1. How does the poet describe the growth of a tree over the years?

What are the

different steps taken for killing a tree? [4+2=6]

A tree grows out of the earth and collects its nutrients from the earth. Its
growth is slow and for years it absorbs the primary natural elements like
air, water and sunlight to grow into a tough living being which cannot be
killed easily with a knife. It can neither be killed by hacking and chopping
as the wounds would heal soon for is superior life-force.
For killing a tree, it is at first tied with a rope and its root is pulled
out. Then the root is left in the open for browning, hardening, twisting and
withering.

2. Justify the title of the poem ‘On Killing a Tree’?

[H.S. 2016] [6]

‘On Killing a Tree’ is a satirical poem that expresses the poet’s anger
against the deliberate and cold-blooded killing of a tree by man. He
narrates ironically how man’s effort to kill a tree by jabbing it totally.
He then narrates the ruthless precision with which man kills a tree by
uprooting it and exposing its tender roots to the harsh sun and air for
scorching and hardening. The title ‘On Killing a Tree’ conforms to this
ironical spirit of the poem as the readers get the unexpected shock of
confronting something that reads like a manual or recipe for killing.

3. “It takes much time to kill a tree”,-Why does it take much time to kill a
tree? According to poet how is the tree finally killed?
[H.S.2015,2018] [3+3=6]

Killing a tree takes much time because of its superior life-force and faster
resilience. This is ensured by its close proximity to the earth and primary
natural elements. A tree grows out of the earth and consuming nutrients from
the earth and absorbing air, water and sunlight for years. Its slow growth
and closeness to nature ensures its strength and power of survival.
A tree is not killed by a simple jab of knife or by hacking and chopping. It
is finally killed when its secret root is pulled out from the soil after
tying it with a rope. Then it is exposed to the sun and air for scorching
and choking. When the root turns brown, hard, deformed and dried up, the
tree is finally killed.

4. “And out of his leprous hide sprouting leaves.”-What does the expression
‘leprous hide’ refer to? Why it is called ‘leprous hide’? How does the tree
obtain its ‘leprous hide’? What irony is hinted at by ‘leprous hide
sprouting leaves’? [H.S.2019] [1+1+2+2=6]

The expression ‘leprous hide’ refers to the bark of a tree.

 It is called ‘leprous hide’ because the bark is rough and full of marks like the
skin of a leper.
The tree obtains this tough exterior by growing slowly, consuming the
nutrients from the earth’s surface and absorbing natural elements like air,
water and sunlight for years.
The bark of a tree looks diseased and devoid of any life force. But that is
a camoflague because from it green leaves sprout. This is the irony
contained in the line.

5. “The poem ‘On Killing a Tree’ describes man’s cruelty and violence to
Nature”-Discuss.

The poem ‘On Killing a Tree’ is a satirical poem, at man’s violence and
cruelty in killing a tree. The poet has described in detail how a tree
having superior life force can resist on slaught and withstand pain and
damage. In the second part of the poem, the poet has narrated the deliberate
and coldblooded method of violence that a man undertakes in forcibly
exposing the soft core of a tree’s strength and mercilessly kills it by
scorching and choking in air and sunlight.

6. “And then it is done.”-What is done? When is ‘it’ done? How is ‘it’ done?
[1+2+3=6]

The diabolical killing of the tree is done or completed.

It is done or completed when the pulled-out root is exposed to air and
sunlight until it turns brown, deshaped and dried up.
The tree cannot be killed by a jab of the knife or hacking or chopping,
because the tree can withstand such assaults and revive. For killing a tree,
it is tied with a rope and it is uprooted. After that the root is left in
the open for completer destruction.

7. How does a tree offer resistance to its destruction? How does its resistance
fail? [3+3=6]

It is not easy to kill a tree. Humans and animals can be killed with a jab
of knife but the tree easily resists the attack of knife. Even when it is
hacked and chopped, it feels extreme pain and oozes sap from the bark but
does not die. After a time small leaves and branches grow from its stem near
the ground. If it is allowed to grow these miniature boughs get back its
former size in time. In this way a tree resists destruction.
But a tree’s resistance fails when man takes deliberate measures to kill it.
The tree is roped and its secret root is pulled out from the earth cave. The
root is the source of tree’s life. Then this wet, white root is exposed to
the sun and air for getting chocked and killed. When this cruel process is
executed by man then its resistance fails and it finally dies.