ON KILLING A TREE.

On Killing a Tree Literary Devices

 
1. No rhyme scheme is there in the poem. It is written in free
verse. There is no rhyme or rhythm.

2 Enjambment: When one sentence continues into two or more
lines.

Not a simple jab of the knife

Will do it. It has grown

Slowly consuming the earth
Rising out of it, feeding

Upon its crust, absorbing

Years of sunlight, air, water,

And out of its leprous hide

Sprouting leaves.
The most sensitive, hidden

For years inside the earth.
3. Metaphor : indirect comparison

Leprous hide – the uneven colour of the surface of the trunk of
a tree is compared to the skin of a person suffering from
leprosy.
Bleeding bark – the sap coming out of tree where it is cut is
compared to the bleeding from the wound in a human’s body.
4. Alliteration: repetition of a consonant sound in 2 or more
closely places words.

Bleeding bark – ‘b’ sound

White and wet – ‘w’ sound
5. Repetition: a word or sentence is repeated to lay emphasis
on it.

‘Pulled out’ is repeated

On Killing a Tree Summary – “On Killing a Tree” is a sensitive

poem. The poet persuades the reader not to destroy trees and
equates it with “killing” a human being. He says that a plant
 takes sunlight, water, air, and nutrients from the soil to gradually
become a huge tree. It develops a strong trunk and gets
numerous leaves.

Merely cutting the trunk of the tree does not kill it. When a tree
is cut, the sap ows out just like a wounded man bleeds. Once
the wound heals, new branches and tiny leaves grow from there
which grow into trees.

In order to destroy a tree, it has to be uprooted. The roots which
are white in color and are damp due to the moisture that they
get from the soil are hidden in a pit in the Earth. These roots are
the most sensitive part of the tree as they bind it to the earth. In
order to kill the tree, these roots have to be detached from the
soil.

Once the roots are detached, the tree starts dying, It withers,
dries up with the action of heat and wind, twists, hardens and
nally, dies.

Theme
The poem ‘On Killing a Tree’ is like an instruction manual for killing
a tree. It tells the reader that trees are living beings. They are not
cut but killed properly by uprooting the roots that are inserted
deeply in the soil. Through the poem, the poet teaches us many
lessons. Firstly, the poem illustrates the courage and strength of
trees, through which it teaches us to be strong and determined.
Then, it points out that evils are just like roots. They are deeply
rooted within us and even if we feel we have vanquished them, it
suddenly appears. Therefore, to kill an evil we must put in our best
e orts and uproot it. Thirdly, it teaches us that we must bring all
our work to a proper end. Lastly, it requests us not to cut trees that
sustain our lives.

The poem ‘On Killing a Tree’ describes the process of cutting a tree
completely. Ironically, through the description of the process, the
poet presents a severe criticism of human cruelty and insensitive
nature in chopping down trees for material bene t. The poet
appeals to its readers not to cut trees that give us the necessities
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of life and sustain them. Therefore one must not cut trees but plant
more and more trees. Apart from this, the poet gives readers
several lessons. Through the poem, the poet tells us about the
sturdiness and resilience of trees such that they take all kinds of
admonitions but refuse to die. Similarly, we too must be strong and
determined to face any challenges in life. Next, the trees in the
poem symbolize the evil patterns that are deeply inherited within
us. We may think that we have gotten rid of it but they may
suddenly appear until and unless we put in our best e orts. Lastly,
the poem states that we must complete our work e ciently and
wholeheartedly.

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