CBSE|UP BOARD|ENGLISH SOLUTION|ENGLISH LITERATURE|CLASS 9th
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Today, I will be discussing the poem “On Killing a Tree by Gieve Patel. I ensure you will get a complete idea to write the summary, theme, central idea and explanation of the poem orderly. You will be able to write the specification and figure of speech used in this poem too. After reading this page you will find the secret to score outstanding marks in the board examination. Let’s get started.
Introduction:
In the poem ‘On Killing a Tree’, the poet tells about all the processes of killing a tree. He says that we can not kill out a tree just by hacking and chopping it. To put it to a permanent end, the roots of the tree should be uprooted entirely and left out to wither in the sun. In this poem, the poet is actually drawing our attention to large scale deforestation on the planet. He has used a sarcastic tone and heart touching language to draw the attention of the readers.
About the Poet
Gieve Patel is a Mumbai based Indian poet and playwright. He was born on 18th August 1940 and studied at Grant Medical School. He briefly worked as a medical examiner in rural Gujarat before moving back to Mumbai. His first play called ‘Princes’ was performed in 1971. He is also a painter. He has been part of exhibitions around the world as one of the contemporary Indian artists, ‘On Killing a Tree’ is one of the famous poems of his poetry collection named ‘Poems’ which was published in 1966.
Summary:On Killing a Tree
Stanza 1
It takes much time to kill a tree,
Not a simple jab of the knife
Will do it. It has grown
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.
Meaning
The poem begins with the poet stating that it takes a lot of effort to kill a tree. He seems to be comparing it to the life of human beings. He says a human may not lead to death just stabbing with a knife, the tree cannot be killed by merely attacking it with an ax. It takes a lot of time and effort. The poet says that the tree has grown slowly and in many years.It has grown by feeding on the earth, absorbing water, and getting nourished by the soil. It has also absorbed sunlight and oxygen for many years. “Leprous hide” means the discolored bark of the tree which resembles a leper’s skin and where small leaves start growing.
Analysis
The poet tells about the life of a tree by comparing it to humans. As we pass through various stages in our life from childhood to adulthood and become old, in the same way, the tree also takes years of nourishment to grow. Oxygen and water are the basic needs of humans also to survive. The poet might be pointing to the other needs of humans like friends, love, family, and society. The human mind and soul are nourished by all these things as he grows up.
Stanza 2
So hack and chop
But this alone won’t do it.
Not so much pain will do it.
The bleeding bark will heal
And from close to the ground
Will rise curled green twigs,
Miniature boughs
Which if unchecked will expand again
To former size.
Meaning:
In this stanza, the poet says that the mere act of hacking and chopping is not enough to kill a tree. The tree can bear all the pain but continue to live as it heals over time. He continues that the bark which has been chopped will heal itself and the trunk of the tree near the ground will give rise to new green twigs and small branches. These will eventually grow to their former size again.
Analysis
Here the poet brings out the fact that even humans continue to live despite injuries or amputation of their limbs. They go through a lot of pain and suffering but get healed passage of time and continue to live.
Stanza 3
No,
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,
And the strength of the tree exposed
The source, white and wet,
The most sensitive, hidden
For years inside the earth.
Meaning:
In these lines, the poet tells how a tree can be actually killed. He says that to kill a tree, one has to attack the roots of the tree by pulling it out of the earth. The very source of its existence has to be destroyed. He further says that the root should be tied with a rope and pulled out entirely from its safe place below the earth. The root is the source of strength for the tree, and also the most sensitive part as it is hidden inside the earth for years must be exposed.
Analysis
Here he draws reference to the heart of human beings which is the source of existence and has to keep functioning for one to remain alive. A person may not die of injuries, broken bones or amputation of limbs, but if the heart stops, one will surely die. The poet wants to convey that for killing anyone or anything it is important to kill at the heart or the source of existence.
Stanza 4
Then the matter
Of scorching and choking
In sun and air,
Browning, hardening,
Twisting, withering,
And then it is done.
Meaning:
Here, the poet tells us about the final step to kill a tree. He explains that after the roots have been exposed, it is only a matter of getting burnt in the sun and choking in the air. Here, the burning or scorching refers to the discolouring of the root, and choking refers to drying up. Once exposed, the root goes through browning, hardening, twisting, withering, and then it is finally killed.
Analysis
So you see the poet has drawn a reference to humans once again. He says, just like a tree a human being also may go through a lot of suffering before the heart finally comes to a stop and one dies.
Meanings of words and phrases
jab: a quick, sharp blow
consuming: eat something for nourishment
crust: tough outer part of the earth
leprous: someone suffering from leprosy
hack: cut with rough or heavy blows
miniature: a thing that is much smaller than normal
bough: the main branch of a tree
anchoring: something that provides strength and support
snapped: break suddenly and completely
exposed: make something visible by uncovering it
sensitive: something that is easily hurt or damaged
Figures of Speech
Personification: Personification is a figure of speech where human qualities are given to animals, objects or ideas.
