On Killing A Tree
COMPETENCY BASED QUESTIONS
1. Contrast 'bleeding bark' with 'green twigs'.
Ans. The poet has used the words and phrases very skillfully. 'Bleeding
bark' is suggestive of deterioration whereas 'green twigs' suggest fresh
growth. 'Bleeding' represents destruction; ‘Green’ shows the springing of
life. 'Green' and 'bleeding' symbolize the change from destruction to life.
2. Describe the process of uprooting a tree. OR How does the poet describe
the uprooting of a tree?
Ans. Neither a simple job of a knife nor hacking and chopping kill a tree
because it is firmly anchored to the soil. The root of the tree should be
pulled out entirely of the earth. It should be roped, tied and snapped out.
So it should be pulled out entirely from the earth cover. Then it should
be exposed to sunlight. The roots will burn, harden and wither and then
the process is complete.
3. In the phrase ‘consuming the earth’, who consumes the earth and how?
Ans. It is the tree that consumes the earth by drawing its nourishment
from the soil through its root. The food required by the tree lies deep
inside the earth and the root sucks and absorbs nutrients and nourishes
the tree.
4. What is meant by ‘years of sunlight, air and water’?
Ans. Years of sunlight, air and water means that the tree takes years
together to grow up fully. In this course of time it draws energy from
sunlight, air and water.
5. Why has the hide of the tree been called leprous?
Ans. 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 the diseased skin.
6. What does hacking and chopping do to a tree?
Ans.Hacking and chopping wound the body of a tree causing it great
pain. They peel the bark of the tree and it appears to be bleeding when
the sap oozes out. However, this pain or bleeding does not kill the tree.
The tree is able to heal itself.
7. What will rise from ‘close to the ground after the bark is hacked and
chopped? Why?
Ans. Curled green twigs and miniature boughs will rise from the stump
of the tree that is close to the ground. They will rise because the tree
rejuvenates and revives itself as long as its root is intact.
8. What will happen if the miniature boughs are left ‘unchecked’?
Ans. ‘Unchecked’ here means left free to grow without any harm or
danger. If left ‘unchecked’, the new, green, delicate branches from the
stump of a tree will expand and regain their original size.
9. How is the root of the tree to be pulled out? What is the result of this
pulling?
Ans. 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 vagaries of weather that eventually cause the
death of the tree.
Folder 3 reading material
SUMMARY BY NVS
SUMMARY
It is not easy to kill a deep rooted tree. It takes much time to kill
it. A tree is too strong to be killed by a simple attack of a knife.
It has grown slowly consuming the earth, feeding upon its crust,
absorbing years of sunlight. The strength it has stored through a
long period of hard work and patience cannot be destroyed in
one go.
When a tree is chopped, the barks bleed but soon they heal
up and expand again to their former size. If one wants to kill a
tree, It has to be pulled out of the anchoring earth. Its most
sensitive part, i.e., the roots, has to be exposed to the sun and the
air. Once it is done, the tree is killed.
SUMMARY DOWNLOADED of the Poem
In this poem, there is a beautiful ironic statement written
by the poet about ‘Killing’ a tree. Actually, he means its
opposite. He taunts how trees are to be ‘killed’ but they
mustn’t. He further says that a tree is hard to kill with the
knife. The tree takes years to grow from the earth. He
says that to ‘kill’ a tree, its roots must be pulled out entirely
from the soil. This poem also conveys a message that the
trees are our lifeline. So they must not be killed. He
instructs how a tree is ‘killed’. He gives out the message
that trees are something pious and like human beings. He
conveys that the tree is very deep rooted and cannot be
wiped out easily. He indicates and compares it with the
evil which also deep rooted in the surroundings and
cannot be uprooted so easily without changing the
environment.
