The Trees - Adrienne Rich The Poem, Glossary, Summary, Questions, and Answers The Poem - The trees inside are moving out into the forest, t...
The Trees - Adrienne Rich
The Poem, Glossary, Summary, Questions, and Answers
The Poem -
The trees inside are moving out into the forest,
the forest that was empty all these days
where no bird could sit
no insect hide
No sun bury its feet in the shadow
the forest that was empty all these nights
will be full of trees by morning.
All night the roots work
to disengage themselves from the cracks
in the veranda floor.
The leaves strain toward the glass
small twigs stiff with exertion
long- cramped boughs shuffling under the roof
like newly discharged patients
half-dazed, moving
to the clinic doors.
I sit inside, doors open to the veranda
writing long letters
in which I scarcely mention the departure
of the forest from the house.
The night is fresh, and the whole moon shines
in a sky still open
the smell of leaves and lichen
still reaches like a voice into the rooms.
My head is full of whispers
which tomorrow will be silent,
Listen, The glass is breaking.
The trees are stumbling forward
into the night. Winds rush to meet them,
The moon is broken like a mirror,
its pieces flash now in the crown
of the tallest oak. ------------------------- ADRIENNE RICH
Glossary -
1. To disengage - to separate
2. Strain - make efforts to move.
3. twigs - branch.
4. exertion - effort.
5. stiff -rigid, hard.
6. long-cramped - not having enough space.
7. Shuffling - moving from one position to another.
8. half-dazed - unable to react normally.
9. scarcely - hardly.
10. lichen - a small plant grown on a big tree-like fungus.
11. Stumbling - fall down.
12. flash -shine.
Summary - "The Trees" is a poem written by Adrienne Rich. It talks about the relationship between nature and human beings. the poem suggests that trees have their own language and way of communicating with each other, but humans often fail or appreciate it. In the poem, the trees are in the house of the poet, and the forests are empty, The poet is trying to give a symbolic representation that we are cutting down the forests and bringing those trees to homes, so for the birds there exists no place to sit, no place to hide the insects, even the sun is not able to keep its rays under the shadow of the trees, but the trees have their own language, so in the night all the parts of the trees like roots, branches, and leaves are trying hard to move out of the poet's house by breaking the veranda floor, glasses of the windows, as they are trying to reach their natural habitat and that is the forest.
And the poet sitting in the room is noticing all the efforts by the trees but she is happy also because the trees are going to the right place. So, the poet is trying to picture the conflict between man and nature and show that if we force the natural entities to be bound, then at a particular point in time, they will rebel and try hard to reach their natural habitat.
But at the same time, being a feminist, there lies another context, here in the poem, the trees and the forest also symbolize women and the outer world, as in the male-dominated society, women are just confined in the home as the trees are, and to get freedom and make their own identity, trying hard to go to the outer world, that is waiting for them, as the comparison is made as the forest became empty and treeless, in the same manner, the outer world became empty without women, and the outer world is eager to welcome and crown them as the tress.
But here, we would try to understand the poem with the concept of the trees, forest, nature, deforestation, and afforestation, not in the context of liberation of women from homes, but this context also lies in the poem, as the poet is known for tremendous contribution for giving justice and right to the women,
Thinking about the poem -
1. In the first stanza, find three things that cannot happen in a treeless forest.
Ans - According to the poet, in the treeless forest, there will be no place to sit the birds, no place to hide the insects, and the sun can not bury its feet in the shadow of the forest.
2. What picture do these words create in your mind;"....sun buries its feet in shadow....."? What could the poet mean by the sun's feet?
Ans - The picture created by the above lines is that in the vicinity or presence of the forest even the sun cools down or minimizes its heat when the rays of the sun reach the earth.
3. Where are the trees in the poem? What do their roots, their leaves, and their twigs do?
Ans -The trees in the poem are in the poet's house, and their roots, leaves, and branches continuously try to move outside the house through the veranda floor, glasses as they want to reach their natural habitat which is the forest.
4. What does the poet compare their branches to?
Ans - The poet compares their branches to the patients who look half dazed, are getting discharged from a prolonged illness, and are eager to move out of the hospital and feel the aroma of the fresh air and nature.
5. How does the poet describe the moon?
a) at the beginning of the third stanza, and b) at its end? What causes this change?
Ans - At the beginning of the third stanza, the poet says that the whole moon is shining in the open sky and is a fresh night. However, at the poem's end, she describes the moon as broken into many pieces like a mirror.
6. What happens to the house when the trees move out of it?
Ans- In the night, when the trees trying to move out of it the glass gets broken, and the smell of leaves and lichen reaches the rooms of the voice.
7. Why do you think the poet does not mention " the departure of the forest from the house" in her letters?
Ans - She does not mention it because whatever the tress are picturized in the poem, and what they are trying to do, that is trying to move to their natural habitat, and as it is an expected and praiseworthy move, she remains silent, as she is happy to feel shifting of trees to the nature.
8. Does the poem present a conflict between man and nature? Compare it with A Tiger in the Zoo, is the poet suggesting that plants and trees, used for interior decoration in cities while forests are cut down, are imprisoned and need to break out?
Ans - Yes, in both poems there is a conflict between man and natural entities, In this poem, it is shown that we are cutting trees from the forest, and keeping them in our homes for our sake and decor, but as we can not provide them enough space to grow, their growth gets hampered. The same is the case with wild creatures, We put them in cages in zoos, and we expect them to entertain us, but as they lose their natural habitat and freedom, how are they going to survive. So, both poems show a conflict between man and nature. It became our foremost duty to provide enough space to grow these natural entities in their natural environment.
THOUGHT FOR THE DAY: You can cut all the flowers but not prevent spring from coming.
--------- PABLO NERUDA
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