Summary
on Killing A Tree
On Killing a Tree Summary raises
awareness among the readers regarding trees. Here the poet sensitizes the
reader regarding trees by emphasizing the fact that trees are living things.
Furthermore, the author makes a comparison between trees and humans. He does so
by equating the trees with humans. By doing this, the author tries to convey
the message that one should not cut trees because they are just like humans.
Moreover, the author tries to explain that killing the trees is just like
killing humans. Moreover, the author tells that trees do not die by merely
cutting them. This is because the trees have a tendency to regrow from the
point it is cut. Most noteworthy, one must completely uproot the tree in order
to destroy it. This uprooting of the tree would certainly mean death. This is
because the tree would be separated from the Earth which supports it.
On Killing a Tree Summary in English
Here, the author talks about how can
one kill a tree. Some individuals think that a simple cut will be enough.
However, a simple cut will certainly not be enough to destroy a tree.
Furthermore, the tree grows gradually and it is rooted in soil. Moreover, the
author tells us that the plant takes nutrition from the soil in order to grow.
Gradually, it grows into a big tree. Also, there is a firm connection between
the tree and the soil. The tree makes use of water, air, and sunlight to grow
its many leaves and a formidable trunk.
Humans undertake the cutting and
chopping of the tree bark into many pieces. However, even this cutting and
chopping of the trees is not sufficient enough to completely destroy the tree.
The point of cut in the tree gives out sap. This is certainly similar to human
bleeding. Gradually with time, this cut would heal and new branches will
start emerging again. This shows that trees have an amazing ability to recover.
So, to kill the tree would require an even more tougher step.
The poet then explains that in order
to kill the tree beyond any doubt, one must uproot it. One must make sure to
separate the tree from the Earth which provides support to it. Furthermore, the
roots of the tree are such that they bind the tree and the soil together. Due
to this binding, the tree is connected with the pit of the Earth. The author
tells us that the roots are the most hidden part of the tree. Moreover, the
roots are also the most sensitive part of the tree. Therefore, in order to
destroy the tree, the detachment of the roots must take place. The roots are a
part of the tree that are damp. Also, the roots are white in colour.
Uprooting a tree is certainly the
ultimate step in destroying it. Once the uprooting of the tree takes place,
then it’s only a matter a time before the tree dies. No tree on Earth can
survive after uprooting. Gradually the tree after uprooting withers and dries
up. This withering and drying up happens with the action of wind and heat. The
trunk will gradually become brown. Moreover, the trunk will gradually twist and
harden. Most noteworthy, the tree will finally meet its death. So, uprooting the
roots turned out to be the most important step in destroying a tree.
Conclusion of On Killing a
Tree
On Killing a Tree Summary discusses
how to completely kill a tree in quite an ironical sense that touches the heart
of readers.
Poetic Devices
1.
Imagery
Here very strong imagery has been used and it shows the growth of
the tree by taking nutrients from the earth and absorbing sunlight, air and
water from nature.
Example:
·
Slowly consuming the earth
Rising out of it, feeding upon its crust.
Absorbing years of sunlight,
air, water. And out of its leprous hide sprouting leaves.
2.
Personification
The poet portrays the tree as a
human being throughout the poem.
Example:
·
Bleeding bark — the
wounded bark is represented as bleeding.
Alliteration
Alliteration is the repetition
of sounds at close intervals. It is used to lend a lyrical or musical element
to the poem.
Examples:
·
The bleeding bark will
heal.
(Here the poet has repeated ‘
b’ and ‘I’ sounds.)
·
The source, white and wet.
(In this line ‘w’ sound is
repeated.)
Metaphor
The metaphor is a
comparison between two unlike objects, but the word of comparison ‘like’ or
‘as’ is not used. Instead of stating that one thing is like another, the poet
identifies one with the other.
Examples:
·
The bleeding bark
Here the word ‘bleeding’ is a
metaphor. The poet compares the sap oozing out of the bark of a hacked tree
trunk to the blood of a human being or a living creature but does not use the
word of comparison.
·
leprous hide
Here the uneven,
discoloured bark of a tree is compared to the discoloured and gnarled skin of a
person suffering from leprosy. But the poet does not use ‘like’ or ‘as’.
Repetition
Repetition ‘ is using a word,
phrase, or clause a number of times with the purpose of emphasis or to provide
unity to the poem.
Example:
·
The root is to be pulled
out-
Out of the anchoring earth;
It is to be roped, tied,
And pulled out – snapped
out
Or pulled out entirely,
Out from the earth-cave.
