Poem 8 - On Killing A Tree

We, at UrbanPro, provide a detailed summary and other essential facts of the poem “On Killing a Tree” by Gieve Patel. We also offer extra questions & answers for a better understanding of the poem.

Summary

It takes much time to kill a tree,

Not a simple jab of the knife

Will do it. It has grown

Slowly consuming the Earth,

Rising out of it, feeding

Upon its crust, absorbing

Years of sunlight, air, water,

And out of its leprous hide

Sprouting leaves

The poet says that it takes a long time to kill a tree, as cutting it with a knife will not do. The tree lives for many years, absorbing water from the Earth’s crust and sunlight, that allows it to grow and sprout its leaves.

So hack and chop

But this alone won’t do it.

Not so much pain will do it.

The bleeding bark will heal

And from close to the ground

Will rise curled green twigs,

Miniature boughs

Which if unchecked will expand again

To former size.

Hacking and chopping the tree will not do, as the tree will soon grow more and heal its bark. The roots and the leaves of the tree will expand, giving birth to offsprings that will quickly grow to be the same size as its parent.

No,

The root is to be pulled out –

Out of the anchoring Earth;

It is to be roped, tied,

And pulled out-snapped out

Or pulled out entirely,

Out from the earth-cave,

And the strength of the tree exposed

The source, white and wet,

The most sensitive, hidden

For years inside the Earth

Here, the poet explains how a tree could be killed. It is to rope, tied, and then uprooted from the soil (root has to be pulled out) to kill a tree. This will cut the life force of the tree (the soil) and kill it instantly. Separating the tree from the Earth is the best way to kill it completely.

Then the matter

Of scorching and choking

In sun and air,

Browning, hardening,

Twisting, withering,

And then it is done

Uprooted trees will soon dry & shrivel up if left open to the sun and air. The tree will begin turning brown and wither after it is eradicated from the soil. Soon, it will die due to losing its connection with its life force – the Earth.

Characters

There are no characters in this poem, and it is a commentary on humankind destroying the connections they have with nature and their loved ones. The tree supports the existence of humanity, yet we still try to kill it.

Literary Devices

There are no rhyming devices used in this poem. Enjambments, metaphors, and alliteration have been used sparsely in this poem.

Themes

The central theme of this poem is the connection of a human with the various sources that support its life. The actions of humans cause us to break the relationship with its valuable and loved ones. This is signified by the tree being separated from the soil, which provides us life. The difficulty faced in cutting a tree is a mere allusion to how difficult it is to break human bonds with our loved ones and precious valuables.