SLO BASED QUESTIONS for First Year

Unit 3: Good Timber by Douglas Malloch

Q1. Briefly discuss the tone, language, and structure of the poem, “Good Timber”.

Unit 3: Good Timber

Poet: Douglas Malloch

Answer: The tone of “Good Timber” is reflective and instructive, conveying a message
about the importance of facing challenges in life. The language is simple yet impactful,
using metaphorical imagery to draw parallels between trees and human character. The
structure is regular, with four-line stanzas, contributing to the poem’s rhythmic flow.

Q2 Which poetic devices are used in the poem, “Good Timber”?

Unit 3: Good Timber

Poet: Douglas Malloch

Answer: The poem employs metaphor, comparing trees to individuals and their growth to
human character development. Personification is present as trees are described as holding
counsel with the stars and the trees they never had to fight. Alliteration is evident in
phrases like “sun and snow, storm and strength, broken branches”, enhancing the poem’s
rhythmic quality. Furthermore, Enjambment is also present when the first line of the poem
runs over to the next line to complete its meaning.

Q3. How do challenges and adversity shape character and strength?

Unit 3: Good Timber

Poet: Douglas Malloch

Answer: The poem suggests that facing challenges, symbolized by the stronger wind and
storms, is essential for the development of character and strength. Adversity acts as a
testing ground, shaping individuals into resilient and strong beings.

Prepared by Nawab Khan

Q4. What might be the consequences of a life without challenges, as implied by the
poem?

Unit 3: Good Timber

Poet: Douglas Malloch

Answer: A life without challenges, as implied by the poem, may result in stagnation and
lack of personal growth. Without facing storms and difficulties, individuals may not
develop the inner strength and resilience needed to endure life’s trials.

Q5. What does the poet mean by the ‘Good Timber’?

Unit 3: Good Timber

Poet: Douglas Malloch

Answer: The ‘good timber’ in the poem represents individuals who have faced challenges
and adversities in life. It symbolizes people who, like strong trees, have grown through
difficulties, becoming resilient and possessing enduring strength.

Q6. What conditions are being set by the poet for the achievements of great heights
and strength?

Unit 3: Good Timber

Poet: Douglas Malloch

Answer: The poet sets the conditions of facing stronger winds, enduring storms, and
reaching towards the further sky for the achievement of great heights and strength. These
challenges are metaphorically compared to the adversities that contribute to the growth of
good timber, both in trees and individuals.

Q7. How does the formula of stronger wind and stronger trees apply to human beings?

Unit 3: Good Timber

Poet: Douglas Malloch

Answer: The formula of stronger wind and stronger trees applies to human beings by
suggesting that facing challenges and adversities results in the development of inner
strength and resilience. Just as trees grow stronger when exposed to stronger winds,
individuals become more robust through life’s challenges.

Prepared by Nawab Khan

Q8. What common law of nature is the poet pointing to in the poem “Good Timber”?

Unit 3: Good Timber

Poet: Douglas Malloch

Answer: The common law of nature pointed out in the poem is that good timber,
representing both trees and individuals, grows through exposure to various elements such
as sun, cold, rain, and snow. It emphasizes the universal principle that strength and
character are forged through facing and overcoming challenges in life. In other words, the
common law of nature is that the fittest survives while the weak perishes.

Q9. What is the dominant theme in the poem, “Good Timber”?

Unit 3: Good Timber

Poet: Douglas Malloch

Answer: The dominant theme in the poem “Good Timber” is resilience and growth through
adversity. The poem emphasizes that facing challenges and hardships is essential for
personal development and strength, drawing a parallel between the growth of trees and the
character development of individuals.

Q10. Who is Douglas Malloch? What is his contribution to English literature?

Unit 3: Good Timber

Poet: Douglas Malloch

Douglas Malloch (May 5, 1877 – July 2, 1938) was an American poet, short-story writer and
Associate Editor of American Lumberman, a trade paper in Chicago. He was known as a
Lumberman’s poet both locally and nationally. He is noted for writing ‘Round River Drive’
and ‘Be the Best of Whatever You Are’ in addition to many other creations.

Prepared by Nawab Khan