Here the poet uses ‘pulled out’
and ‘out’ again and again to emphasize the effort involved in uprooting a tree
and exposing its roots. It shows that the root of the tree is deeply fixed into
the earth.
Enjambment
Enjambment is a figure of
speech in which one line of poetry rolls on to the next line without any pause
marked by a comma or a full stop. In this poem, there is enjambment in every
stanza.
Example:
·
Rising out of it, feeding
Upon its crust, absorbing
Years of sunlight, air, water,
Here there is no
punctuation mark at the end of the first and the second line. The first line
rolls on to the second and the second is carried on to the third.
·
So hack and chop
But
this alone won’t do it.
Here the first line moves on to the second without any comma or full stop
at its end.
·
Miniature boughs
Which
if unchecked will expand again
To
former size.
In these lines, full stop comes
at the end of the third line. The first line rolls on to the second and the
second rolls on to the third line.
Question 1.
Can a “simple jab of the knife” kill a tree? Why not?
Answer:
No, a simple jab of knife does not have the ability to kill the tree. It has to
go through various processes. If its root is not removed from the earth, it
will sprout again.
Question 2.
How has the tree grown to its full size? List the words suggestive of its life
and activity.
Answer:
The tree consumes the earth, and rises out it feeding upon its crust. It
absorbs years of sunlight, air and water.
Question 3.
What is the meaning of “bleeding bark”? What makes it bleed?
Answer:
‘Bleeding bark’ means the twigs which are cut mercilessly. They leave a liquid
substance. If any part of the human body is cut, it starts bleeding. In the
same way the liquid substance comes out from the branch of a tree. The human
beings’ axe makes it bleed.
Question 4.
The poet says “No” in the beginning of the third stanza. What does he mean by
this?
Answer:
‘No’ is used to emphasize the perspective that chopping or hacking will not be
sufficient for killing a tree.
Question 5.
What is the meaning of “anchoring earth” and “earth cave”?
Answer:
It means that the earth protects it like a mother. ‘Earth Cave’ implies a hole
inside it. The tree allows its roots to spread underneath. The earth protects
it and fosters it. It provides all the essential ingredients to the tree.
Question 6.
What does he mean by “the strength of the tree exposed”?
Answer:
The stem/root is the strength of a tree. When the tree is pulled out, its
strength is exposed.
Question 7.
What finally kills the tree?
Answer:
Pulling out the tree from the mother earth and scorching and choking it in the
sun and air kill the tree. It becomes brown, dry and gets hard. Eventually it
dies.
Short answer type
questions
Question 1.
How does a tree become strong?
Answer:
A tree grows and expands gradually. Various forces of nature including the earth
help in its growth. A tree grows on earth, feeds on its crust, absorbs years of
sunlight, air and water. It makes them strong.
Question 2.
How do the sun and the air contribute in the killing of a tree?
Answer:
The sun and the air harden and wither the exposed roots of the tree and kill
it. The sun and the air are the two essential elements that help in the growth
of a tree. Left to themselves, they will never kill a tree. But if the roots
are exposed and kept in the sun and air, the tree will wither away and die.
Question 3.
What is the most important thing to do while killing a tree?
Answer:
The most important thing to do while killing a tree is to ensure that the root
is pulled out of the earth. A tree is not killed all of a sudden. So long the
roots are intact inside the earth, the tree remains alive.
Question 4.
How the tree gets killed in the end?
Answer:
A tree takes a long time to get itself killed after it goes through a process
of browning, hardening, twisting and withering. Then the roots are exposed to
the sun and air. Then they start getting scorched and choked, and the process
of dying begins.
Question 5.
Describe the growth and expansion story of a tree.
Answer:
The story of growth and expansion is gradual and methodical. The seed is sown
into the earth. It sprouts. It grows slowly consuming the earth. It feeds on
its crust. After years of absorbing sunlight, air and water of the atmosphere,
it grows into a tree. Its ‘leprous hide’ sprouts leaves and branches making it
huge in size.
Question 6.
Describe the healing power of a tree that doesn’t allow it to die so soon.
Answer:
It takes much time to kill a tree. Nature gifts every tree with a healing touch
that won’t allow it to die. If we cut the bark with a knife, the bleeding bark
will heal. Then, from close to the ground green twigs will appear. If it is
left unchecked, the tree will expand again to its former size.
Question 7.
Describe various processes that lead to the ultimate death of a rootless tree.
