TUTORIALevolution
On
Killing A Tree
---by Gieve Patel
ON KILLING A TREE
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.
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.
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.
Then the matter
Of scorching and choking
In sun and air,
Browning, hardening,
Twisting, withering,
And then it is done.
_____________________________________________
SAQ OF ON KILLING A TREE
Answer the following questions
incomplete sentences :
1.Who wrote the poem, 'On
Killing a Tree'?
Gieve Patel wrote the poem 'On Killing a Tree'.
2.What does the tree symbolize?
The tree symbolizes Nature and the environment.
3.What is the theme
of the poem, 'On Killing a Tree'?
The theme of the poem, 'On Killing a Tree' is the degradation of Nature at the
hands of the man in the modern age.
4.How does the poet represent
his theme?
The
the poet represents his theme with a veiled note of irony.
5.Where does the irony lie in
the poem? ·
The
the irony lies in the ceremonial task of killing the tree.
6.Inhat form of verse is this
the poem was written in?
This poem is written in free verse or polyrhythmic verse.
7.On what tone does the poem end?
The poem ends on a tone of tragedy.
8.What makes this poem easy to
read?
This poem is easy to read for it is written with conversational ease.
9.ls, the process of cutting the
tree a thoughtless act?
The process of cutting the tree is a deliberate act.
10.What does the very word,
'Killing' suggest here?
The very word, 'Killing' suggests the destructive nature of man to satisfy his greed.
11.Whates the word ‘killing’
in the title of the poem indicate?
The word, 'Killing' in the title of the poem indicates the brutality of man.
12.What is needed to kill a tree?
A far greater effort than a simple jab of a knife is needed to kill a tree.
13.What does the expression,
'consuming the earth' mean?
The expression, 'consuming the earth' suggests the growth of a tree is drawing vital
nutrients from the earth.
14.What does the word ‘crust’
mean?
The word, 'crust' means solid exterior, I .e.-the surface of the earth.
15.Why won't a simple jab of the
knife kill a tree?
The sudden blow of the knife will not destroy a tree because the injured bark will
heal up to get back its former shape.
16.What does the tree absorb to
become a full-fledged grown-up tree?
The tree absorbs years of sunlight, air and water to become a full-fledged/grown-up
tree.
17.What does the poet mean to say
by the expression, 'leprous hide'?
By
the expression, 'leprous hide', the poet means to say tree-bark looking like
scales and flakes.
18.What does the word, 'leprous'
connote?
The
word 'leprous' connotes the negative attitude of the poet towards the tree.
19.Why should the tree be hacked
and chopped?
As
the mighty age-old tree cannot be felled with a simple jab of a knife, it should
be hacked and chopped with repeated irregular or awkward blows with a sharp
implement/weapons.
20.What does the poet mean to say
by the expression, "But this alone won't do." ?
The
the poet means to say by the above expression that hacking and chopping are not
enough to kill a tree because new shoots will sprout from the stump.
21.How, according to the poet,
will the tree be subjected to much greater paint?
When
the tree will be roped to pull its roots out of the ground, it will be
subjected to much greater pain.
22.What does the word, 'bleeding'
suggest in the expression “bleeding barks”?
In
the expression, 'bleeding bark', the word, 'bleeding' suggests the sap of the
tree, oozing/emitting out from the wounds.
23.What are 'miniature boughs'?
Miniature
boughs are small green twigs.
24.What does the phrase, ‘the
anchoring earth' meant?
The
the phrase, 'anchoring earth' means that the ‘earth' is as heavy as an 'anchor'.
25.How can the roots be pulled
out completely?
A
the rope should be tied around the tree firmly to pull the roots out of the ground.
26.What does the phrase, 'the
earth-cave' mean?
The
the phrase, 'the earth-cave' means a gaping hollow found on the ground when the
root is pulled out and it is as large as a cave of the mountain.
27.Where does the strength of the
tree lie?
The
strength of the tree lies in the roots that hold it firmly.
28.What looks like a leprous hide
?
The
discoloured bark of the tree looks like a leprous hide.
29.Why does it take so much time
to kill a tree?
It
takes so much time to kill a tree because it has grown slowly, consuming the
earth, rising out of it, feeding upon its crust and absorbing years of
sunlight.
30."But this alone won't do
it." -What does 'it' refer to?
Here
'It' refers to the process of killing a tree.
31.How is it 'ironic' that 'the
leprous hide' sprouts leave?
The
leprous hide that drains away the vitality of life has been said to be a source
of growth, So it is ironic.
32.What contrast have you seen
between 'bleeding bark’ and green twigs’?
'Bleeding
bark’ is suggestive of decay and death but 'green twigs' suggest 'fresh
growth'.
33.What methods are generally
used to kill a tree?
The
method of hacking and chopping are generally used to kill a tree.
34.Why does the poet describe the
the killing of a tree so vividly?
The
the poet describes the killing of a tree so vividly only to evoke sympathy for the
tree that sustains human life.
35.Which words suggest that the
the tree is very much a living organism?
The
words, 'bleeding', 'heal', 'rise', 'expand' suggest that the tree is very much
a living organism.
36.From the poem bring out some
words which are suggestive of life, Death, Violence.
'consume',
'rise', 'feed', 'absorb', 'sprout' etc. are suggestive of life.
'hack',
'scorching', 'choking', 'browning', is suggestive of death
‘roped’,
‘tied’. ‘pulled out’, ‘snapped out’ are suggestive of violence.
