(On Killing a Tree)
Why does it take ‘much time to kill a tree’? How is the tree finally killed?
Since birth, the tree slowly consumes the nutrients from the earth. It has been absorbing sunlight, air and water so as to grow to its full size. The words which suggest a tree’s life and activity are
as follows: consuming the earth, rising out of it, feeding Upon its crust, absorbing sunlight, air, water for years and sprouting leaves. • It is not easy to kill a tree because it has deep roots. So, a stab of the knife or hacking and chopping the tree cannot kill it. To kill a tree the root has to be pulled out. It has to be scorched and choked in the sun and air so that it becomes brown, hard, twisted and dry. Only then does a tree die? So it takes much time and effort to kill a tree.
How does the tree in ‘On Killing a Tree’ heal itself?
Explain: “And then it is done”.
How does the poet describe the killing of a tree in the poem, ‘On Killing a Tree’?
Why does the poet describe the killing of a tree in such graphie detail?
What is the message of the poem ‘On Killing a Tree’ according to you? Explain.