Answer:
The roots are the most sensitive parts hidden in the earth for years. The tree
gets air and water through them. When a tree is uprooted, it follows certain
steps till it finally dies. It goes, through scorching and choking in the sun
and air. Browning, hardening, twisting and withering are the processes that
lead to the ultimate death of a tree.
Long answer type
question
Question 1.
Write the critical appreciation of the poem ‘On Killing a Tree’?
Answer:
The poem itself is modelled as a plant growing from the seed. The first line
states “It takes much time to kill a tree.” Then the process of growth of the
tree is described. It is presumed that the tree has grown from its seed.
The seed develops the
root. The root works its way through the rocks and stones of the soil. The tree
grows slowly by feeding upon the earth’s crust absorbing years of sunlight, air
and water. There is a fight during the development of the tree which is
suggested in the poem. The survival of the tree, in spite of the efforts to
kill it, is shown by the lines. “And from close to the ground”.
Question 2.
Describe the pulling out of the roots and the various processes of withering
and dying of a tree after it.
Answer:
The roots are the most sensitive parts of a tree. They remain hidden inside the
earth for years. First root is to be pulled out of the anchoring earth. It is
roped tied and pulled out entirely. The strength of the tree is totally
exposed. Then starts the process of scorching and choking. The rootless tree is
scorched in the sunlight. It is choked as it doesn’t get necessary oxygen for
its survival from the air. Then the colour fades and hardens. It loses its
proper shape. It twists and withers. Finally, it dies down.
Value based questions
Question 1.
After reading the poem, what similarities can we draw between trees and some
great people of yesteryears?
Ans.
Trees go on live on for years. There are some trees in the Amazon forest which
are said to be more than five hundred years old. We may take some lesson from
them to spread our roots deep inside the earth. There had been some great
people of yesteryears who still live in our memories. They had spread their
roots inside our consciousness and as a result refuse to die. The hidden root
gives all the sustenance to a tree. One needs to snap this source of life to
kill a tree.
Extra
questions and answers
Question 1.
How does a tree become strong?
Answer:
A tree feeds on the earth’s crust, consuming nutrients from the earth. The tree
also absorbs years of sunlight, air and water. This makes it strong.
Question 2.
“So hack and chop/ But this alone won’t do it.” What won’t this do? Why won’t
it do it?
Answer:
Hacking and chopping is not enough to kill a tree. The tree endures the pain
but continues to live on as it heals over time. The bark which has been chopped
will heal itself. Green twigs and small branches will soon emerge from the
bleeding bark and in time the tree will regrow to its original size.
Question 3.
What is the meaning of “bleeding bark”? What makes it bleed?
Answer:
Bleeding bark suggests the wound on the tree that is caused by hacking or
chopping the tree. When the branches of a tree are chopped off, the tree bleeds
as the sap can be seen to flow. It expresses the pain of a tree.
Question 4.
What are miniature boughs? What happens if they are left unchecked?
Answer:
Miniature boughs are new branches which sprout where the tree was hacked or
chopped. If they are left unchecked, they expand and become a huge tree. The
chopped tree grows back to its former size.
Question 5.
How does the tree heal itself?
Answer:
The tree is equipped with a power to heal itself. When a tree is hacked or
chopped, leaves sprout from the wounded bark. From close to the ground curled
green twigs rise. Miniature boughs expand again to their former size. The tree,
in time, grows back to its former size.
Question 6.
How does the poet describe the growth of the tree in the first stanza of the
poem?
Answer:
The poet says that the tree grows slowly getting its nutrients from the earth.
Then it absorbs sunlight, water and air for many years. The bark of the tree
looks ugly because it is rough and has crooked lines on it. It is very ironical
that soft and green leaves come out of the leprous hide. Gradually, it grows
into a big tree.
Question 7.
Why does it take so much time to kill a tree?
Answer:
It is not easy to kill a tree simply by hacking or chopping it. The tree has
deep roots which give birth to tiny twigs and branches which help the tree
attain its old stature. For a tree to be killed, the root has to be uprooted,
and it has to be scorched and choked in sun and air. This process takes much
time and it requires a lot of effort.
Question 8.
How does the tree grow to its full size? List the words suggestive of its life
and activity.
Answer:
The tree grows to its full size by consuming nutrients from the earth, feeding
upon its crust absorbing years of light, air and water. Consuming, rising,
feeding and absorbing are the words suggestive of its life and activity.
Question 9.
The poet uses several images of death and violence in the poem. Can you list
them?
