THE TREES

BY- ADRIENNE RICH

ENGLISH-GRADE10-REFERENCE MATERIAL

CENTRAL IDEA OF THE POEM

Adrienne Rich’s “The Trees” is a nature poem. Forest is the natural habitat of trees, birds and
insects. In the absence of trees in the forest, the ecological balance will be disturbed. In this
poem, the poetess has personified nature. Man has confined nature within his four walls.
Man has uprooted trees and kept them in the modern artificial glasshouses. But nature can’t
be subdued for long. The trees struggle to break the artificial bathers. They become free
breaking all the bondages and move towards their natural habitat — the forest. Only there
they can grow to the natural vastness, grandeur and dimensions. The poetess tries to convey
that like human beings, trees also need freedom. They can get their natural growth and
freedom when they are in the forest and not in artificial houses made by human beings.
STYLE
The poetess emphasises the idea that God’s creation is a composite phenomenon. Trees,
forests animals, human beings and other agencies of nature are interlinked. The poem has
four stanzas of an unequal number of lines. The poem is rich in visual power. The use of
personification ‘no sun bury its feet in shadow’ is quite effective. The use of simile in stanza
2, where ‘cramped boughs’ are compared to the ‘newly discharged patients’ is an effective
poetic device used in the poem.
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 POEM
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.
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.
(Literary Devices:
Personification: Sun bury it’s feet. Sun has been personified.
Enjambment: Continuation of a sentence to the next line (the forest that was…… trees by
morning).
Anaphora: 2 lines begin with ‘no’
imagery: “The trees inside are moving out into the forest” – shows kinestatic imagery)
The poet says that the trees are moving out of the confines of the houses, into the open forest.
This is unrealistic 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

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BY- ADRIENNE RICH
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 cannot form any shadows. The forest
of humanity has remained empty for many days but will soon be full and bright.
All night the roots work
to disengage themselves from the cracks
in 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.
Word meanings
Disengage: remove
Strain: pressure
Twigs: small stem
Exertion: effort
Cramped: restricted
Boughs: branch
Shuffling: mixing
Discharged: send out
Dazed: stun
(Enjambment: continuation of sentence to the next line (the leaves strain……. Half dazed)
Simile: trees compared to patients (like newly discharged patients)
personification: twigs and boughs have been personified.)
The poet explains the struggle done by the plants to reach the forest. She says that the roots
worked for the whole night to separate themselves from the veranda floor. The leaves tried
hard to reach the window of glass so that they could go outside. Even the small stems of the
trees put much of their effort in order to set themselves free. The big branches were also
trying a lot to go out from the roof of the room. We can say that women are desperate for a
change and their effort is compared to that made by a patient who has been released from
the hospital and he tries to move out in a hurry although he is confused. Maybe because they
are half conscious and are under the influence of some medication, they are unsteady but in
a hurry to leave the clinic.
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
the smell of leaves and lichen
still reaches like a voice into the rooms
Scarcely: barely
Departure: leaving
Lichen: crusty patches of bushes of fungus and algae on tree trunks, having a distict smell
(Alliteration: ‘long letters’ forest from’ ‘sky still’ ‘leaves and lichen’
Enjambment: continuation of sentence to the next line (doors open….the house)

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Imagery: the poet has tried to create a scene in which she is observing all the things
happening (the night is fresh……into the rooms) )
The poet says that she is sitting in her veranda, writing long letters. She does not mention
about the trees leaving her house in her letters. She says that the night is very clear. She can
see the complete moon which is shining. The smell of leaves and lichens is like a voice which
is yelling and expressing a desire for freedom from the confines of the house.
My head is full of whispers
which tomorrow will be silent
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.
Whispers: murmur
Stumbling: trip over
Flash: glare, shine
Oak: A large, strong tree generally used for making furniture
(Simile: The moon is compared to a mirror (Moon is broken like a mirror))
Her head is full of the slow sounds made by the trees which are desperate to move out. These
sounds will not be heard the next day. The poet asks the reader to listen carefully as a change
is about to take place. She hears the glass window breaking and the trees stumble out into
the night. The wind is blowing outside. It meets the trees. The moon is like a mirror and it
appears to have been broken into pieces as the shadow of the oak tree divides the moon into
many fragments.
SHORT ANSWERS
Q1-(1) Find, in the first stanza, three things that cannot happen in a treeless forest?
Ans: The three things mentioned in the first stanza that cannot happen in a treeless forest
are:
1. Birds sitting on the tree branches.
2. The hiding of insects in the branches of trees
3. The sun burying its feet in the shadow of the trees in the forest.
(2) What picture do these words create in your mind: “… sun bury its feet in
shadow…”? What could the poet mean by the sun’s ‘feet?’
Ans: The sun’s feet are the rays of sun that reach the earth after falling on the leaves of the
trees and finally, reach the earth’s surface.
Q2- (1) Where are the trees in the poem? What do their roots, their leaves, and their
twigs do?
Ans: The trees are in the poet’s house. The roots are working hard to remove themselves
from the cracks of veranda. The leaves are making an effort to reach towards the glass in
order to come out and the twigs are making attempts to set themselves free and reach the
forest.
(2) What does the poet compare their branches to?
Ans: The poet uses the word long cramped for the branches. She says that the branches are
trying hard to come out of the roof. She then compares them with newly discharged patients
who are trying to move out in their half consciousness.

