that have been moving under the roof to

newly discharged patients who look half-dazed as they move towards the hospital door after a long period of illness and wants to get out of the hospital as soon as possible. The branches also have cramped under the roof and want to get out into the open to spread themselves in the fresh air.

Question: 3:

(i)    How does the poet describe the moon: (a) at the beginning of the third stanza, and (b) at its end? What causes this change?

(ii)   What happens to the house when the trees move out of it?

(iii)  Why do you thin k the poet does not mention "the departure of the forest from the house" in her letters? (Could it be that we are often silent about important happenings that are so unexpected that th ey embarrass us? Think about this again when you.

Answer : 3:

(i)    In the beginning of the third stanza, the poet says that the whole moon is shining in the open sky

in the fresh night. However, at the end of the stanza, she describes the moon as broken into many pieces such as a shattered mirror. This change is caused by the trees that have made their way from her home to outside. Their branches have risen into the sky, blocking the moon, which is why the moon seems to be broke n into many pieces. These pieces can be seen flashing at the top of the tallest oak tree.

(ii)   When the trees move out of the house, the glass gets broken and the smell of the leaves and lichens still reaches the rooms of the house.

Question: 4:

Now that you have read the poem in detail, we can begin to ask what the poem might mean. Here are two suggestions. Can you think of others?

(i)    Does the poem present a conflict between man and nature? Compare it with A Tiger in the Zoo. Is the poet suggesting that plants and trees, used for 'interior decoration' in cities while forests are cut down, are 'imprisoned', and need to 'break out'?

(ii)   On the other hand, Adrienne Rich has been kn own to use trees as a metaphor for human beings; this is a recurrent image in her poetry. What new meanings emerge from the poem if you take its trees to be symbolic of this particular meaning?

Answer : 4:

(i)    Yes, the poem presents a conflict between man and nature. While nature is m ore free and unbounded, man prefers to live in bounded spaces and also wants to curb nature. He uses plants for interior decoration of houses, cuts trees to make a house for himself, kills animals for food or other purposes and cages them in zoos. In all these ways, man curbs nature and denies plants and animals the freedom in which they should live.

The poem shows that trees and plants are rebelling against man as they strive to work their way out into the open. For instance, in the poem A Tiger in the Zoo, the poet presen ts the fact that animals feel bounded by cages. They can only take a few steps inside the cage, whereas they really want to run and leap into the open. This signifies the fact that plants and animals feel caged by humans and want to break out from the imprisonment at the hands of humans.

(ii)   If trees are symbolic of human beings, then it could be said that humans too want to brea k away from the shackles of the busy and selfish lives they lead. They also want to go out into the nature and be free. They work all day and sometimes all night to try and achieve something though they do not have the time to enjoy it. They keep striving hard in their routines as they feel cramped under the roofs of their homes and offices. Even they want to break free and go out into the peaceful nature.

Question: 5:

You may read the poem 'On Killing a Tree' by Gieve Patel ( Beehive - Textbook in English for Class IX,

NCERT). Compare and contrast it with the poem you have just read.

Answer : 5:

Do yourself under the subject teacher's guidance.