THE LABURNUM Top BY : TED HUGHES pomNnTS: H opost has drawn a beautiful picture of an autumn: afterno. :, 01 silent and still. Its leaves have tumed yellow and some seeds tree comes to life with the arrival of the goldfinch. mn. The laburnum tree is have fallen. The whole |, poet has compared the alert, abrupt and sleek movement of the gold tizard, After feeding her young ones, the goldfinch flies away ionitenennd : ¢ infinite sky: and Eau ib tree becomes quiet and silent once again. The poet has c: the : omy 4 fe a /family of goldfinch with a machine which starts up at the a o : (mum al of its engine (goldfinch). poETIC DEVICES: 1, SIMILE: Sleek as a lizard ( goldfinch has been compared with a lizard) 2, ALLITERATION: a) September sunlight (b) And Alert and abrupt (c) Tree trembles (repetition of sound) (@) Whistle-chirrup whisperings 3, Metaphor: (a) Amachine starts up (family of goldfinch has been referred to as machine). (b) Itis the engine of her family (the goldfinch is the engine here). (©) Her barred face identity mask (the shadow on the bird's face is compat identity mask). 4, PERSONIFICATION: The whole tree trembles and thrills red to an EXTRACTS: The laburnum top is silent, quite still In the afternoon yellow September sunlight, _ A few leaves yellowing, all its seeds fallen.@) which season has been described here? @ Winter () autumn S me © jdentify the poetic device in the second line “September i @ Alliteration a een os: Smile @ Pan . @ Describe the effect of autumn season on laburnum tri ee, (a) The leaves have turned green (b) All the leaves have fall ave fallen (©) Purple flowers are blooming (@)_ the leaves have tured yellow . @ Till the goldfinch comes, with a twitchin; ir ‘ ig chirrup. A sudd at a branch end. Then sleek as a lizard, and alert and aaa fement thickness, and a machine starts up Chitteri i Se trillings. ? ings, and a tremor of wings, and ‘Who does "she" refer to? (a) The stem of the tree (b) The goldfinch (c) Engine of the tree (@)_ None of the above . (0) Which poetic device has in "Sleek as a lizard" ? (pb) Simile (@) Metaphor (a) Alliteration (c) Oxymoron (>) The goldfinch has been compared to a lizard because (b) It is hideous to @ it Jooks like it (the goldfinch) . look at. (a) Itis yellow in colour. (©) Its movement is quick and alert. Ans. (c)The whole tree trembles and thrills. It is the engine of her family. She stokes it {full then flirts out to a branch-end, Showing her barred face identity mask Then with the cerie delicate whistle-chirrup whisperings, She launches away towards the infinite And the laburnum subsides to empty. (ii) 1. Identify the figure of speech in the first line. (a) Personification (&) Simile (©) Pun (@ Irony Ans. (a) 2. Whois the engine of the family? (a) _goldfinch (b) tree (©) September seasons (@ _ leaves of the tree Ans. (a) 3. The goldfinch has perhaps brought food to feed its young ones which has filled her family with excitement and energy. Which phrase of the stanza supports this view? (a) “tree trembles and thrills” (6) “engine of her family” (©) “she launches away” (@) “she stokes it full"? Ans. (b) SHORT ANSWER TYPE QUESTIONS (SOLVED) Question 1. Why is the poom named 'The Laburnum Top"? Answer. The poem has been named 'The Laburnum Top' because the top of the Laburnum tree has been described in detail in the poem. It is on the top of the Laburnum tree that the nest of the goldfinch is located and where all the activity takes place when the goldfinch Visits the nest, Question 2. What is the significance of 'yellow' in the poem? Answer: The flowers ofthe Laburmum tree and its leaves (in autumn) both ae yellow ia “olout. Apart from this, the goldfinch's feathers are also yellow in colour. The poem highligh th hh security thatthe mother bird ensures for her babies andthe colour yellow hes Camouflaging the babies. Hence, they escape from being noticed by any predator.Question 3. How is the tree transformed during the bird's vie} 's visit? Answer. After the goldfinch arrives on the tree, the si lent and still Laburn lum tree sud lenly ‘ / the ci make a lot of noise as they chitter and trill on seeing their moth SS of the olny er. starts trembling and moving. The whoie tree comes to life as Question 4. To what is the movement of th: © goldfinch cor i een pared? What i the basis forthe Answer. The movement of the goldfinch is compared to that of a lizard. The bas a asis of the comparison is the sleek and alert movements ofa lizard. The goldfinch makes sinilarkn, lar kind of movements when it arrives on the Laburnum tree to avoid being noticed by any pred: lator. uestion 5. “Then sl i Q ; : en sleek as a lizard and alert and abrupt, she enters the thickness”, Explain the given line. Answer. The lizard is a quick moving animal. It is also very alert and its movements are sudden. In the given line, the arrival of the goldfinch on the Laburnum tree is described. The poet describes its movements as alert and sudden just like that of a lizard. This is done to avoid getting the attention of the predators. Question 6. What is the engine of the machine? What is its fuel? Answer. The goldfinch has been called the engine of her family. Just as the engine starts up al in the nest has suddenly started the machine Le., the the machine, the goldfinch's arriv: aking noise. The fuel of the engine is the food that the young ones in the nest have started, m: goldfinch brings for her chicks. the nestlings? Laburnum its yellow Question 7. How does the Laburnum ensure security fo rk and the seeds of the ” rt from this, the yellow-otous! tree are Answer. According to popular belief, the ba me near the tree. Apa on complemented by predators poisonous. So, predators normally do not co flowers and yellowing leaves in the autumn seas a ings from the feathers of the goldfinch help in camouflaging the nestlings ‘LONG ANSWER TYPE QUESTIONS tion: What values do you learn from th. i “the « Question ys rom the goldfinch in the poem ‘the ‘Laburmum| Top? Answer: The goldfinch has its nest on the top of the Laburnum tree in the poem, “The Laburnum Top’. Her chicks stay in the nest while she (the mother goldfinch) Keeps going out at regular intervals to get food to feed her chicks. This shows her caring nature and highlights the values of motherly care and affection of a mother towards her offspring. The other aspect of the goldfinch that is captured in the poem is its movement. She arrives at the Laburnum top in a sudden manner and is very much alert to her surroundings. The poet has compared her movement with the sleek movement of a lizard. However, there is a reason for her moving like this (in an alert and sudden manner), She is moving in this manner so as to avoid getting noticed by any predator. She does not want any predator to know that her chicks are resting in her nest on the laburnum top as then the predators may kill them or harm them. The values of safety and security for her offspring is highlighted in this act of the goldfinch.