CBSE Class 10 English Poem ‘The Trees’, Line by Line Explanation along with Difficult Word Meanings and Literary Devices from First Flight Book
The Trees Class 10 English First Flight Poem 7 Detailed explanation of the poem along with meanings of difficult words. Also, the explanation is followed by the literary devices used and a Summary of the lesson.
By Ruchika Gupta
- Theme of the Poem
- The Trees Poem Introduction
- The Trees Poem Summary
- The Trees Poem Summary in Hindi
- The Trees Poem Explanation
- The Trees Poem Video Explanation
Related:
The Trees Class 10 English Poem 7
by Adrienne Rich
Theme of the Poem
The poem “The Trees” by Adrienne Rich is a metaphor which compares the trees to women. The poet is a feminist and highlights the desire of women to be free and go out in the open. The trees want to free themselves from the floor of the house and go in the open forest. They are cramped in the houses and their feelings can be felt and heard by the poet.
Top
Introduction to the lesson
The poem has a symbolic meaning, the trees are an extended metaphor for women. The poet says that the women have rested, healed and recovered and are ready for their primary purpose – to renew the empty forest of mankind.
The Trees Summary
The poet talks about trees symbolically. They refer to women who have been healed and are ready to move out of their houses to fulfil their primary purpose – to renew the forest of mankind. As women have remained indoors, the forest has become empty, the birds and insects rendered shelterless. The Sun’s rays do not have the tree trucks and leaves to fall upon and thus, reach the earth. She says that the forest will be full of trees the next morning. The roots of the trees are working hard to separate from the floor of the veranda where they have remained fixed. The leaves and branches are moving towards the glass windows. They are desperate to move out just like a newly discharged patient who has not recovered completely, moves to the exit door of the hospital in a hurry. The poet is sitting in her house with the doors of the veranda open. She is writing letters but does not mention this movement of the trees. It is night time, the sky is clear and a bright moon is visible. She can smell the leaves and lichen which seem to be calling out desperately. She hears the glass of the window pane breaking. The trees are moving out and the fast blowing wind embraces them. As the trees have reached the forest, the tall and strong oak tree overshadows the moon and it seems that the moon has been broken into several pieces.
The Trees Summary in Hindi
कवि प्रतीकात्मक रूप से पेड़ों के बारे में बात करता है। वे उन महिलाओं को संदर्भित करते हैं जो ठीक हो गई हैं और अपने प्राथमिक उद्देश्य को पूरा करने के लिए अपने घरों से बाहर निकलने के लिए तैयार हैं – मानव जाति के जंगल को नवीनीकृत करने के लिए।
जैसे-जैसे महिलाएं घर के अंदर रही हैं, जंगल खाली हो गया है, पक्षी और कीड़े आश्रयहीन हो गए हैं
पेड़ और पत्ते न होने के कारण, सूर्य की किरणे सीधे धरती पर पड़ती हैं | वह कहती है कि अगली सुबह जंगल पेड़ों से भर जाएगा।
पेड़ों की जड़ें वरांडा के फर्श से अपने आप को अलग करने के लिए कड़ी मेहनत कर रही हैं जहां वे टिकी हुई हैं।
पत्तियाँ और शाखाएँ कांच की खिड़कियों की ओर बढ़ रही हैं। वे ठीक उसी तरह बाहर निकलने के लिए बेताब हैं जैसे एक नए डिस्चार्ज किए गए मरीज जो पूरी तरह से ठीक नहीं हुआ है, जल्दी में अस्पताल के निकास द्वार पर चला जाता है।
कवि अपने घर में वरांडा का दरवाजे खोलकर बैठी है। वह पत्र लिख रही है लेकिन पेड़ों के इस आंदोलन का उल्लेख नहीं करती है। रात का समय है, आसमान साफ है और एक चमकीला चाँद दिखाई दे रहा है।
वह उन पत्तों और काई को सूंघ सकती है जो सख्त पुकारने लगते हैं। वह खिड़की के शीशे के टूटने की आवाज सुनती है।
पेड़ बाहर निकल रहे हैं और तेज हवाएं उन्हें गले लगा रही हैं।
जैसे-जैसे पेड़ जंगल में पहुँचे, लंबा और मजबूत ओक का पेड़ चाँद पर छा गया ओक के पेड़ की परछाई में लगता है कि चाँद कई टुकड़ों में टूट गया है।
The Trees, SEE THE VIDEO
The Trees Poem and Explanation
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 shadow
the forest that was empty all these nights
will be full of trees by morning.
