🌳 On Killing a Tree – Gieve Patel

✨ Summary

The poem describes the cruelty of killing a tree. It emphasises that simply cutting or chopping does not kill it, as the tree heals. To destroy it completely, the roots must be uprooted, showing human violence against nature.

🎭 Theme

🌱 Human cruelty towards nature
🌍 Relationship between man and environment
⚡ Destruction of life and resilience of nature
💔 Sensitivity to ecological balance

🎨 Poetic Devices

Metaphor → Tree compared to a living being.
Personification → Tree feels pain like humans.
Irony → Killing tree takes patience, not sudden act.
Repetition → “It takes much time to kill a tree.”
Imagery → Descriptions of bark, roots, bleeding sap.

📘 Stanza-wise Explanation

🌿 Stanza 1

“It takes much time to kill a tree,
Not a simple jab of the knife…”

Cutting with a knife cannot kill it. Trees grow back as they are deeply rooted.

🌿 Stanza 2

“It has grown slowly consuming the earth…”

The tree absorbs nutrients, grows strong with sunlight, air, water, making it deeply rooted in earth’s life.

🌿 Stanza 3

“So hack and chop…”

Even after chopping, bark heals and new shoots rise. Trees resist destruction.

🌿 Stanza 4

“No, the root is to be pulled out…”

To destroy, roots must be uprooted and left to wither, symbolising violence and insensitivity of man.

💡 Moral

🌍 Trees are like humans – they breathe, heal, and resist harm. Destroying them is equal to destroying life itself. Patel urges respect for nature and highlights ecological awareness.

📝 20 Question–Answer (30–34 words each)

Q1. What is the central idea of “On Killing a Tree”?
👉 The poem highlights man’s cruelty towards nature. Trees, symbolising life, resist destruction but die when uprooted, showing the violence and ecological insensitivity of humans.

Q2. Why does the poet say “It takes much time to kill a tree”?
👉 Because chopping or cutting cannot destroy a tree instantly. Its roots are deep and strong, making it resilient. Only uprooting the roots can kill it completely, reflecting man’s harshness.

Q3. How does the tree grow according to the poem?
👉 The tree grows slowly, absorbing nutrients from earth, consuming air, water, and sunlight. Over time it develops strength, height, and a firm root system, making it deeply connected with life itself.

Q4. What happens if the tree is hacked and chopped?
👉 If hacked, the tree does not die. Instead, it bleeds sap, heals the wound, and new shoots grow. It demonstrates resilience, resistance, and nature’s determination to survive against destruction.

Q5. What role does the root play in the poem?
👉 The root is the most sensitive and essential part. It anchors the tree, stores life-energy, and gives nourishment. Only when uprooted completely, the tree can die, symbolising life’s deep connection.

Q6. How does the poet personify the tree?
👉 The tree is described as having strength, healing capacity, and pain like humans. Words like “bleeding,” “anchoring,” and “leprous hide” give human qualities, showing tree as a living being, not mere object.

Q7. Why does the poet describe tree’s bark as ‘leprous hide’?
👉 The bark, rough and patchy, resembles diseased skin. The phrase conveys ugliness and harshness, personifying tree’s external appearance. It adds intensity to description, emphasising physical suffering inflicted on it.

Q8. What does ‘bleeding bark’ suggest?
👉 It symbolises pain of tree when cut, as sap oozes like blood. The poet compares it to human wounds, making readers feel empathy for the tree’s suffering and struggle.

Q9. Why can’t a single jab of knife kill a tree?
👉 Because trees are deeply rooted and strong. A single jab only wounds its surface, but it recovers. Killing it needs uprooting its root, showing how difficult destruction of life is.

Q10. How does the tree resist destruction?
👉 Even after hacking, new shoots grow. The tree heals wounds with sap and continues growing. This resistance symbolises resilience of nature against human attempts at destruction, showing life’s determination to survive.

Q11. What message does the poet give about nature?
👉 The poet conveys that nature is powerful, patient, and resilient. But when man destroys it completely, it causes ecological imbalance. Thus, the poem is a warning to protect environment.

Q12. What does uprooting symbolise in the poem?
👉 Uprooting represents extreme human cruelty. It shows how man destroys nature from its foundation, leaving no chance of survival. Symbolically, it reflects man’s insensitivity towards environment and deep violence.

Q13. How is imagery used in the poem?
👉 Patel uses vivid imagery like “bleeding bark,” “anchoring earth,” “leprous hide,” and “scorching sunlight.” These create strong mental pictures of pain, struggle, destruction, and nature’s resilience, intensifying the poem’s effect.

Q14. Why is killing a tree compared to killing life itself?
👉 A tree symbolises life because it grows, breathes, heals, and resists. Killing it is like murdering life. The poet reminds readers of human violence against living beings, especially nature.

Q15. What does the phrase ‘anchoring earth’ mean?
👉 It means the tree is deeply rooted in the earth for stability and nourishment. Roots act as anchors, providing strength. It shows inseparable bond between tree and earth, symbolising life’s foundation.

Q16. Why is killing a tree not a simple task?
👉 Because trees grow strong over years, with deep roots and resilience. Cutting or hacking is not enough, they regrow. Only uprooting roots kills them, showing difficulty of destroying nature completely.

Q17. How does sunlight and water help the tree?
👉 Sunlight gives energy for growth, water nourishes roots, and air supports life. Together, these natural elements strengthen the tree, making it a symbol of nature’s patience, strength, and persistence.

Q18. What lesson does the poem teach?
👉 It teaches us to respect and protect nature. Destroying trees equals destroying life. Patel reminds us of ecological balance, urging sensitivity towards environment, and discouraging violence against living beings.

Q19. How is irony shown in the poem?
👉 Irony is shown when killing a tree is described as a patient, careful act, whereas life should be preserved. It highlights man’s misplaced efforts in destruction rather than nurturing.

Q20. Why is the poem still relevant today?
👉 Because deforestation and environmental destruction continue. The poem urges readers to rethink ecological responsibility, reminding that harming trees equals harming ourselves, making it timeless and globally relevant.