1. On Killing A Tree Who wrote the poem?
Answer: Gieve Patel wrote the poem, 'On Killing a Tree.'
2. What does the tree symbolize?
Answer: The tree symbolizes Nature and the environment'.
3. What is the essence of the poem 'On Killing a Tree'?
Answer: The theme of the poem, 'On Killing a Tree' is the degradation of Nature at the hands of man in the modern age
4. How does the poet represent his theme?
Answer: The poet represents his theme with a veiled note of irony.
5. What does the very word, Killing' suggest?
Answer: The very word, 'Killing' suggests destructive nature of man to satisfy his greed
6. What does the word 'Killing' in the title of the poem indicate?
Answer: The word 'Killing' in the title of the poem indicates the brutality of man.
7. What is needed to kill a tree?
Answer: far greater effort than a simple jab of the knife is needed to kill a tree.
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8. What does the expression, 'consuming the earth' mean?
Answer: The expression, 'consuming the earth' means the growth of a tree drawing vital nutrients from the earth.
9. What does the word, 'crust' mean?
Answer: The word, 'crust' means solid exterior of the earth.
10. Why won't a simple flick of the knife kill a tree?
Answer: The sudden blow of the knife will not destroy a tree because the injured bark will heal up to assume its former shape.
11. What does a tree absorb to become a full-fledged tree?
Answer: The tree absorbs years of sun-light, air and water to become a full-fledged tree.
12. What does the poet mean to say by the expression, 'leprous hide'?
Answer: By the expression, 'leprous hide', the poet means to say bark of the tree with scales and flakes on it
13. What does the word, 'leprous' connote?
Answer: The word 'leprous' connotes the negative attitude of the poet towards the tree
14. What does the poet mean by the expression 'but this work will not be done alone'?
Answer: The poet means to say by the above expression that hacking and chopping are not enough to kill a tree because new shoots will sprout from the stump.
15. How will the tree negate the efforts of someone to hack and chop the tree?
Answer: No sooner will the tree be hacked and chopped than it overcomes the blows instantly and grows into its former shape to negate the efforts of someone.
16. How, according to the poet, will the tree be subjected to much greater pain?
Answer: When the tree will be roped to pull its roots out of the ground, it will be subjected to much greater pain.
17. Why does it take so long to kill trees?
Answer: It takes so much time to kill a tree because it has grown slowly,consuming the earth, rising out of it, feeding upon its crust and absorbing years of sunlight.
18. How is it ironic that 'the leprous hide' sprouts leaves?
Answer: The leprous hide that drains away the vitality of life has been said to be a source of growth. So it is ironical
19. What contrast have you seen between bleeding bark' and 'green twigs'?
Answer: 'Bleeding bark' is suggestive of decay and death but 'green twigs' suggest 'fresh growth.'
20. Why does the poet describe the killing of a tree so vividly?
Answer: The poet describes the killing of a tree so vividly only to evoke sympathy for the tree that sustains human life.
21. From the poem bring out some words which are suggestive of life.
Answer: The words like 'consume', 'rise', 'feed', 'absorb', 'sprout' etc. are suggestive of life.
Find out from the poem a few words to indicate images of death.
22. What does the word, 'bleeding, suggest in the expression, 'bleeding bark?
Answer: In the expression, 'bleeding bark', the word 'bleeding' suggests the sap of the tree, oozing out from the wounds.
23. What are 'miniature boughs ?
Answer: Miniature boughs are small green twigs.
24. What figure of speech is used in the phrase, 'the bleeding bark'?
Answer: The figure of speech used in the phrase, 'the bleeding bark' is an 'image'.
26. What is the poet's attitude to 'the little curled' twigs?
Answer: The poet thinks that the little twigs sprout forth only to defeat the purpose of destroying the environment.
27. What does the word 'No' signify in the poem, 'On Killing a Tree'?
Answer: The word, 'No' signifies the necessity of pulling out the roots unless a tree will not be destroyed completely.
28. What does the phrase, the anchoring earth' mean?
Answer: The phrase, 'anchoring earth' means that the 'earth' is as heavy as an 'anchor' to provide security to the tree.
29. How can the roots be pulled out completely?
Answer: A rope should be tied round the tree firmly to pull the roots out of the ground.
30. What does the phrase, the earth-cave' mean?
Answer: The phrase, 'the earth-cave' means a gaping hollow found on the ground and it is as large as a cave of the mountain.
31. Where does the strength of the tree lie?
Answer: The strength of the tree lies in its roots that hold it firmly.
32. What looks like a leprous hide?
Answer: The words that show images of death are 'hack', 'scorching', 'choking', 'browning', 'hardening', 'twisting' and 'withering'.
33. List the words that show images of violence in the poem?
Answer: The words that show images of violence are the following. – 'roped', 'tied', 'pulled out', 'snapped out', 'bleeding bark' etc.
34. Why is the root white?
Answer: The root is white because it has not been out in the sunshine.
35. Why is the root wet?
Answer: The root is wet because it is used to pass on water to the tree.
36. What remains hidden inside the earth?
Answer: A length of the tree's taproot remains hidden inside the earth.
37. What is the need for 'scorching' and 'choking'?
Answer: 'Scorching' and 'chocking' will hinder the tree to come back to life with a number of shoots from the stump.
38. What does the term 'browning' mean?
Answer: The term, 'browning' means the effect of heat on the tree trunk and the roots drying in the sun.
39. Why does the tree harden?
Answer: As the life supporting sap withers after death, the tree hardens itself in the sun.
40. 'And then it is done' - What is the inner meaning of this line?
Answer: The line implicitly conveys that what is done is really the destruction of the world.
41. Where does the irony lie in the poem?
Answer: The irony lies in the ceremonial task of killing the tree.
42. On what tone does the poem end?
Answer: The poem ends on a tone of tragedy.
43. What makes this poem easy to read?
Answer: This poem is easy to read for it is written with conversational ease.
44. Is the process of cutting the tree a thoughtless act?
Answer: The process of cutting the tree is a deliberate act.
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