The Trees

By– Adrienne Rich

Summary:

1. Trees Moving Out: The trees inside are coming out. They are coming out of those artificial glasshouses
where humans have so far confined them. The trees are freeing themselves from human bondage. They
are moving out into the forest. The forest has been and will ever be, the natural habitat of trees. `The
trees’ are metaphors for nature itself.
2. Empty Forests: Human civilization and progress have led to the cutting of trees on a large scale.
Without trees, forests have become empty. There are no trees left now where birds can perch themselves
on their tops. Even Insects have lost the places where they could hide inside them. There are no trees left
in the forest where the red hot sun could find some cooling by burying itself in their shadows. However,
the poetess is hopeful. The forest which remained ’empty all these nights’ will be full of trees.
3. Roots Work All Night to Free Themselves: The roots continue struggling all night. They want to free
themselves. They try to come out from the cracks in the veranda floor. The leaves strain themselves
moving towards the glass. Small twigs have become tough and hard. The long-cramped and crushed
branches move repeatedly from one position to the other under the roof. These moving branches look
like the patients who run out of the hospital in a hurry. Almost half-dazed, they move to the doors of the
hospital to escape from it.
4. Poetess Sitting Inside: The poetess is sitting inside. Doors open to the veranda. She is writing long
letters. But in those letters, she is not describing how trees are struggling to come out of their artificial
habitat. They are going to their real and natural habitat. The trees are moving towards the forest. It is
their real habitat. The night is fresh. The full moon is shining brightly in the sky. The smell of leaves and
lichen is spreading out into the rooms. It comes inside like a voice from outside.
5. Head Full of Whispers: The poetess is sitting inside. The struggle of the roots, leaves and branches to
free themselves from their artificial habitat continues. Her head is full of whispers. These are whispers of
the struggling trees. Then, she asks us to listen to those struggling sounds. We will notice that the
struggling trees have come out breaking the glasshouse. They are still stumbling but marching forward
victoriously towards the forest. Winds rush forward to welcome the victorious trees. The trees have
grown up to such dimensions that have even covered the full moon. Covered by the leaves and branches
of the trees, the full moon looks like a broken mirror into many pieces. These broken pieces of the moon
can be seen through the holes of the tallest oak at the top.

Main Points of the Poem

1. The trees are coming out of their artificial glasshouses.

2. They are moving out into their natural habitat — the forest.
3. The trees are metaphors of nature itself.
4. Without trees, forests have become empty.
5. No trees are left in the forest where birds can perch themselves on their tops.
6. Even insects have lost the places where they could hide themselves in.
7. The poetess is hopeful that the forest will be full of trees ‘by morning.’
8. To free themselves, the roots continue working all night.
9. They tire trying to come out from the cracks in the veranda floor.
10. Small twigs become tough and branches move their positions under the roof.
11. The night is fresh. The moon is shining and the smell of leaves and lichen is spreading out into the
rooms.
12. The poet is sitting inside but the struggle of the roots, leaves and branches continues to free
themselves.
13. The struggling trees have come out breaking the glasshouse and are marching towards the forest
victoriously.

Read the following stanzas and answer the questions that follow:

STANZA 1
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 the shadow
the forest that was empty all these nights
will be full of trees by morning.
Questions :
(a) From where are the trees moving out into the forest?
(b) Why can’t birds sit in them or insects hide in them?
(c) How was the forest ‘all these nights’?
(d) Are these trees useful for birds and insects?
(e) What type of trees are these?
Answers :
(a) The trees are moving out of the mind of the painter and coining on the canvas.
(b) These are not real trees. These are the trees in a picture or decorative trees in a house. So birds can’t
sit in them and insects cannot hide there.
(c) All these nights, the forest was empty.
(d) No, these trees are not useful for birds and insects.
(e) These are decorative or picture trees
STANZA 2
All night the roots work
to disengage themselves from the cracks
on the veranda floor.
The leaves strain toward the glass
small twigs stiff with exertion
long-cramped boughs shuffling under the roof
like newly discharged patients
half-dazed, moving
to the clinic doors.
Questions :
(a) What do the roots do all night?
(b) How are the small twigs?
(c) What are the boughs compared to?
(d) What do the leaves do?
(e) Name the poem and the poetess.
Answers :
(a) All night the roots work to free themselves from the cracks in the veranda floor.
(b) The small twigs are stiff.
(c) The boughs are compared to newly discharged patients.
(d) The leaves strain towards the glass.
(e) Poem: The Trees,
Poetess: Adrienne Rich.
STANZA 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.
The night is fresh, the whole moon shines
in a sky still open.
Questions :
(a) Where is the poetess sitting?
(b) What is the poetess doing?
(c) What does she not mention in her letters?
(d) How does the poetess describe the night and the moon?
(e) How is the sky?
Answers :
(a) The poetess is sitting in her room.
(b) The poetess is writing long letters.
(c) She does not mention the departure of the forest from the house.
(d) The night is pleasant and fresh. The full moon is shining.
(e) The sky is still open.
STANZA 4
the smell of leaves and lichen
still reaches like a voice into the rooms.
My head is full of whispers
which tomorrow will be silent.
Questions :
(a) Where is the poetess sitting at present?
(b) Which smell is reaching her?
(c) What is her head full of?
(d) What will be silent tomorrow?
(e) Name the poem and the poetess.
Answers :
(a) At present, the poetess is sitting in her room.
(b) The smell of leaves and lichen is reaching her.
(c) Her head is full of whispers.
(d) Tomorrow, the whispers will be silent.
(e) Poem: The Trees,
Poetess: Adrienne Rich.
STANZA 5
Listen. The glass is breaking.
The trees are stumbling forward
into the night Winds rush to meet them.
The moon is broken like a mirror,
its pieces flash now in the crown
of the tallest oak.
Questions :
(a) What is happening to the glass?
(b) What does the poetess say about the trees?
(c) What rushes out to meet the trees?
(d) How does the poetess describe the moon?
(e) Why does the wind rush?
Answers :
(a) The glass is breaking.
(b) The poetess says that the trees are stumbling forward into the night.
 (c) The wind rushes out to meet the trees.
(d) The poetess says that the moon is like a broken mirror.
(e) The wind rushes to meet the trees.

MULTIPLE CHOICE QUESTIONS/ Quiz

1. Where are the trees in the poem found?

(A) in the garden (B) in the forest
(C) in the house (D) all of the above
Ans. (C) in the house
2. The trees in the poem are useful for :
(A) the birds (B) the insects
(C) both (A) and (B) Ant (D) none of the above
Ans. (D) none of the above
3. What type of plants are mentioned in the poem?
(A) decorative plants (B) painted plants
(C) both (A) and (B) (D) none of the above
Ans. (C) both (A) and (B)
4. These plants are planted in
(A) pots and pans (B) garden
(C) fields (D) forest
Ans. (A) pots and pans
5. How are the small twigs of these plants?
(A) soft (B) stiff
(C) green (D) all of the above.
Ans. (B) stiff
6. What are the boughs compared to?
(A) a newly discharged patient (B) a newly admitted patient
(C) a chronically sick patient (D) all of the above
Ans. (A) a newly discharged patient
7. What does the poetess write?
(A) long poems (B) long letters
(C) long essays (D) all of the above
Ans. (B) long letters
8. What is the poetess head full of?
(A) plants (B) birds
(C) insects (D) whispers
Ans. (D) whispers
9. What tries to free themselves from the cracks of the veranda floor?
(A) roots (B) leaves
(C) twigs (D) boughs
Ans. (A) roots
10. Who is the poet/poetess of the poem ‘The ‘frees’?
(A) Walt Whitman (B) Adrienne Rich
(C) Carl Sandburg (D) W.B. Yeats
Ans. (B) Adrienne Rich

