Poem The Trees by Adrienne Rich: Complete Guide

Explore Poem The Trees by Adrienne Rich with this comprehensive guide tailored for Class 10 students. Dive into the summary, theme, and literary devices of the poem to enhance your understanding. Prepare effectively for exams with questions and answers, extra important questions, and extract-based MCQs from The Trees by Adrienne Rich. Perfect for mastering Class 10 poetry, this guide ensures clarity and success in board exams.

Summary of the Poem The Trees by Adrienne Rich

In The Trees, Adrienne Rich describes a scene where trees, confined indoors, are yearning for freedom. These trees are in pots, disconnected from their natural surroundings, trapped inside where they don’t truly belong. As the poem unfolds, Rich presents the trees breaking out of this confinement and moving toward freedom, symbolising a powerful urge to reclaim their rightful space in nature. The speaker watches silently, letting the trees make their escape as they bend, break, and finally head towards the open.

Theme of the Poem The Trees by Adrienne Rich

The main theme of The Trees is liberation and the importance of natural freedom. Rich conveys that nature’s elements, like trees, thrive in their natural environment and resist confinement. Through this, she symbolises the broader human desire for freedom and the refusal to remain trapped. The poem also explores the idea of human disconnect from nature, showing how confining nature indoors is like stifling life itself. Rich uses the trees to reflect the human spirit’s drive to find spaces where it can grow and flourish without restriction.

Literary Devices Used in the Poem The Trees by Adrienne Rich

Adrienne Rich employs several literary devices to enhance the depth of The Trees.

• Personification: The trees are personified as if they have feelings and desires. Rich describes them longing to break free, mirroring human aspirations for freedom.
• Imagery: Vivid descriptions help readers visualise the scene, like the trees “straining” toward the light, which evokes a sense of effort and movement.
• Symbolism: The trees symbolise both nature’s struggle to exist freely and the human longing for liberation.
• Alliteration: The repetition of sounds, such as in “roots work,” emphasises the intensity and determination of the trees’ actions.
• Enjambment: Rich uses lines that flow into each other without punctuation, creating a sense of urgency and unstoppable movement as the trees break free.

Word Meaning of the poem

Word/Expression	Meaning
Whispering	Making a soft, quiet sound, often associated with speaking in hushed tones.
Struggle	A forceful effort to break free from something or achieve something difficult.
Departing	Leaving or going away from a place.
Emptied	Made empty; cleared out or vacated.
Glass	Transparent material, typically referring to a windowpane in the poem.
Crumpled leaves	Leaves that are wrinkled or crushed.
Shuffling	Moving with a dragging, sliding motion.
Silent	Completely quiet, without any noise.
Dried-up	Something that has lost its moisture or vitality, often used for something lifeless.
Smell of leaves and lichen	The natural earthy scent of leaves and a type of fungus that grows on rocks or trees.
Broken	Incomplete, damaged, or no longer whole.
Lichen	A type of organism that grows on surfaces like rocks and trees, often in damp conditions.
Speechless	Unable to speak due to shock, emotion, or awe.
Evacuating	Leaving a place, often to escape danger or make space.
Forest	A large area covered with trees and other plants.
Moving Air	Refers to a breeze or wind in the context of the poem.
Long-cramped	Restricted or confined for a long time.

Question and Answer of the poem The Trees

1. (i) Find, in the first stanza, three things that cannot happen in a treeless forest.
In a treeless forest, no birds can perch, no insects can hide, and the sun cannot bury its feet in shadow.

(ii) 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’?
The phrase “sun bury its feet in shadow” creates a picture of the sunlight spreading across the forest floor, blocked by the trees, creating shadows. By the sun’s ‘feet,’ the poet may mean the rays of sunlight reaching down to the ground.

2. (i) Where are the trees in the poem? What do their roots, their leaves, and their twigs do?
The trees are kept indoors, in pots and rooms. Their roots work to break free, their leaves try to push through the glass, and their twigs strain outward as they seek freedom.

(ii) What does the poet compare their branches to?
The poet compares the trees’ branches to long, cramped bodies that are yearning to stretch out and reach towards the light.

3. (i) How does the poet describe the moon: (a) at the beginning of the third stanza, and (b) at its end? What causes this change?
(a) At the beginning of the third stanza, the moon is calm and whole, seen through the leaves.
(b) By the end, the moon appears broken and scattered. This change happens as the trees move out, disrupting the moon’s reflection and the view of the sky.

(ii) What happens to the house when the trees move out of it?
The house becomes silent and empty, losing the life and energy that the trees brought to it.

(iii) Why do you think the poet does not mention “the departure of the forest from the house” in her letters?
The poet may avoid mentioning it because some events are so surprising or strange that they’re hard to explain or talk about. Sometimes, silence follows important happenings that feel uncomfortable or unsettling.

4. (i) 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’?
Yes, the poem does show a conflict between man and nature. Like the tiger in A Tiger in the Zoo, which is caged and unable to roam freely, the trees in this poem are trapped indoors for decoration. The poet suggests that nature cannot truly thrive when confined and needs freedom, just as animals do.

(ii) 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?
If we see the trees as symbolic of people, the poem could be about people’s need for freedom and growth. The trees’ struggle to escape could represent a human desire to break free from restrictions and live authentically, outside of limiting environments.

