Summary: Cypress Street | Class 6 English Alive PDF Download

Introduction

The poem "Cypress Street" talks about a person who takes a walk down Cypress Street and notices some significant changes. They see that instead of trees, there are now lampposts lining the street. This change surprises and disappoints them. Through the poem, they express their thoughts about the disappearance of the trees and suggest renaming the street to reflect its new appearance.

Stanza-wise Explanation

Stanza 1:

 I took a stroll down Cypress Street

 The hot sidewalk beneath my feet.

Explanation: The opening stanza introduces the setting and the speaker's physical connection to it. The mention of the "hot sidewalk" suggests discomfort and hints at a lack of shade and greenery which would typically mitigate such heat. This establishes a contrast between the current urbanized environment and what one might expect of a street named after a tree.

Stanza 2:

The one thing that stood out the most

Where trees once stood there were lampposts.

Explanation: Here, the speaker points out the stark transformation of Cypress Street from a presumably lush, tree-lined road to one dominated by artificial structures. The replacement of trees with lampposts symbolizes a shift from natural to man-made, highlighting the loss of organic beauty and perhaps the functionality of natural shade and oxygen supply which trees provide.

Stanza 3:

 I'd never seen so much concrete

No Cypress left on Cypress Street.

Explanation: This stanza underscores the complete transformation and the overwhelming presence of concrete. The repetition of "Cypress Street" in a new context emphasizes the irony of the street's name, now that the cypress trees are gone. This could suggest a deeper disconnection between the environment and its nomenclature, perhaps critiquing how urban development often overlooks the importance of maintaining natural elements.

Stanza 4:

According to my Great Aunt Gem

There used to be a lot of them.

Explanation: The reference to the speaker’s Great Aunt Gem serves as a link to the past, providing a historical testimony to what the street once was. This oral history enriches the narrative by connecting it to personal memory and the broader communal memory, deepening the sense of loss.

Stanza 5:

They cut them down. They took their wood

A treeless street is plum no good!

Just like a treeless neighbourhood

Explanation: In this powerful stanza, the act of cutting down the trees is portrayed as both a physical and a symbolic loss. The use of "plum no good" employs colloquial language to emphasize the speaker's strong emotional response to this change. The comparison to a "treeless neighbourhood" extends the criticism to wider urban planning, suggesting that such changes diminish community livability and environmental health.

Stanza 6:

So tell the Mayor next time they meet ...

 To change the name to Lamppost Street!

Explanation: The final stanza presents a direct and somewhat sarcastic suggestion to rename the street, thus acknowledging the new reality while also critiquing it. This call to the Mayor underscores the speaker's desire for truth in labeling, perhaps as a form of protest against the changes or as a call to awareness about the implications of such urbanization.

Theme and Message:

The poem highlights the importance of nature, specifically trees, in our surroundings. It expresses sadness and disappointment at the loss of trees and the increase in concrete. The message is that trees are valuable and their absence can negatively impact the beauty and liveliness of a street or neighborhood.

List of Difficult Words With Meaninga:

Lampposts: Tall posts with a light at the top, usually found on streets for illumination.

Concrete: A hard building material made from a mixture of cement, sand, gravel, and water.

Plum: Completely; entirely.

Neighbourhood: A district or community within a town or city.