Tree by Tina Morris

 

Tree 


 They did not tell us

What it would be like

Without trees.

 

Nobody imagined

That the whispering of leaves

Would grow silent

Or the vibrant jade of spring

Pale to grey death.

 

And now we pile

Rubbish on rubbish

In the dusty landscape

Struggling to create

A tree.

 

But though the shape is right

And the nailed branches

Lean upon the wind

And plastic leaves

Lend colour to the twigs.

 

We wait in vain

For the slow unfurling of buds.

And no amount of loving

Can stir our weary tree

To singing.

 Tina Morris 

About Tina Morris

Tina Morris is a twentieth century British poet. She jointly edited New British Poetry anthology in 1965 with Dave Cunliffe. She wrote Thunderbolts of Peace and Liberation. The British Poetry revival was first proposed by Tina Morris in Poet meat She features in the Pudding magazine, the International Journal of Applied Poetry. She also features in 'Children in Albion', poetry of the underground in Britain. Her other popular poems are The Elephant Poem' and The Magician Next Door'.

The present poem 'Tree', gives importance to trees. The poet makes the present generation realise what the world would be without trees. Tina Morris's poems have clean, simple and solid imagery. We owe a debt to trees. The present poem the discussion is loaded with symbolic meaning jade of spring, pile rubbish on rubbish our weary tree question arises, can we imagine a life without trees? The poem transmits the message of conservation of trees for the present generation

 Answer the following questions in one or two sentences

1. What will be the result if trees are not taken care?

Ans. If the trees are not taken care of, they will be cut down.

2. What does the poet mean by 'whispering of leaves would go silent?

Ans. The poet means to say that when trees are cut down, there shall be no more whispering of leaves when the wind blows.

3. Why do people pile rubbish upon rubbish?

Ans. People pile rubbish after rubbish in order to create a tree out of artificial material.

4. What does the tree created by man look like?

Ans. The tree created by men looks like a lifeless tree.

5. Why do you think the tree is not stirred despite all efforts?

Ans. The tree is not stirred because it is lifeless.

6. How do the trees sing?

Ans. The trees sing when the wind blows.

7. Explain the word weary' in the last stanza of the poem.

Ans. The word weary means 'tired' but here artificial tree cannot stir to life so it means 'dead' here.

Answer the given questions in one hundred words each:

1. Write the summary of the poem Tree'.

Ans. 

 Summary of the poem Trees by Teena Morris

Tree is a short poem written by a British Poet Teena Morris. It talks about futile human efforts of reviving nature in modern artificial life. She reminds us how nature was disregarded and exchanged for an artificial modern life and how trees were cut down ruthlessly and how people are trying to decorate their homes with artificial trees. People built modern homes of cement concrete. Nobody thought about the consequences of cutting trees and replacing their natural habitat for a desert of cement concrete. But there is no substitute of nature. Artificial trees are no match for real trees. Without trees, we shall live a colourless life of a desert without the whisper and greenery of trees. Humanity can be happy only in the lap of Mother Nature. Nature can be revived by planting trees only not by artificial trees . This poem is a powerful message about conservation of trees for present generation.

2. How do you compare the tree in the poet's imagination with a natural tree?

Ans. The poet compares the artificial tree with a natural tree but an artificial tree is no match for a natural tree. Urbanization is taking people away from nature. They make up for the loss of nature by having artificial trees made of plastic in their homes. But though the shape is right and it has branches and leaves but is lifeless and it cannot please us like a natural tree. No degree of love and care can bring it to life. People foolishly stick plastic twigs leaves and flowers upon its branches with great care but it cannot give the same feeling that we get from a natural tree. It appears like piling rubbish upon rubbish. A natural tree comes to life and becomes vibrant when it comes in contact with the rain and sunlight but an artificial tree remains dead.

3. What is the message of the poem in respect of conservation of nature?

Ans. The message from Tina Morris is clear in this poem. She shows how the world would be without trees. Scientific and technological development is taking us away from nature. We are cutting the trees and replacing them with jungles of cement concrete and we are tying to replace nature with artificial things and machinery and trying to enjoy nature from artificial things. But nature is irreplaceable. No amount of love and care can make machines and artificial things replace nature. Her message is that trees must be conserved and nature must be protected otherwise humanity will suffer. The rishis of ancient India lived in the lap of nature. They were also men of science and philosophy but they never abandoned nature for artificial things.

 

Multiple Choice Type Questions

Choose the correct option:

1. ............. did not tell us what it would be like without trees:

a. The people

b. Villagers

c. Mother

d. Poet

Ans:  a. The people

2. The purpose of piling rubbish upon rubbish is ...................:

a. to dispose it

b. to create a tree

c. to burn it

d. to recycle it

Ans: b. to create a tree

3. The poet in vain waits for...................:

a. fruits in man made tree

b. slow unfurling of buds

c. flowers in man made tree

d. growth in man made tree

Ans: b. slow unfurling of buds

4. ............. gives colour to the twigs in the poem Tree:

a. Season

b. Buds

c. Local environment

d. Plastic leaves

Ans:  d. Plastic leaves

5. Name the poet of the poem 'Tree' is ...............:

a. Tina Campbell

b. Tina Morris

c. William Morris

d. Tina Chang

Ans: b. Tina Morris

 




Location: Satna, Madhya Pradesh, India

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