Std.

IX English Literature (2023-24)

Poem 7: On Killing a Tree Class Work

Name: ___________________________ Sec: ______ Roll No. _____ Date___________
Irony: a Literary Tool in the Poem

The poet, Gieve Patel, has effectively used irony and has successfully conveyed his intended
message to the readers. In the poem, he meticulously explains all the effective steps to
completely finish off a tree, but implies just the opposite. He means to say that trees are very
important part of our life. They are living beings just like any other form of life, we should not
destroy them. Indirectly, he persuades the readers not to destroy trees and equates it with
‘killing’ a human being.

What is the message of this irony? The message (opposite meaning) is that we should not
cut trees (However, in the poem, the poet has explained the steps in killing trees). He is also
showing the cruelty and insensitivity of selfish human as the process of

JUSTIFICATION OF THE TITLE

In the poem ‘On Killing a Tree’, Gieve Patel describes in detail the process and consequences
of killing a tree. He feels one cannot kill a tree with just a stab of a knife. The tree has grown
slowly consuming the earth and absorbing years of sunlight, air and water. So the tree cannot
be killed easily. The bleeding bark will quickly heal and the tree will produce curled green twigs,
which will soon expand to their former size. In the following two stanzas, he gives details about
the steps involved in killing a tree. The root of the tree must be entirely pulled out of the earth
into which it had been anchored and then be left exposed to wither and die. The poet clearly
conveys the message that killing a tree is nothing less than a murder. Hence, the title hence
reflects the poet’s anger and the very essence of the poem.

POETIC DEVICES
1. Alliteration- Repetition of similar sounds in two or more words in a line
Examples- The bleeding bark will heal, the source, white and wet

2. Metaphor- Comparison between two unlike object but stating that one thing is another.
Example- ‘The bleeding bark’, here the word bleeding is a metaphor. The poet states
that the sap that oozes out of the bark is like the human blood.

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 Example: ‘Leprous hide’ - Leprous is used to define scaly skin caused by an infectious
disease. The poet here means that the skin of the tree (the bark) looks leprous, meaning
rough and scaly.

3. Repetition- Repetition of a word, phrase or clause.

Example- 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,
Here, the word ‘out’ has been repeated again and again to emphasize on the effort
involved in uprooting a tree.

4. Personification: On ‘Killing’ a Tree - the tree has been personified from the title till the
end of the poem.
Other examples are: ‘Slowly consuming the earth’ and ‘the bleeding bark will heal’

5. Imagery: Here very strong Imagery has been used and it shows the growth of the tree by
taking nutrients from the earth and absorbing sunlight, air and water from nature.
Example: 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.

SHORT ANSWER QUESTIONS

1. Can a ‘simple jab of the knife’ kill a tree? Why not?

No, a simple jab of knife does not have the ability to kill the tree. One has to follow an
elaborate process in order to kill a tree. A tree can only be killed by removing its roots
from the Earth, otherwise, its leaves will sprout again.

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

‘Bleeding bark’ refers to the branches which are cut mercilessly. They leave a liquid
substance called sap. If any part of the human body is cut, it starts bleeding. In the same
way, sap is released from the branch of a tree. The human beings’ axe makes it bleed.

3. The poet says ‘No’ in the beginning of the third stanza. What does he mean by
this?
The word ‘No’ is used to emphasize the perspective that chopping or hacking will not be
sufficient for killing a tree. The tree would regrow and return to its original size. The poet
wants to convey the message that killing a tree is not as easy a task as it may seem.

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 4. What is the meaning of ‘anchoring earth’ and ‘earth cave’?
The roots of the tree that lie inside the Earth and serve as an anchor for the tree’s growth
are referred to as ‘anchoring earth’. These roots safeguard the tree by providing it proper
nourishment. ‘Earth cave’ implies that the tree’s roots have taken shelter inside the Earth
which in turn protects it like a mother. The tree allows its roots to spread underneath. The
Earth fosters it. It provides all the essential ingredients to the tree.

5. What does he mean by ‘the strength of the tree exposed’?

The tree's roots are what give it its strength. "The strength of the tree exposed" refers to
the roots of the tree being exposed to sunlight and air. At this point, the tree becomes
vulnerable and would ultimately die as a result of this. The tree's strength rests in its
roots, which the poet asks be snapped out to kill it. As a result, the expression alludes to
the roots of the trees. When the roots is exposed to sunlight and air, it recedes.

6. What finally kills the tree?

Finally, the tree is destroyed by being pulled out of the mother Earth. The tree becomes
vulnerable when its roots are exposed to sunlight and air. It then begins to disappear. It
turns brown and hardens and eventually dies. The uprooting of the tree's roots is what
kills it. The tree's strength was shattered when the roots, which had been concealed in
the dirt for years and anchored it, were dug out, resulting in the tree's death. After being
uprooted, it dried up.
LONG ANSWER QUESTIONS
1. “And then it is done”. – What is being referred to here? How is it done? On what tone
does the poem end?
The devilish act of killing a tree is done. It is done by uprooting the tree. The tree has to be
roped and pulled out from the earth-cave. Roots are the source of all strength. They have to be
exposed to the sun and air for scorching and choking. And when they are turned into brown,
hard, twisted, and withered form, the tree is killed completely.
The poem ends in an ironic tone. It shows a tragic end of a tree by man’s cruelty and greed.
The tree symbolizes nature and its destruction shows man’s utter folly of destroying himself.

2. Suppose you are a tree. Write a diary entry in about 150 words describing how you were
hacked and chopped and your root was pulled out and how you are inching towards your
end.

Answer:
(Day and Date) (Time)
Dear Diary
Today my heart is crying and I suffer due to the pain inflicted upon me by cruel men. Two days
ago, I was enjoying the fresh air and warm sunlight when suddenly I felt a blow of an axe on my

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 trunk. I noticed that a man was hitting me hard, giving one blow after another. My bark was
wounded, the sap was oozing and my leaves and branches were falling off lifelessly. I could feel
a sharp pain that I found hard to tolerate. When the man got tired, he left me for the night. I was
relieved that he had not harmed my root. I was certain that my wound would heal and new
branches would grow after some time. But the next day there came five people. They first
chopped off big chunks from my trunk and then tied a rope firmly around me. They applied force
to pull my root out of the earth. Now my strength gave way and my white, wet and sensitive root
was hauled. My root has been left exposed to the sunlight and air. Its white colour is turning
brown and it has started hardening and twisting. Slowly, it will wither away and I will die. I wish
these ignorant people had realized that I was serving them selflessly with fresh oxygen and
dense shade. Sadly, I have to say goodbye to this beautiful world because of the insensitivity of
some people.

Tree

Read the extract and answer the following questions:

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.
i. In order to grow well, a tree needs ____________________
a) sunlight
b) water
c) air
d) all of these

ii. The phrase ‘leprous hide’ here means ________________

a) wounded-skin of an animal
b) disfigured and irregular bark of a tree
c) barren land
d) none of these

iii. A tree gets its food from the crust / the earth

iv. Leaves and branches sprout out of it.

v. What does a tree need, to grow into a strong tree?

The tree needs years of sun light, air and water to grow into a strong tree.

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