On Killing a Tree

AP 9th Class English Beehive 7th Poem On Killing a Tree Questions and Answers

Question 1.
Can a "simple jab of the knife" kill a tree? Why not?

Answer: No, a simple jab of the knife cannot kill a tree. The place from where the tree is cut will give out sap when the tree is cut down. It heals the wounds and new branches and leaves will grow from it. They will develop into trees

Question 2.
How has the tree grown to its full size? List the words suggestive of its life and activity?

Answer: The tree has grown by consuming the available nutrients from the earth. It absorbs the sunlight, the air and the water and grows to its full size. The words suggestive of its life and activity are - consuming the earth, rising out of it, feeding upon its crust, absorbing years of sunlight, air, water

Question 3.
What is the meaning of "bleeding bark"? What makes it bleed?

Answer: Bleeding bark refers to the changed colour of the bark. The bleeding is the sap which flows out of the trees bark where it is cut. The tree bleeds when it is cut with a knife

Question 4.
The poet says "No" in the beginning of the third stanza. What does he mean by this?

Answer: No means that the tree will not die by cutting or chopping the trunk. If we want to kill a tree, we have to pull out the tree from the earth

Question 5.
What is the meaning of "anchoring earth" and "earth cave"?

Answer: "Anchoring Earth" means that the earth supports the tree firmly by holding the roots. "Earth cave" refers to the pit in the earth where the roots of the tree bind it firmly to the earth

Question 6.
What does he mean by "the strength of the tree exposed"?

Answer: "The strength of the tree exposed" means that the strength of the tree is its roots. When the tree is uprooted, its roots will no longer remain hidden in the earth. They are exposed

Question 7.
What finally kills the tree?

Answer: Pulling out of the earth is the final act of killing a tree. The tree dies when it is uprooted. Its roots are exposed. It withers, hardens twists and finally dies

Trees I think that I shall never see A poem lovely as a tree. A tree whose hungry mouth is prest Against the earths sweet flowing breast; A tree that looks at God all day And lifts her leafy arms to pray; A tree that may in summer wear A nest of robins in her hair; Upon whose bosom snow has lain; Who intimately lives with rain. Poems are made by fools like me, But only God can make a tree. - Joyce Kilmer

On Killing a Tree Poem Summary in English

The poet is saying that killing a tree takes a long time. Just cutting it with a knife wont do it. The tree has grown slowly, with its roots going deep into the ground. It gets nutrients from the earth and grows by absorbing sunlight, air, and water over the years. The trees leaves and branches come out from its bark and look strange

The poet says that cutting the tree with an axe isnt enough to kill it. It hurts the tree, but it wont destroy it completely. When the tree is cut, sap flows out, like when humans bleed from a wound. The bark will heal itself over time. New branches will grow and become as big as before. Nature has the power to recover itself

The poet suggests how to kill a tree. To do it, the roots, which hold the tree strongly to the earth, have to be pulled out. The tree must be tied with a rope and completely removed from the ground. When the roots, the main part of the tree, are exposed, the tree will die.

The poet describes the roots as white and wet because a white liquid flows out when the roots are pulled out. These roots are very sensitive and have been hidden in the earth for many years

After the roots are uprooted, the tree will gradually dry up because of the hot sun and wind. It wont be able to breathe or transport nutrients without its roots. The trunk will turn broyh and hard. Over time, the tree will dry out, bend, and eventually die