Class 9, Poem 8: On Killing a Tree

NCERT solutions for Poem 8, "On Killing a Tree," by Gieve Patel, from the Beehive textbook for Class 9.

**Thinking about the Poem**

**1. Can a “simple jab of the knife” kill a tree? Why not?**

**Answer:** No, a "simple jab of the knife" cannot kill a tree.

This is because a tree is deeply rooted in the earth and has grown strong over many years by absorbing sunlight, air, and water. A simple jab might injure it or cause some sap to "bleed," but the tree has a strong healing power. Its roots, which are its source of life and anchor, remain unharmed by such a superficial wound. The tree will heal from this "bleeding bark" and continue to live.

**2. How has the tree grown to its full size? List the words suggestive of its life and activity.**

**Answer:** The tree has grown to its full size by:

    * **Consuming the earth:** Drawing nutrients from the soil.

    * **Rising out of it:** Growing upwards from the earth.

    * **Feeding upon its crust:** Absorbing minerals from the top layer of the soil.

    * **Absorbing years of sunlight, air, water:** Using these essential elements for photosynthesis and growth over a long period.

Words suggestive of its life and activity include:

    * Consuming the earth

    * Rising out of it

    * Feeding

    * Absorbing

    * Sprouting leaves

    * Bleeding bark (indicates life and reaction to injury)

    * Heal

    * Expand

    * Rise (green twigs)

    * Grow (miniature boughs)

**3. What is the meaning of “bleeding bark”? What makes it bleed?**

**Answer:**

* **Meaning of "bleeding bark":** "Bleeding bark" refers to the sap or a liquid substance oozing out from the part of the tree's bark that has been cut or injured. It is a metaphor comparing the tree's sap to the blood of a living being, emphasizing the idea that the tree is a living entity that feels pain and injury.

* **What makes it bleed:** The "hack and chop" or a "jab of the knife" (any act that cuts or wounds the bark) makes it bleed.

**4. The poet says “No” in the beginning of the third stanza. What does he mean by this?**

**Answer:** By saying "No" at the beginning of the third stanza, the poet means that simply hacking and chopping the tree or even pulling it out incompletely is not enough to kill it. He is refuting the idea that such actions will achieve the complete destruction of the tree. He emphasizes that to truly kill the tree, its very source of life – the roots – must be entirely pulled out from the earth.

**5. What is the meaning of “anchoring earth” and “earth cave”?**

**Answer:**

* **"Anchoring earth":** This phrase refers to the earth that holds the tree's roots firmly and provides stability and support, much like an anchor holds a ship in place. The earth is the source from which the tree draws its sustenance and strength.

* **"Earth cave":** This refers to the hollow or cavity created in the earth when the tree's roots are pulled out. It signifies the deep entrenchment of the roots within the earth, and "cave" suggests the depth and protective enclosure the earth provided to the roots.

**6. What does he mean by “the strength of the tree exposed”?**

**Answer:** By "the strength of the tree exposed," the poet refers to the tree's roots. The roots are the hidden source of the tree's life, resilience, and stability. When the tree is uprooted, these roots, which are usually concealed beneath the earth, are laid bare and exposed to the elements. This exposure signifies the vulnerability of the tree once its core strength (the roots) is revealed and attacked.

**7. What finally kills the tree?**

**Answer:**

The tree is finally killed through a systematic and brutal process after its roots are pulled out entirely from the "anchoring earth":

    1. **Uprooting:** The roots are pulled out entirely from the "earth-cave."

    2. **Scorching and choking:** The exposed tree (especially its roots, which are described as "white and wet," the "most sensitive, hidden") is then subjected to the sun and air.

    3. **Browning and hardening:** The heat of the sun and the air cause the exposed tree to dry out, turning it brown.

    4. **Twisting and withering:** It loses its life-giving moisture, becomes twisted in shape, and withers.

    5. **"And then it is done":** This means the tree is finally dead.