Explanation of the Poem: The poet says that the trees are moving out of the confines of the houses, into the open forest. This is unrealistic as trees are immovable and hence, we realize that the poem has a symbolic meaning. We interpret that trees refer to females who have healed themselves and are ready to move out of their homes, into the forests to fulfil their primary purpose of filling the world with mankind. Further she adds that the forest has been empty for the past many days and so, no birds can be seen as they do not have any trees to sit on, on insects can be seen as they do not have any shelter and the Sunlight cannot form any shadows. The forest of humanity has remained empty for many days but will soon be full and bright.
Literary Devices:
Personification: Sun bury it’s feet. Sun has been personified.
Enjambment: Continuation of a sentence to the next line (the forest that was…… trees by morning).
Anaphora: 2 lines begin with ‘no’
imagery: “The trees inside are moving out into the forest” – shows kinestatic imagery
Poem
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.
Difficult Word meaning:
Disengage: remove
Strain: pressure
Twigs: small stem
Exertion: effort
Cramped: restricted
Boughs: branch
Shuffling: mixing
Discharged: send out
Dazed: stun
Explanation of the Poem: The poet explains the struggle by the plants to reach the forest. She says that the roots worked for the whole night to separate themselves from the veranda floor. The leaves tried hard to reach the window of glass so that they could go outside. Even the small stems of the trees put much of their effort in order to set themselves free. The big branches were also trying a lot to go out from the roof of the room. We can say that women are desperate for a change and their effort is compared to that made by a patient who has been released from the hospital and he tries to move out in a hurry although he is confused. Maybe because they are half conscious and are under the influence of some medication, they are unsteady but in a hurry to leave the clinic.
Literary Devices:
Enjambment: continuation of sentence to the next line (the leaves strain……. Half dazed)
Simile: trees compared to patients (like newly discharged patients)
personification: twigs and boughs have been personified.
Poem
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, the whole moon shines
in a sky still open
the smell of leaves and lichen
still reaches like a voice into the rooms
Difficult Word Meaning:
Scarcely: barely
Departure: leaving
Lichen: crusty patches of bushes of fungus and algae on tree trunks, having a distinct smell
Explanation of the Poem – The poet says that she is sitting on her veranda, writing long letters. She does not mention the trees leaving her house in her letters. She says that the night is very clear. She can see the complete moon which is shining. The smell of leaves and lichens is like a voice that is yelling and expressing a desire for freedom from the confines of the house.
Literary Devices:
Alliteration: ‘long letters’ forest from’ ‘sky still’ ‘leaves and lichen’
Enjambment: continuation of sentence to the next line (doors open….the house)
Imagery: the poet has tried to create a scene in which she is observing all the things happening (the night is fresh…… in the rooms)
Poem
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.
Difficult Word Meaning:
Whispers: murmur
Stumbling: trip over
Flash: glare, shine
Oak: A large, strong tree generally used for making furniture
Explanation of the Poem – Her head is full of the slow sounds made by the trees which are desperate to move out. These sounds will not be heard the next day. The poet asks the reader to listen carefully as a change is about to take place. She hears the glass window breaking and the trees stumble out into the night. The wind is blowing outside. It meets the trees. The moon is like a mirror and it appears to have been broken into pieces as the shadow of the oak tree divides the moon into many fragments.
Literary devices:
Simile: The moon is compared to a mirror (Moon is broken like a mirror)
Also see:
- Class 10 English Syllabus
- CBSE Class 10 English Lesson Explanation, Summary
- CBSE Class 10 English Important Questions (Chapter wise)
- Character Sketches of Class 10 English
- CBSE Class 10 English MCQs
- Class 10 English First Flight word meanings
- Class 10 English First Flight Poems word meanings
- Class 10 English Footprints without Feet word meanings
- Poetic Devices in Poems of First Flight book
- Class 10 English Complete Study Guide