5. You may read the poem On Killing a Tree by Gieve Patel (Beehive – Textbook in English for Class IX, NCERT). Compare and contrast it with the poem you have just read.
On Killing a Tree focuses on the resilience of nature, showing that a tree cannot be easily destroyed as it has deep roots in the earth. In contrast, The Trees emphasises the need for nature to be free rather than confined. While both poems highlight nature’s strength and endurance, On Killing a Tree focuses on human efforts to harm nature, while The Trees shows nature’s determination to seek freedom and thrive outside confinement.

Extra Questions from the poem The Trees by Adrienne Rich (Important)

1. Why do the trees want to break out of the house?
The trees want to escape because they feel stifled and unnatural indoors. They long for freedom in the open, where they can grow, stretch, and thrive in their natural environment, away from confinement.

2. How does the poet use the image of the moon in the poem?
The poet uses the moon to show the impact of the trees’ escape. Initially calm and whole, the moon becomes broken and scattered, symbolising disruption and change as the trees reclaim their freedom.

3. What does the poet suggest about nature’s resilience through the trees?
The poet shows nature’s resilience by depicting the trees’ determination to break free. Despite confinement, their roots, leaves, and branches work together to reclaim the outdoors, highlighting nature’s unstoppable drive for survival.

4. How does Adrienne Rich portray the house after the trees leave?
After the trees leave, the house becomes empty and silent, as if lifeless. This portrays how the presence of nature, even when controlled, brings life and energy, which disappears when nature seeks freedom.

5. How does the poem reflect a human desire for freedom?
The trees’ struggle to escape symbolises human desires for freedom and authenticity. Just as the trees reach out, humans long to break free from limiting spaces and discover their true potential in the world.

6. How can the trees in Adrienne Rich’s poem represent women’s struggle for freedom?

The trees in the poem can be seen as a symbol of women who feel trapped by society’s rules and expectations. Just like the trees are confined indoors, women can feel restricted in their lives, unable to grow or live freely. When the trees try to break free and reach for the open sky, it shows a desire for independence and self-expression. The poem suggests that, like the trees, women want to find their own space where they can thrive and be themselves.

Extract Based MCQs from The Trees by Adrienne Rich

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Extract 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 shadow…”

Questions:

1. What does the phrase “moving out into the forest” suggest about the trees?
   • (a) They are happy indoors.
   • (b) They are being uprooted.
   • (c) They seek freedom and growth.
   • (d) They are being pruned.
2. According to the poet, what has been missing in the forest?
   • (a) Birds and animals
   • (b) Trees and plants
   • (c) People and houses
   • (d) Rivers and lakes
3. What does “no sun bury its feet in shadow” imply?
   • (a) The sun is hidden.
   • (b) The forest lacks trees to create shade.
   • (c) The sun is too bright.
   • (d) The forest is full of shadows.

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Extract 2:
“My head is full of whispers
which tomorrow will be silent.”

Questions:

1. What do the “whispers” in the speaker’s head represent?
   • (a) Excitement about the trees
   • (b) The trees’ silent but strong urge to leave
   • (c) People talking
   • (d) The sounds of the forest
2. Why will the whispers be silent tomorrow?
   • (a) The trees will have escaped.
   • (b) The speaker will forget them.
   • (c) The forest will be destroyed.
   • (d) The trees will stop growing.
3. Which literary device is used in “my head is full of whispers”?
   • (a) Alliteration
   • (b) Personification
   • (c) Hyperbole
   • (d) Simile

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Extract 3:
“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.”

Questions:

1. How does the poet describe the night?
   • (a) Dark and cold
   • (b) Fresh and bright
   • (c) Silent and windy
   • (d) Stormy and tense
2. What effect does the “smell of leaves and lichen” have?
   • (a) It adds a feeling of confinement.
   • (b) It brings a reminder of nature indoors.
   • (c) It makes the room feel dark.
   • (d) It suggests pollution.
3. What does the phrase “like a voice” imply about nature?
   • (a) Nature speaks silently to humans.
   • (b) Nature is noisy and chaotic.
   • (c) Nature is invisible.
   • (d) Nature is quiet and shy.

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Extract 4:
“And the leaves strain toward the glass,
small twigs stiff with exertion,
long-cramped boughs shuffling under the roof
like newly discharged patients”

Questions:

1. What does “strain toward the glass” tell us about the leaves?
   • (a) They are heavy and drooping.
   • (b) They are eager to escape.
   • (c) They are lifeless and still.
   • (d) They are falling off.
2. The “small twigs stiff with exertion” suggest that the trees are:
   • (a) Weak and fragile
   • (b) Making a strong effort to break free
   • (c) Growing downward
   • (d) Becoming brittle and dry
3. How does the poet describe the boughs?
   • (a) Cramped and struggling to move
   • (b) Relaxed and still
   • (c) Long and swaying in the wind
   • (d) Weak and broken

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Answer Key

Extract 1

1. (c) They seek freedom and growth.
2. (b) Trees and plants
3. (b) The forest lacks trees to create shade.

Extract 2

1. (b) The trees’ silent but strong urge to leave
2. (a) The trees will have escaped.
3. (b) Personification

Extract 3

1. (b) Fresh and bright
2. (b) It brings a reminder of nature indoors.
3. (a) Nature speaks silently to humans.

Extract 4

1. (b) They are eager to escape.
2. (b) Making a strong effort to break free
3. (a) Cramped and struggling to move