ON KILLING A TREE – QUESTIONS AND ANSWERS

1.Can a “simple jab of the knife” kill a tree? Why not?

Answer: Simple jab of a knife can certainly not kill a tree. It can merely
injure it and cause its sap to ooze out like blood. The real-life of a tree
comes from the roots that provide it nourishment and firmly hold it.

2.How has the tree grown to its full size? List words suggestive of its
life and activity.

Answer: The tree has grown to its full size gradually. It is the tree that
consumes the earth by drawing its nourishment from the soil through its
root. It has grown by slowly consuming the earth. It has risen out of the
earth and has fed upon its crust. It has also absorbed light, air and water for

3.Why has the tree’s ‘hide’ been called leprous?

Answer: The bark of the tree is uneven in texture and colour. Leprosy also
robs the skin of the leper of its colour and evenness. Hence, the poet has
drawn a metaphorical comparison between the discoloured bark of a tree
and diseased skin

4.What is the meaning of ‘bleeding bark’? What makes it bleed?

Answer: The ‘bleeding bark stands for the sap oozing out of the tree trunk
when it is attacked with a knife or an axe. The word ‘bleeding’ is
metaphorically used to compare the sap to the blood from a wound of a
human being. It signifies the pain of the tree.

5.’What will happen if the miniature boughs are left ‘unchecked’?

Answer: Unchecked’ here means left free to grow. If left ‘unchecked’, the
new, green, delicate branches from the stump of a tree will expand. The
tree’s bleeding bark will heal and will and regain their original size.

6.What is the meaning of “anchoring earth” and “earth cave”?

Answer: “Anchoring earth” means the earth which gives a firm grip to the
tree and keeps it from falling. Just as a ship anchored in the sea stays in its
place securely and steadily, similarly the tree stands secure and stable with
the support of the earth. “Earth cave” refers to the depth under the earth
where the root of a tree remains sheltered safely for years. It is firmly
attached to this point and a cave-like hollow is created when the root is
pulled out.

7.How is the root of the tree to be pulled out? What is the result of this
pulling?

Answer: The root of the tree is to be tied to a rope and pulled out with a
great force. This pulling results in creating a cave-like hollow in the earth
and exposes the root to the variety of weather that eventually cause the
death of the tree as when the root of the tree is pulled out of the earth and
thrown open at the mercy of harsh weather. Root is the source of the tree’s
strength. Once exposed to the scorching and choking sun and air, it withers
away and the tree finally dies.

8.What finally kills the tree?

Answer: The withering of the pulled out root finally kills the tree. The root
of a tree is the source of its strength. Once it is pulled out, it can no longer
nurture the tree. The root is sensitive to sunlight and air. Once exposed, it
gets dehydrated, brown and twisted. Ultimately it dries up and the tree
yields to death.

9.What message is conveyed by this poem?

Answer: The poem conveys the message that human beings have
destructive temperament towards nature, but Mother nature has
regenerative powers and cannot be destroyed easily. It has the ability to
resurrect itself. Also, the tree teaches us that mere physical assaults cannot
ruin us. As long as our root, our soul, is intact we can rise again.
 POETIC DEVICES

1.Metaphors used in the poem "On Killing a Tree":

 Leprous hide - Leprous is used to define scaly skin caused by an infectious

disease. The poet here means that the skin of the tree looks leprous, meaning
rough and scaly.
 Bleeding bark - The poet means the sap or the fluid in a tree, which oozes
out when a tree is cut down. He compares the sap to the human blood here.

2.Alliteration used in the poem "On Killing a Tree":

 It takes much time to kill a tree

 The bleeding bark will heal
 Which if unchecked will expand again
 The source, white and wet

Personification used in the poem "On Killing a Tree":

 On "Killing" a Tree - the tree has been personified from the title till the end of the
poem.
 "has grown"
 "Slowly consuming the earth"
 "The bleeding bark will heal"

3.Repetition used in the poem "On Killing a Tree":

 "Pulled out" - This phrase has been repeatedly used to emphasize that the roots
are very strong that we need to uproot the whole tree by pulling it out entirely.

The root is to be pulled out –

One of the anchoring earth;
It is to be roped, tied,
And pulled out – snapped out
Or pulled out entirely,
Out from the earth-cave
4.Enjambment in the poem "On Killing a Tree":

 The whole poem has been written in enjambment style where the lines run into more
than one sentence.
 It may also be noted that the poem is in free verse style (there are no rhyming words
or rhyme scheme)
 Note a single sentence has run into 6 lines in the poem:
 Then the matter
Of scorching and choking
In sun and air,
Browning, hardening,
Twisting, withering,
And then it is done.

SUMMARY- STANZAWISE- ONLY FOR REFRENCE

The poet says that it takes much time to kill a tree. It cannot be done by a simple cut
of a knife. The tree has grown gradually, and its roots have gone deep inside the
soil. The tree got its nutrients from the earth and grew in an upward direction by
absorbing years of sunlight, air and water. The leaves and branches of the tree
sprouted from its bark and looked like a leprous disease.

The poet says that cutting and chopping a tree with an axe is not enough to kill the
tree. This will give pain to the tree, but it won’t be sufficient to destroy it. The sap
flows out from the tree when it is cut or chopped. It is similar to human bleeding
when they get wounded. The bark will heal itself with time. New branches will grow
again and expand to their former size. Nature has the ability to recover itself.

The poet suggests how a tree can be killed. The tree was strongly held to the earth
by its roots. So, to kill a tree, its root has to be uprooted from the ground. To do so,
the tree has to be tied with a rope and to be pulled out completely from the earth
cave. Here, the “Earth Cave” means the space which is created on the Earth by
uprooting the tree. The power of the tree lies in its roots, it’s the main component of
the tree. When the life source of the tree, i.e. roots, is exposed, the tree will die. The
poet has described the roots as white and wet because the white liquid flows out
from the tree when the roots are pulled out. These roots are the most sensitive and
hidden part of the tree, which was inside the earth for many years.
The poet explains the condition of the tree after its roots have been uprooted. He
says that the tree will gradually dry up due to the hot heat of the sun and wind. It will
not be able to breathe, and the transport of nutrients will stop as its roots will be
pulled out. The trunk of the tree will become brown and will harden. With time, the
tree will dry and bend out of shape. Finally, the tree will die.