37.What is the most sensitive
part of a tree?
The
the most sensitive part of a tree is its white and wet root.
38.Why is the root white?
The
the root is white because it has not been out in the sunshine.
39.Why is the root wet?
The
the root is wet because it is used to pass on the water to the tree.
40.What remains hidden inside the
earth?
Root,
the most vital part of a tree remains hidden inside the earth.
41.What is the need for
'scorching' and 'chocking'?
'Scorching'
and 'choking' will hinder the tree to come back to life.
42.What does the term 'browning
'mean?
The
the term, 'browning' means the hard and dry effect of heat on the tree trunk and
the roots.
43.Why does the tree harden?
As
the life-supporting sap withers after death, the tree hardens itself in the
sun.
44.“And then it is done"--
What is the inner meaning of this line?
The
line implicitly conveys that what is done is really the destruction of the
world. 1. Why does the poet describe the killing of a tree in such a
graphic detail ?/ Write a short account of the poet’s attitude in the poem On
Killing a Tree./ How does the poet describe the uprooting of a tree? / “Modern
man, out of his indiscriminate greed and selfishness, dares to uproot nature
and its nature and its very soul.” ---
Explain the idea with reference to the poem On Killing a Tree.
Ans : The poet, Gieve Patel develops a deep
concern for the environment in the poem On Killing a Tree. He treats the trees
as living organism. He observes that modern man, out of his indiscriminate
greed and selfishness, dares to uproot nature and its nature and its very soul.
So, he raises his voice against the reckless falling of trees. The images of
violence that the poet uses in the poem in form of irony show his genuine love for the trees. The expressions such as
‘a simple jab’; ‘bleeding bark’; ‘hack & chop’; ‘most sensitive’ highlight
his heartfelt sympathy for trees. He describes
the killing of a tree vividly to evoke out dormant sympathy for trees.
2. What is personification? Describe the use of personification in the
poem On Killing a Tree.
Ans : ………………… ……………………………………… …………… … …… …………………………
.
In On
Killing a Tree, the poet looks upon the tree as human being. So, like a human
being the tree also grows slowly………….. The poet describes the bark of a tree as
‘leprous hide’ to bring a reference to the affected skin of a leaper. It feels
pain and bleed when it is hacked and chopped. Its wound heals naturally. The
root, the life supporting part of a tree, is the most sensitive as it remains
hidden inside the earth. All these images personifies a tree.
3. ‘And then it is
done’---Explain it.
Ans : In On Killing a Tree the poet,
GievePatelgives a graphic description to make us realise the total destruction
of a tree. Man realises that neither a simple jab of knife will kill a tree nor
hacking, chopping will do the purpose. In order to kill a tree completely he
takes farther steps…….. Thus the above expression highlights man’s satisfaction
in destroying nature. Ironically, it shows how man glorifies his cruelty.
4. “On Killing a Tree” is a poem of
protest-Whom does the poet protest against and why ?
Ans : Gieve Patel’s poem On Killing a Tree
is undoubtedly, a poem of protest which is silent but intellectual. The poet
makes this lasting protest against the dishonest businessmen. Being devoid of
common sense they fell trees recklessly. They find it worthless to think about
the nature in which they have grown up. Thus they become responsible for the
growing natural imbalance and global warming. Trees keep the balance of CO2 and
O2 in the air. They also provide us all the necessary and valuable things. So,
killing a tree is inviting danger for human beings. So, the poet’s protest is
against the heinous crime of the greedy and irresponsible people.
5. “Not so much pain will do it.”-
Where does this line occur? Whose pain is referred to here ? Why does the poet
say “not so much pain will do it” ?
Ans : … …………… ……………… ……… …… ………… …… ………… … … ……… ……..…………….
……… ……… ……………………… ……… ………… …………… … … … … … …… …… ..... .... .. …… …
According to
the poet, a tree has a strong resilience against the cruelty of men. So, to
accomplish the task of killing a tree, a jab of knife, hacking or chopping is
not enough. By doing so, a tree will bleed for some time but again it will grow
by sprouting tender twigs. There after the twigs will grow into miniature
boughs and if they are allowed to grow, they will reach into former shape and
size. So, the poet says so.
6. What is the role of earth in the
life of a tree ?
Ans : The above line is extracted from Gieve Patel’s On Killing a Tree. Earth plays
a very vital role in thriving and growing of a tree. From the period of
germination to its death, earth nourishes it and takes immense care of a tree.
The earth provides it all the necessary nutrients so that it may grow with
shape and size. It also hold it tightly and let it stay straight. It protect it
from unnatural death. Moreover, the earth plays the role of an affectionate and
caring mother to a tree. So, to kill a tree, it must be separated from her
mother.
7. What is irony ? Comment on Gieve
Patel’s use of irony in the poem on killing a Tree ?
Ans : An irony is a statement in which the
meaning implied by the speaker differs from the meaning expressed.
Apparently,
the poem tells the concept of violence but it suggest the
brutality of man against nature. At first the tree appears to be an evil that
must not be allowed to assert the claim of life. It is highly ironical as
instead of saving a tree the only source of man’s survival on earth. We the
greedy and selfish people foolishly cut it down. Another irony is the leprous
hide which drains out life, is the source of life. The poem finely ends with
the tone of victory but actually human being shows his final folly by
destroying a tree completely.
