The Trees (Poem) – By Adrienne Rich – CBSE – NCERT – Class 10 English - Book : The First Flight – Chapter 8
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Course
English
Institution
The Trees (Poem) – By Adrienne Rich – CBSE – NCERT – Class 10 English - Book : The First Flight – Chapter 8 – About the Poet, Introduction of The Lesson, Summary, The Poem with Explanation, Literary Devices, 4 Questions & Answers, 4 Extract Based Questions with Answers, 21 Short Answe...
About the Poet
Adrienne Rich (1929-2012) was born in Baltimore, Maryland, USA. She was a famous
poet, essayist and feminist. She has published nineteen volumes of poetry, three
collections of essays and other writings.
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
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.
The poet says that the trees are moving out of the confines of the houses, into the open
forest. This is unreallistic as trees are immoveable 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
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