Answer:
The images of death are “hack, chop, scorching, choking, browning, hardening,
twisting and withering”. The words that show violence are “roped, tied, pulled
out and snapped out entirely from the earth’s crust”
Question 10.
Why does the poet use the word ‘kill’ rather than ‘cut’?
Answer:
The poet makes a distinction between cutting a tree and killing it. Cutting a
tree, or hacking and chopping, does not destroy the tree completely, and the
tree regrows by sending out new shoots and miniature boughs. The poet then
gives step-by-step instructions on the total annihilation of a tree. Once the
roots of the tree are pulled out, and are exposed to sun and air, the killing
of the tree is complete. The tree will have no second life.
Question 11.
How does the poet personify the tree?
Answer:
The poet describes the tree as if it was a human being. Like man, the tree has
grown slowly consuming the earth, eating and drinking from it, absorbing and
soaking in innumerable years of air, sunlight and water. The bleeding bark is
compared to the discoloured skin of a man suffering from leprosy. It too feels
pain and pleasure alike the human beings. So he uses the expression ‘killing
the tree’ rather than ‘destroying’ or cutting’ it.
Question 12.
The bark of the tree is described the ‘leprous hide’. Bring out the irony in
the fact that the leprous hide sprouts leaves?
Answer:
The poet describes the broken, discoloured bark of a tree that has been hacked
and which resembles a leper’s skin. Leaves grow from the leprous hide or the
bark of the tree. This is ironic because leprosy usually eats away the body. It
does not promote growth. But, here, the leprous hide has been depicted as a
source of growth.
Question 13.
Explain the meaning of “anchoring earth” and “earth cave”?
Answer:
“Anchoring earth” refers to the earth under which the roots of a tree are held
firmly, thereby providing strength and nourishment to it. “Earth cave” refers
to the hollow space in the earth where the roots were which have now been
pulled out. The poet calls it so, as the roots, which are the most sensitive
part of the tree, stay hidden securely under the earth.
Question 14.
How can the tree be killed?
Answer:
The tree is killed when its roots are uprooted and they get scorched and choked
in sunlight and air. This process leads to the browning, hardening, twisting
and thereby, withering of the roots. This kills the tree
Question 15.
How will the “bleeding bark” heal?
Answer:
In the poem ‘On Killing a Tree’ Give Patel says that if a tree is hacked
repeatedly, this alone will not be able to kill a tree. The bleeding bark will
heal as ‘curled green twigs’ and miniature boughs of the tree will grow from
the bark. These branches and boughs will expand and the tree will regrow to its
full size again.”
Question 16.
How does the poet describe the killing of a tree?
Answer:
A tree cannot be killed by jabbing at it with a knife nor hacking at it with an
axe. To kill a tree, the root of the tree should be pulled out of the earth. It
should, then, be roped, tied and snapped out. So it should be pulled out
entirely from the earth cover. It should be exposed to sunlight. This,
according to the poet, is the complete process of uprooting a tree.
Question 17.
Where does the strength of the tree lie? Why is it referred to as ‘the source’?
Why is the source most sensitive one?
Answer:
The strength of the tree lies in its root. The root is the source of the tree’s
life. It is the most sensitive because it has been hidden for years inside the
earth and once the root is exposed to sun and air, it shrivels and withers and
the tree dies.
Question 18.
How do the roots look like when they are pulled out?
Answer:
The real strength of the tree lies in its roots, which are held underground by
the anchoring earth. When the roots are pulled out, they are white and wet.
Question 19.
Why does the poet describe the killing of a tree in such graphic detail?
Answer:
Give Patel treats the tree as a living organism. He feels that the tree should
not be denied the right to live. He, therefore, describes the killing of a tree
in such graphic detail as to evoke sympathy to trees. According to him, to hurt
a tree is akin to hurting a human being.
Question 20.
Bring out the sarcasm in the poem On Killing a Tree.
Answer:
“On Killing a Tree” is a sarcastic poem about man’s indiscriminate destruction
of trees. The tree is presented as an enemy to man. The poem begins ironically,
describing the crime committed by the tree. For years, it has consumed the
earth’s crust. Like a thief, it has absorbed sunlight, air and water. It has
grown up like a giant. So the tree must be killed. But it is not an easy task.
A simple jab of knife will not do it. From close to the ground it will rise up
again. To kill it, the tree should be tied with a rope and pulled out from the
anchoring earth, exposing its bleeding white root. Once the root withers and
chokes, the tree will die.
Question 21.
Justify the title of the poem ‘On Killing a Tree’.