Short Answer Type Important Questions

1. What is the central idea of the poem ‘The Trees’?

Ans. The central idea of the poem is the conflict between man and nature. A plant is brought inside the
house when it is a sapling. But as it grows into a tree, it gets suffocated with the limited space available.
So it departs to feel free. The tree is thus moving out to occupy the now empty forest, made so by man’s
indiscriminate felling of trees. Humans must understand the negative impact of their actions on nature
and mend their ways before it is too late.
2. Where are the trees at present? What do their roots, and leaves do?
Ans. The trees are in the house. The roots try to free themselves from the cracks of the veranda floor, and
the leaves make efforts to move towards the glass perhaps in search of light. The small branches become
stiff as they try to pull themselves towards the light.
3. Why is the description of the moon different in the beginning and at the end of the third stanza?
Ans. At the beginning of the third stanza, the poet says that one can see the whole moon shining in the
open sky but in the end, the moon seems to be broken like a mirror and its pieces shine in the crown of
the tallest oak tree. The change is caused by the shifting of the trees outside.
4. Justify the revolt of the trees and state two values which the man should possess to stop the
revolt.
Ans. The trees inside the house get suffocated as they grow. They try to free themselves iron the cracks of
the veranda floor and the leaves stretch out as if to move towards the glass. They are justified in their
revolt. Men should learn the importance of trees.
5. How does the poetess describe the night? How does she feel?
Ans. It is night time. The night is fresh. In the open sky, the full moon is shining. The poetess feels the
smell of leaves and lichen reaching inside the room. Her head is full of whispers. But she thinks that the
next day these whispers will be silent.
Q.6. What is the theme of the poem ‘The ‘frees’?
Ans. The theme of the poem is the disappearance of trees. This poem also brings out the idea of conflict
between man and nature. Man is doing more and more harm to nature. Nature is getting angry. Man’s
existence on this planet is in danger. Thus it becomes the foremost duty of every citizen to work for the
protection of the environment.
Q.7. Why are the trees described in the first stanza not useful for birds or insects?
Ans. The trees described in the first stanza are either decorative plants kept inside a house, or they are
shown only in a painting or picture. Therefore, they are not useful for birds or insects. Birds cannot sit on
their branches. Insects cannot hide in them.
Q.8. What happens to the roots and leaves of these trees at night?
Ans. The roots of these trees are engaged into the cracks of the veranda floor. At night, these roots try to
free themselves from the cracks. The leaves try to move towards the glass. Twigs become harden and the
boughs try to expand under the roof.
Q9. How does the poetess describe the growth of the trees inside the houses? [H.B.S.E. March 2017
(Set-D)]
Ans. These trees grow in pots and pans. So their roots feel cramped. These roots try to free themselves
from the cracks of the veranda floor. The leaves need light. So they move towards the glass. The twigs are
stiff and the boughs are like the newly discharged patients coming out of clinic doors.
Q.10. Why does the poetess use the metaphor of newly discharged patients?
Ans. A patient feels depressed in a hospital. As soon as he recovers, he is eager to leave the hospital. He
rushes towards the clinic doors. In the same way, the plants in the pots feel suffocated. They are deprived
of adequate light. So they stretch themselves towards the glass door, in the hope of finding the light.
Q11. Why are the trees moving out into the forest?
Ans. In the poem, the trees are presented as a metaphor for human beings. As humans value freedom,
nature can’t be subdued and controlled by man. The trees have been brought to the artificial glasshouses.
The natural habitat of trees is in the forest. Therefore, after a long and hard struggle, they are coming out
of the artificial barriers. They are marching victoriously towards the forest which is their original habitat.
Q12. What will be the condition of a treeless forest?
Ans. No one can imagine a forest without trees. They are the life-line of a forest. Without trees, there will
be no activity of birds, insects as well as of the sun. The birds will have no place to perch on. The insects
