Scribd
Upload
2K views

The Trees by Adrienne Rich

Class 10 cbse notes

Uploaded by

akankshatiwari1973
Copyright
© © All Rights Reserved
We take content rights seriously. If you suspect this is your content, claim it here.
Available Formats
Download as PDF, TXT or read online on Scribd
2K views

The Trees by Adrienne Rich

Class 10 cbse notes

Uploaded by

akankshatiwari1973
Copyright
© © All Rights Reserved
We take content rights seriously. If you suspect this is your content, claim it here.
Available Formats
Download as PDF, TXT or read online on Scribd
You are on page 1/ 5

The Trees 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.

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 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)

You might also like