Answer:
In On Killing a Tree Gieve Patel makes a sarcastic comment on man’s systematic
destruction of the environment. He gives man step-by-step instructions on how
to kill a tree so that it doesn’t grow again. In the first two stanzas the poet
talks about Nature’s through the images of a feeding tree and a healing tree.
In the following two stanzas he talks of the execution of a tree. Thus, the
poem, from its beginning to the end, describes in detail the process and
consequences of killing a tree. So the title is appropriate and drives the
poet’s point home in a superb way.
On Killing a Tree
Extra Questions and Answers Long Answer Type
Question 1.
What is the theme of the poem On Killing a Tree?
Answer:
The main theme of the poem is deforestation. The poet emphasizes that killing
trees is not a simple task. Merely cutting the branches or the stem of a tree
will not serve the purpose. The tree clings on to life with great tenacity, as
it fights all odds and grows back again. He highlights the cruelty with which
humans try and destroy trees by describing in detail the painstaking process
required to destroy or kill a tree, using images of violence, as if it were a
cold -blooded murder.
The roots of the tree
will have to be pulled out and dried in the sun so that the tree ultimately
dies. Thus, the poet seems to be revere Mother Nature and suggest that it will
take a lot of effort and planning to destroy an organism rooted in nature than
a simple “jab of knife.”
Question 2.
How can a tree be killed?
Answer:
In the poem ‘On Killing a Tree’, Gieve Patel says that it is not an easy task
to kill a tree. It can’t be done by a simple jab of knife. A tree grows slowly
by consuming the earth’s nutrients. It absorbs sunlight, air and water for
years. So, it cannot be killed by hacking and chopping. It causes pain but the
tree does not die. Its bleeding bark heals itself. From close to the ground,
its trunk produces twigs and small branches.
It they are left
unchecked, they will expand to the former size. If a tree is to be killed, the
roots of the tree must be pulled out from the earth-cave. After uprooting it is
scorched and choked in sun and air. Then, it goes through a process of
browning, hardening, twisting and withering. Ultimately, the tree is killed.
Question 3.
Justify the title of the poem ‘On Killing a Tree’.
Answer:
The title, ‘On Killing a Tree’ is ironical, and is apt and justified. The tree
has been personified by the poet Gieve Patel. He laments the deforestation that
is taking place. The poet says that the act of killing a tree is a ceremonial
task. The tree grows up consuming nutrients from the soil and absorbing sun,
air and water and becomes stronger.
A simple jab with a
knife, or hacking and chopping cannot kill a tree, because the tree will
regenerate. To kill a tree, the roots have to be pulled out of the anchoring
earth, exposed to the sunlight and air for scorching and choking. The act of
killing a tree becomes complete when the tree becomes completely withered and
dies.
Question 4.
How can a tree be killed in ‘On Killing a Tree’. Or, How does the poet describe
the methods of killing a tree in the poem ‘On Killing a Tree’?
Answer:
In the poem ‘On Killing a Tree’, the poet Give Patel describes how a tree is
tortured by man for its complete annihilation. Killing a tree is a difficult
task because a tree grows slowly by consuming the earth and absorbing sunlight
and air. It cannot be killed by a simple jab of knife, or even by hacking and
chopping. The bleeding bark of the tree will heal itself, sending out shoots and
branches that will help it regrow to its former size.
The tree’s roots are
firmly fixed in the anchoring earth and, in order to kill a tree, it must be
uprooted. It is to be roped, tied and pulled out from the earth-cave. After
uprooting, the root is to be exposed to sunlight, and air for scorching and
choking. Then, it goes through a process of browning, hardening, twisting and
withering. Then only is the tree killed completely.
Question 5.
Give a brief summary of the poem.
Answer:
The poet speaks about the killing of a tree. He says that a lot of work has to
be done in order to kill a tree and it cannot be killed by merely attacking it
with an axe. The tree has fed upon the earth and grown from its crust by
absorbing water from the soil for many years. It has also taken years of
sunlight and oxygen to grow. Hacking and chopping is not enough for killing it
as the bark heals itself. The part of the trunk which is close to the ground
may give rise to new twigs, and the discoloured bark of the tree gives rise to
new leaves.
Soon the tree grows to
its former size. The poet says that to kill a tree one must attack its roots by
pulling it out of the earth where it has been hiding safely all these years.
When the root is pulled out of the earth, it is white and wet as it is very
sensitive. The root, which is the strength of the tree, is then left exposed to
the air and the sun where it starts drying and discolouring. It goes through
stages of browning, hardening, twisting and withering before it finally dies.
