On Killing a Tree full poem explanation for class 9th.

    On Killing A Tree 

                                    By Gieve Patel

 Central Idea of the Poem

        The poem 'On Killing a Tree' by Gieve Patel is a symbolic composition. As evils are deep rooted in us, tree is also deep rooted. We should try to eliminate them permanently. At times, we think, we have got rid of the Evil but suddenly it appears before us again as trees grows if not cut properly. We must put our best effort to uproot them. The poet has another view that once we start an alignment, we must bring it to the end. A half finished job is no job done. So, the poet advocates the totality of a work. This will make one responsible and sensible for one's assignments.

  Explanation Of The Poem

Stanza 1

" it takes much time to kill a tree,

 Not a simple Jab of 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 ."

Explanation:- 

In this stanza, the poet comments on the way a person cuts down a tree in order to serve his purpose. The poet says that it is not easy to cut down a tree because a simple Jab of knife is never enough to wipe out it its existence. The reason behind its strength is its consuming the resource which it has got from the earth's crust so powerfully. Years of absorption of sunlight,air and water from which the earth has made its growth so perfect that a jab of knife won't do much. It will come out with leaves again and will grow as ever.

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."

Explanation:-

In this stanza, the poet further states the way of cutting a tree. As the jab of the knife was not sufficient, the poet advises us to hit the trees Severely in the form of hacking and chopping. But, the poet contrasts that even that won't be enough to kill the tree.

This hacking and chopping would raise a pain to the tree but not good enough to kill it.The bark will ooze(leak) out with the liquid secretion, but over a period of time, it gets healed. Then, the fighting spirit of the tree will make it alive again. From close to the ground, it will start a new life again by giving rise to new leaves and small boughs. These will make the trees so glorious again that it will acquire its former size. Therefore, it is not easy to cut or kill a tree.

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."

Explanation:-

In the previous stanzas, the poet has discussed the various ways of killing the tree, but still the tree has a managed to survive so the poet came up with another idea. He says that the roots need to be pulled out of the earth where it has stocked its strength. To do this, one needs to rope the roots, then pull out the whole mass outside. When the roots are out of the earth cave, then the actual strength of the tree i.e the roots are exposed to the sun or environment. The source of life of the tree which is roots, is now exposed and out and its root matter is white and wet with absorption of water. It is now subjected to the outside world. This is the actual start of the death of the tree as the light-source of tree, it roots, are exposed.

Stanza 4

" Then the matter

 Of scorching and choking

 In sun and air,

 Browning, hardening,

 Twisting, withering,

And then it is done."

Explanation :-

In the previous stanza, the poet discussed the way a tree is uprooted and exposed to the surrounding. When the tree is uprooted and Left Open in the surrounding, then the sun starts drying it up with burning heat. This intense heat makes the root of the tree getting choked in the air and sunlight.

Heat makes the root Brown which was White earlier and hardens it by soaking all the moisture content. Then, the root starts twisting  from its original shape and finally gets withered from its parts. This brings the actual and end to the life of the tree and that is how it is done in the end. The poet takes us into the detailed account of how we kill a tree, what suffering does it have to face and how harsh our attitude is for the ones which is the breath of our lives.

Note:-If you find this blog helpful then please subscribe to us on YouTube

Name Of Our Channel:-All About Study

Click on this Underlined text←Click Here To Go To Our channel Page.

Thanks!
From:-All About Study.