Class 9th Eng. Poem -8 On Killing A Tree 🌴 NCERT/CBSE Based Question and answer, Theme Message Literary devices

Poem-8

On Killing a Tree by -Gieve Patel

A Brief Introduction of the Poet

Gieve Patel is an Indian poet, playwright, painter and also a practicing doctor. He is associated with Green Movement which is involved in an effort to protect the environment. His first collection of poetry was launched by Nissim Ezekiel. How Do You Withstand, Body and Mirrored Mirroring are some of his famous collections. He also edited a collection of poetry which was published in 2006. His poetry expresses his deep concern for nature and exposes the man's cruelty against it.

Summery of the Poem

The poet opens the poem saying that it takes a lot of time to kill a tree. A simple jab of the knife is not enough. The tree feeds upon the earth's crust and grows by consuming elements from the earth like sunlight, air and water. Leaves sprout out of the dull bark.

Therefore, it should be hacked and chopped. But the pain caused is not enough to kill the tree. Its bleeding bark repairs soon and green twigs begin to rise from near the ground. These twigs grow into the size of the former boughs if they are left unchecked.

In order to kill the tree, its root has to be pulled out from the anchoring earth by tying it with a rope. The root is the most sensitive part of the tree. It remains hidden inside the earth for years. After the root is pulled out and exposed to the sun and air, it dries, hardens and withers and gradually the tree is killed. The poem is written in a sarcastic tone.

Q1.Discuss the appropriateness of the title 'On Killing a Tree'.

The title of the poem 'On Killing a Tree' is ironic. The poem seems to be a satire on killing a tree. It tells that it takes a lot of time and effort to destroy a tree. Trees have the healing power to regenerate and grow again to its former size. Trees have extremely resilient spirit and do not bow down easily. So, the title is apt.

Q2.Discuss the theme of the poem 'On Killing a Tree'.

The poem 'On Killing a Tree' exposes man's cruelty in cutting down trees. On the surface, the poem states the process of killing a tree but actually

Q3.Write The Message of Poem. On Killing a Tree

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.trees are just living beings like humans and should not be killed recklessly

Literary Devices

Alliteration: It is the repetition of sounds at the beginning of a word or of a stressed syllable within a word. It lends a lyrical or musical element to a poem.

Examples:

‘The bleeding bark will heal’

Here, 'b' and 'l' sounds are repeated.

The source, white and wet,

Here, 'w' sound is repeated.

Metaphor: It is a figure of speech in which there is implied comparison between two objects.

Examples:

The bleeding bark

Here, the sap oozing out of the bark of the hacked tree trunk is compared to the blood of a living creature.

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