The phrase, a simple jab of the knife, means the attempt to kill a tree by mere stabbing it with a knife.
• The poet says that an attempt to kill a tree only by stabbing it with a knife cannot be successful. If a tree is struck hard with a knife, it does not die. The tree can overcome such a blow. It has become strong by absorbing the nutrients from the earth. Since birth, it has been absorbing sunlight, air and water. So a simple jabbing won’t kill it. A tree can withstand a simple jab of the knife. The poet defines the difficult task of cutting down trees by using such a phrase ironically.
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.
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