will have no place to hide in. Even the scorching sun will lose the shade to cool itself in the absence of
trees.
Q13. Why is the poetess hopeful that the empty forest will be full of trees by the morning?
Ans. The poetess is quite optimistic. The natural barriers to contain and subdue nature created by man
will be broken. The trees which have been deprived of their natural habitat will struggle to free
themselves from the clutches of man.
The struggle of these trees will not go in vain. By morning, they will be marching victoriously to the
forest. The forest will be full of trees by morning.
Q14. Describe the struggle of the roots, leaves, small twigs and long boughs to free themselves and
break open the artificial barriers created by man.
Ans. Every part of the confined trees rises in revolt and struggles hard to free itself. The roots struggle all
night to break free from the cracks in the veranda floor. The leaves struggle to come out of the glass.
Small twigs have become hard due to overwork. Long cramped boughs are trying to break open the roof
and come out.
Q15. Describe the comparison between boughs and the newly discharged patients in the last lines
of the second stanza.
Ans. Freedom is a common theme. The cramped branches of the trees put in the artificial glasshouses,
want to be free. They are shuffling hard to come out in the open. They want to be free. Similarly, the
newly discharged patients are impatient to escape to freedom. They don’t want to be confined to the beds
of the hospital. They run towards the doors of the hospital to have a taste of freedom again.
Q16. Why doesn’t the poetess make any mention of the struggle waged by the trees to free
themselves to move towards the forest in her long letters?
Ans. The poetess is sitting inside her room writing long letters. She is witnessing what is going on in her
house. The struggle of the leaves, twigs, boughs and roots of the trees to free themselves takes place in
her presence. However, she ignores such a historical event. Perhaps she is shocked and embarrassed by
the sudden and unexpected happenings.
Q17. Describe the pleasant night when ‘the forest’ departed from the house.
Ans. The struggle was going on. The trees were struggling to depart to the forest, their natural habitat.
But outwardly the night was fresh. The full moon was shining in the open sky. The smell of leaves and
lichen was reaching into the room like a voice.
Q18. What are the whispers that fill the head of the poet?
Ans. The head of the poetess is full of whispers. These are the whispers of the silent struggle that is going
on in her house. The trees have been waging a heroic struggle to free themselves from the bondage of
man. They are moving to their original home — the forest. The poetess is a witness to all that is
happening in the house.
Q19. Describe the sound and fury of the victorious march of the trees to the forest.
Ans. Now the silent struggle gets more vocal and visible. The trees have won their hard-earned victory.
The artificial glasshouse that imprisoned them has been broken to pieces. The trees are stumbling
forward towards the forest. Winds rush in to meet them. Even the full moon is covered by the full-grown
up oak tree. Only a fragmented moon is visible through its expanding leaves and boughs.
Q20. Why is the full moon broken to pieces like a mirror in the last lines of the poem?
Ans. Previously it was a peaceful night hiding the struggle that was going on silently. The moon was full.
But now the full grown-up trees like oaks with their boughs spreading out all around have obstructed the
sight of the moon. The full moon is fragmented and partly visible only through the top boughs and leaves
of a huge oak tree.
Q21. What is the message that the poetess wants to give to the readers through the poem ‘The
Trees’?
Ans. Adrienne Rich uses trees as a metaphor for human beings, more particularly women. In a male-
dominated society, women are in bondage. They are struggling to free themselves. Similarly, nature,
represented by trees and forests, is struggling to escape itself from the onslaughts of man to destroy it.
The victorious march of the trees gives a message of hope that nature can’t be tamed or subdued by the
onslaughts and arrogance of man.
Q22. What changes can be seen in the moon during the course of the poem “The Trees”?
Ans. Initially, it was the full moon shining in a clear sky. Then the moon is broken like a mirror. Its rays
fall on the top of an oak tree.