Slowly consuming the earth,
feeding Upon its crust
The bleeding bark will heal
Tautology: Tautology is the repetitive use of phrases or words that have similar meanings. In simple words, it is used to express the same thing, an idea, or saying two or more times.
So hack and chop
It is to be roped, tied
Repetition: Repetition is a simple repeating of a word, in a sentence or a poetical line to add emphasis to certain actions.
And pulled out — snapped out
Or pulled out entirely,
Alliteration: The occurrence of the same consonant letter or sound at the beginning of adjacent or closely connected words is called Alliteration.
The bleeding bark will heal
The source, white and wet,
Metaphor: Metaphor is a figure of speech that indirectly describes an object or action in a way that isn’t literally true, but helps explain an idea or make a comparison.
And out of its leprous hide
Sprouting leaves.
Climax: Climax is a figure of speech in which successive words, phrases, clauses, or sentences are arranged in ascending order of importance
Browning, hardening,
Twisting, withering,
And then it is done.
Theme: On Killing a Tree
The poem “On killing a tree” realizes the cruelty of humans towards the environment. Humans are cutting trees for urbanization, industrialization and other purposes for a long time across many countries. The poem is a sarcastic take on how a tree should be killed from its roots instead of destroying parts of it that can grow back later. Through this poem, Gieve Patel wants to convey that a tree is also an essential part of this planet like other living things. Just like we humans go through various stages in our lives from childhood to adulthood, in the same way, the tree takes years to grow by feeding on sunlight, water, and air. As humans can recover from injuries or amputation but when the heart stops functioning their life comes to an end in the same way, in order to kill a tree, its roots must be destroyed.
The poet here hints towards rampant deforestation and through this very visual representation wishes to communicate to the readers the dangers of deforestation. He never directly advises the readers to stop cutting down trees. Instead, he goes on explaining with painstaking details as to how a tree should be cut down. He uses the trick of reverse psychology to make the readers realize the pain inflicted on trees.
Quiz: Check Yourself
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Question and Answer
Question.1- Can a “simple jab of the knife” kill a tree? Why not?
Answer.1- No, a simple knife job cannot kill a tree. It is not an easy task it takes a lot of time to kill it. It takes many years for a tree to grow and rises slowly from the ground. The roots grow deep and hold the tree firmly in the soil. The tree absorbs sunlight, water and air and after a long time, it grows to its full size. One single knife jab will not kill it as new shoots and branches will soon grow back again.
Question.2- How has the tree grown to its full size? List the words suggestive of its life and activity.
Answer.2- The tree has grown slowly in many years, consuming nourishment from the crust of the earth and absorbing sunlight, water and air to reach its full size.
Words suggestive of its life and activity are: Consuming, rising out, feeding, absorbing, sprouting, pain, bleeding, heal, expand.
Question.3- What is the meaning of “bleeding bark”? What makes it bleed?
Answer.3- The bark of the tree is discolored, dry, and rough. Sometimes, when the bark of the tree is chopped or cut. It releases some liquid-like substance that heals the pain of the tree. A tree is therefore said to bleed. The poet actually wants to convey to us that the tree is very much like a human being who feels pain when it is cut and starts to bleed.
Question.4- The poet says “No” at the beginning of the third stanza. What does he mean by this?
Answer.4- The poet says “No” to imply that it’s impossible to kill a tree easily. He means-No, don t attempt to kill a tree by repeatedly cutting and jabbing a knife at its shoots and branches. The tree will grow again and sprout new branches and attain its former size. Instead, it’s to be uprooted from the anchoring earth.
Question.5- What is the meaning of “anchoring earth” and “earth cave”?
Answer.5- The “anchoring earth” holds the tree firmly in its place by grasping onto its roots like the anchor of a ship holds it in place during storms, The phrase “earth cave” refers to the depression or the pit into which the roots have burrowed. The roots, the most sensitive part of the tree, stay hidden inside the earth as if in an earthen cave.
Question.6- What does he mean by “the strength of the tree exposed”?
Answer.6- Once the tree is uprooted, the roots are exposed. The roots provide nutrition and support to the tree. Pulling it out of the ground would expose it to the onslaught of air and sunlight. This would cause the demise of the tree.
Read the given lines and answer the questions that follow.
It takes much time to kill a tree,
Not a simple jab of the knife
Will do it. It has grown
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.
(a) How much time does it take to kill a tree? Can it be done with a knife jab?
(b) How has the tree grown?
(c) What does the poet mean by ‘leprous hide’?
Answer
(a) It takes a lot of time to kill a tree. No, it can not be done with a knife jab
(b) The tree has grown slowly consuming the earth, rising out of it, feeding upon its crust, absorbing sunlight, water and air.
(c) “Leperous hide” refers to the discolored bark of the tree which resembles a leper’s skin and where small leaves start growing.
Content Writer- Vaishnavi Tripathi…… Edited by- Shadab Akhtar.