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Q3- (1) How does the poet describe the moon: (a) at the beginning of the third stanza,
and (b) at its end? What causes this change?
Ans: The poet describes the moon as a full moon in the beginning of the third stanza but at
the end of the stanza, she describes it to be broken into pieces. The change in the moon is
because of the trees. The trees that earlier were in the poet’s house have now reached the
forest. Their long branches have cast a shadow on the full moon and now it appears to be
broken into pieces like a mirror.
(2) What happens to the house when the trees move out of it?
Ans: The house becomes silent as the fragrance of the leaves and lichens which was like a
voice urging for a change can no longer be smelt.
(3) Why do you think the poet does not mention “the departure of the forest from the
house” in her letters? (Could it be that we are often silent about important happenings
that are so unexpected that they embarrass us? Think about this again when you
answer the next set of questions.) ?
Ans: The poet did not mention the departure of the forest from her house because it is a part
of human nature to ignore the important matters of their life. We all know that trees are so
important for our survival on earth. But still human beings are cutting them for making
profits without even thinking of the aftermath.
Q4- Now that you have read the poem in detail, we can begin to ask what the poem
might mean. Here are two suggestions. Can you think of others?
• Does the poem present a conflict between man and nature? Compare it with A Tiger in
the zoo. Is the poet suggesting that plants and trees, used for ‘interior decoration’ in
cities while forests are cut down, are ’imprisoned’ and need to ‘break out’?
Ans: Yes, the poem presents a conflict between man and nature. Man is causing deforestation
by cutting down the trees for his own use. On the other hand, he decorates his house with
the trees. We are damaging our environment without even thinking about the end results.
By clearing up the forests, we are endangering ourselves. So is with the animals too. We are
ruining their natural habitat and killing them for our fun or food but on the other hand, we
are keeping them in the cages on the pretext of safeguarding them by making sanctuaries
and zoos. So, it is true that we are in a direct conflict with nature and making the other living
beings prisoners, be it the trees or animals.
• On the other hand, Adrienne Rich has been known to use trees as a metaphor for human
beings; this is a recurrent image in her poetry. What new meanings emerge from the
poem if you take its trees to be symbolic of this particular meaning?
Ans: If trees are to be taken as a symbol for human beings, then the poem will define the
efforts of humans to free themselves from the clutches of the desire to achieve everything.
All the human beings are under a constant pressure of being at the top in every field. Either
they are forced by their own desire of doing so or there is a constant peer pressure on them.
So, the human beings will set themselves free from this race and try to live a happy and
peaceful life.
DETAILED 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.

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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.
Long Answer Type Questions.
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. At the
highlights importance of trees when she says that if it’s the poem, the poetess indirectly it
the 48 fees.in shadow. no forest, there is no place for birds to sit, insects to hide and the sun
to bury played]. In shadow. As a sapling, the plant adds to the beauty of the surroundings
when it spreads its branches, leaves and roots around. It gets the suit house. Grows, the hour
But as it ‘depart, rated unless it is brought into the open. Thus, in the poem, the trees are said
to tor -room the house to be welcomed by the strong winds and the moon. But there is no
est. Busted the house any more, as there are no trees. The poetess does not want to mention

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BY- ADRIENNE RICH
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.