Important Long/ Detailed Answer Type Questions- to be answered in about 100 -150 words each

1.’Departure is painful’. So is the departure of the trees painful for the poetess. What will happen
after their departure?
Ans. Just like the departure of someone close to us is painful, so also is the departure of a tree. When they
are planted as a sapling they look nice and enhance the beauty of our surroundings. But as they grow and
spread out their branches, they look wild and require more space for their growth. The roots create
cracks in the floor and the leaves stretch out as if to move towards the glass, perhaps in need of sunlight.
The soft twigs become strong and stiff. So the trees need to be removed from the house. No more do the
leaves cover the sky, but the trees breathe and they are welcomed by the wind. The moon resembles a
broken mirror, reflecting off the leaves. The poetess reveals that she will feel lonely after the trees’
departure.
2. How does the poem ‘The Trees’ make a strong plea against deforestation?
Ans. The poem, ‘The Trees’ sends home a strong message against deforestation. It highlights the
importance of trees. As a sapling, the plant adds to the beauty of the surroundings when it spreads its
branches, leaves and roots around. The poetess does not want to mention the departure of the forests as
she feels guilty for merely looking silently at them as they depart. This way she subtly points out the
thanklessness of man towards forests.
3. Explain the phrase “the forest that was empty all these days”. After reading the poem for whom
do you think are the forests needed? Imagine you are a tree in a forest, who; values would you like
the humans to learn from the tree? (100-120 words)
Or
What message does Adrienne Rich want to convey through her .poem, The Trees’?
Ans. In her poem, ‘The Trees’ poetess Adrienne Rich subtly drives home the message about the
importance of trees. Without trees, the birds would not in a place to sit, insects will have no place to hide
and the sun would not bury its feet in shadow. As saplings, we enjoy the beauty of plants as they adorn
the surroundings. But slowly the tree spreads its roots, its branches and leaves and seems to yearn to go
outside where it can live and grow without any restrictions No more does the tree look attractive indoors.
The trees are however welcomed into nature by strong winds and the moon. The author hereby
emphasizes that trees need to be kept alive, but should not be ‘imprisoned’ inside the house as they look
more beautiful, and tend to thrive outdoors that is where trees belong.
Q4. How does Adrienne Rich use trees as a metaphor for men? Isn’t the struggle of the trees to free
themselves and go to the forest is the struggle of crushed men, particularly of women against the
powerful and atrocious men?
Ans. The poet Adrienne Rich uses trees as a metaphor for men, particularly struggling women. Nature,
itself is represented by trees and forests in the poem. Man’s foolish and atrocious attempts to exploit,
subdue, tame and control nature have led to disastrous results like deforestation. Forests have become
empty. The futile attempt of humans to put trees and forests in the artificial glasshouses fails miserably.
The trees, their roots, leaves, twigs and boughs wage a long and hard struggle to come out of the artificial
barriers. Ultimately, the trees and forests reach where they should be. The victorious march of the trees
to the forest tells the saga of nature’s victory over the onslaughts of man.
The liberation of the crushed and the women is based on the same theme. In a male-dominated society,
women are struggling to come out of the clutches of men to gain freedom. It is hoped that like the trees in
the poem, they will be liberated in the end.
Q5. The poem ‘The Trees’ present a conflict between man and nature. Describe the struggle of the
trees and their victorious march to their natural habitat—the forest.
Ans. The poem ‘The Trees’ is based on the universal and age-long theme — the conflict between man and
nature. Nature has endowed innumerous blessings on man. However, the greed, arrogance and
foolishness of man have constantly tested the patience of otherwise peaceful nature. When nature can’t
bear any more, it revolts and causes havoc on man in the form of storms, droughts and floods. Man’s
greed leads to deforestation. Forests without frees have become a curse for birds, insects and even for the
sun. This disaster can’t be redeemed.
Any attempt to subdue and control nature will end in failure. Uprooting trees from their original habitat,
the forests and confining them to artificial glasshouses will end in failure. The trees rise against the
onslaughts of men and wage a long and hard struggle to liberate themselves from the bondage of man.
Ultimately, they are victorious. They return to their original home where they should be. Ultimately,
nature asserts itself and repulses man’s attempt to exploit, subdue and tame it.