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The Trees Summary in English by Adrienne Rich
The Trees by Adrienne Rich 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.
| Poet Name | Adrienne Rich |
| Born | 16 May 1929, Baltimore, Maryland, United States |
| Died | 27 March 2012, Santa Cruz, California, United States |
| Spouse | Alfred H. Conrad (m. 1953–1970) |
| Awards | National Book Award for Poetry, Ruth Lilly Poetry Prize |
The Trees Summary in English
The poet has unusual theme for the trees which want to break all the barriers of man-made things so as to reunite with their natural surroundings. The poet very clearly depicts the disadvantage of growing trees inside the houses in enclosures which are cramped enough to make these trees revolt. They lose their natural utility by housing the insects and birds and spreading their shadow to the tired souls. The trees though appear to be weak, make ceaseless efforts from all the sides to come out of the boundaries by smashing the glass.
The condition of land without forest
a. No bird will be there.
b. No insect will be there.
c. The sunlight cannot make shadow.
Activities by plants for reforestation
d. Plants are coming out of the pots kept in veranda.
e. The leaves in the picture frames are breaking the glasses.
f. Very small plants that look like discharged patients are also moving for reforestation.
The reaction of poet
g. She is happy to hear the movement sound of plants.
h. She writes a letter but does not mention this departure of plants because she is afraid that those people may again cut the forest.
The image of moon
i. Unbroken moon – It is sad for not scattering its light over forest because all trees are cut.
j. Broken Moon – It has scattered its rays over the reforested jungle.
The Trees Summary Questions and Answers
1. I sit inside, doors open to the veranda
writing long letters
in which I scarcely mention the departure
of the forest from the house.
a. ‘I’ in the above lines is ___________
(i) a young man
(ii) the poet
(iii) a boy
(iv) a young woman
Answer:
(ii) the poet
b. The speaker is ___________
(i) in her house
(ii) is writing letters
(iii) watching the departure of the forest
(iv) all of the above
Answer:
(iv) all of the above
c. The trees are moving ___________
(i) inside
(ii) outside
(iii) nowhere
(iv) sideways
Answer:
(ii) outside
2. All night the roots work
to disengage themselves from the cracks
in the veranda floor.
a. Where are the roots?
Answer:
The roots are entangled in the cracks of the veranda floor.
b. What are the roots doing?
Answer:
The roots are trying to disengage themselves from the cracks of the veranda floor so that they can move out into the forest.
c. Where have the cracks appeared?
Answer:
The cracks have appeared on the veranda floor.
3. I sit inside, doors open to the veranda
writing long letters
in which I scarcely mention the departure
of the forest from the house.
a. Who is ‘I’?
Answer:
The poet is ‘I’ here.
b. What is he doing?
Answer:
She is writing letters.
c. Where are the trees in the poem?
Answer:
The trees are inside the house. But now they are moving out of the house.
Question 4.
What are the three things that cannot happen in a treeless forest?
Answer:
The forest has been empty all these days because its trees have been cut down. Three things cannot happen in a treeless forest. Firstly, birds cannot sit there. Secondly, insects can’t hide themselves. Thirdly; the sun cannot bury its rays in shadow.
Question 5.
In the poem ‘Trees4, where are the trees? What are their roots, twigs, etc. trying to do?
Answer:
The trees are inside the houses. Their roots, twigs, etc. are making ceaseless efforts from all the sides to come out of the boundaries by smashing the glass.
Question 6.
What does the poet mean by the sun’s feet? What picture do these words create in mind?
Answer:
The sun’s feet refer to the sunrays which are not able to penetrate through the thick cluster of trees. These words create a dark and gloomy image in the mind.
Question 7.
long-cramped boughs shuffling under the roof Like newly discharged patients.
Why does the poet compare branches with patients?
Answer:
The poet compares the ‘long-cramped’ branches that have been shuffling under the roof to newly discharged patients who look half-dazed as they move towards the hospital doors after long illnesses and wait to get out of the hospital. The branches also have cramped under the roof and want to get out into the open to spread themselves in fresh air.