By– Adrienne Rich
Adrienne Rich – A Short Biography
Adrienne Rich was an American poet, essayist and feminist. She was born on 16 May 1929 and died at the age of 82 on 27 March 2012. ‘Of Woman Born’ On Lies, Secrets & Silence and ‘When We Dead Awaken’, are some of her famous works. In 1971, she was awarded the Shelley Memorial Award from the Poetry Society of America.
INTRODUCTION
This is a poem about decorative plants. These plants are grown in houses for beautification. These grow in small pots and pans. They have taken the place of large forest trees which have been cut by human beings. This poem presents the picture of harm to nature by human beings by their actions.
Central Idea of the Poem
Adrienne Rich’s “The Trees” is a nature poem. Forests are the natural habitat of trees, birds and insects. In the absence of trees in the forest, the ecological balance will be disturbed. In this poem, the poetess has personified nature. Man has confined nature within his four walls. Man has uprooted trees and kept them in the modern artificial glasshouses. But nature can’t be subdued for long. The trees struggle to break the artificial bathers. They become free breaking all the bondages and move towards their natural habitat — the forest. Only there they can grow to the natural vastness, grandeur and dimensions. The poetess tries to convey that like human beings trees also need freedom. They can get their natural growth and freedom when they are in the forest and not in artificial houses made by human beings.
Style
The poetess emphasises the idea that God’s creation is a composite phenomenon. Trees, forests animals, human beings and other agencies of nature are interlinked. The poem has four stanzas of an unequal number of lines. The poem is rich in visual power. The use of personification ‘no sun bury its feet in shadow’ is quite effective. The use of simile in stanza 2, where ‘cramped boughs’ are compared to the ‘newly discharged patients’ is an effective poetic device used in the poem.
1. What are the different parts of a tree? |
2. How do trees contribute to the environment? |
3. What are the different types of trees? |
4. How do trees support biodiversity? |
5. How can we take care of trees? |
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