When Great Trees Fall by Maya Angelou
When Great Trees Fall by Maya Angelou
Line by Line Paraphrase
(Please keep a copy of poem in front of you before reading the paraphrase)
When great trees fall,………safety
When magnificent and towering trees collapse,
Even rocks far away tremble,
Lions crouch low in the tall grass,
And elephants move slowly towards a place of safety.
When great trees fall ……. fear
When these massive trees collapse,
In the midst of forests,
Small creatures retreat and become silent,
Their awareness dulled, feeling something beyond just fear.
When great souls die…….hurtful clarity
When extraordinary people pass away,
The atmosphere around us turns
Thin, uncommon, and pure.
We take short breaths.
For a moment, our eyes
See everything with painful clarity.
Our memory……….taken
Our memory, suddenly keen,
Reviews,
Dwells on kind words,
That were left unspoken,
On walks we promised to take,
But never did.
Great souls die ……..wizened
When great souls leave this world,
Our sense of reality, tied to them,
Also slips away from us.
Our spirits, which relied on their
Care, now feel smaller and diminished.
Our minds, ……….caves
Our minds, which were shaped
And enlightened by their brilliance,
Start to falter.
We don’t necessarily go mad with grief,
But are reduced to a deep ignorance,
Like we are lost in dark, cold caves.
And when great souls die ………vibration
But when these great souls pass away,
Eventually, peace begins to blossom,
Gradually and inevitably.
Though it may come unevenly. Emptiness begins to fill,
With a gentle, comforting energy that vibrates.
Our senses, ……….existed.
Our senses are restored, though they never
Quite return to what they were, and they speak softly to us.
They were here. They truly existed.
Because of them, we know we can be. We can live and continue,
And be better because they existed.
1. Summary of “When Great Trees Fall”
Maya Angelou’s poem describes the powerful impact that the death of great people has on the world. She begins with a natural image: when huge trees fall, even distant rocks shake and animals feel frightened. Similarly, when great souls die, the atmosphere around us becomes strange and empty. During the first moments of grief, our senses feel sharp and painful, and our memory keeps returning to unspoken words and undone actions. The death of such people weakens our spirits and makes our minds feel lost.
However, with time, peace slowly returns. Although we never remain the same again, our senses whisper a message: the great souls lived, and because they lived, we too can live better. Their existence continues to inspire us to improve ourselves.
2. Themes
a) Loss and Grief
The poem explores how deeply we feel the absence of great people. Their death shakes our emotional world, just as nature is shaken when giant trees fall.
b) Influence of Great Souls
Great people shape our minds and nurture our spirits. Their presence elevates us, and their absence creates emptiness.
c) Healing and Hope
Although grief is painful, the poem ends with hope. Over time, peace blooms, and we realize that the greatness of these souls continues to guide us.
d) Memory and Regret
The mind returns to unspoken kindness and undone acts, showing the natural human regret that comes after loss.
3. Tone and Mood
Tone
The tone shifts through the poem:
Mournful and reflective in the beginning (loss, emptiness)
Sorrowful and introspective in the middle (regret, confusion)
Hopeful and uplifting toward the end (healing, inspiration)
Mood
The reader feels:
Sadness
Stillness
Reflection
Finally, comfort and inspiration
4. Literary Devices in the Poem
1. Metaphor
“Great trees” = great people.
Their fall symbolizes the death of wise, influential souls.
2. Personification
“Rocks… shudder”
Rocks are given human qualities to show the powerful impact of great trees falling.
“Our senses… whisper to us”
Senses cannot whisper, but personification conveys how quietly inspiration returns.
3. Imagery
Angelou uses strong visual images:
“Lions hunker down in tall grasses”
“Elephants lumber after safety”
These images help the reader feel the disturbance caused by loss.
4. Symbolism
Great trees → symbols of strong, wise, admirable people.
Dark, cold caves → ignorance, fear, confusion during grief.
Electric vibration → the quiet, healing energy that returns.
5. Alliteration
“spaces… soothing”
“peace blooms”
Repeating consonant sounds adds musicality.
6. Repetition
“They existed. They existed.”
Repetition emphasizes the certainty and importance of their lives.
7. Simile (implied comparison)
Not a direct “like/as” simile, but an implied comparison:
The reaction of nature to fallen trees mirrors our reaction to loss.
8. Contrast
The poem contrasts:
the chaos of grief
with the slow return of peace
9. Tone Shift
The emotional tone changes from sorrow → emptiness → healing → hope.
1. Line-by-Line Explanation (Meaning + Literary Devices)
(Readers please note that it is different from paraphrase; here each line is explained with the device used.)
“When great trees fall,”
The poet compares the death of great people to huge trees collapsing.
Device: Metaphor.
“rocks on distant hills shudder,”
Even faraway objects seem to shake—showing how deeply the loss is felt.
Device: Personification, imagery.
“lions hunker down / in tall grasses,”
Even powerful animals feel disturbed and seek protection.
Device: Imagery, symbolism (fear spreading everywhere).
“and even elephants lumber after safety.”
Even the strongest creatures become slow and frightened.
Device: Imagery, symbolism.
“When great souls die,”
The poem now shifts from nature to humans—great souls are rare, noble people.
Device: Metaphor.
“the air around us becomes light, rare, sterile.”
The atmosphere feels empty and strange when such people leave us.
Device: Imagery, metaphor.
“We breathe, briefly.”
We continue living but mechanically, without true strength.
Device: Symbolism.
“Our eyes, briefly, see with a hurtful clarity.”
Grief sharpens our senses; everything looks painfully real.
Device: Oxymoron (clarity that hurts), imagery.
“Our memory, suddenly sharpened,”
Our remembrance becomes intense after someone dies.
Device: Personification.
“examines,”
Memory behaves like a living being that inspects everything.
Device: Personification.
“gnaws on kind words unsaid,”
We regret the good things we never said.
Device: Personification, imagery.
“promised walks never taken.”
Unfulfilled plans become painful memories.
Device: Symbolism (lost opportunities).
“Great souls die and our reality, bound to them, takes leave of us.”
The world we knew with them disappears.
Device: Metaphor.
“Our souls, dependent upon their nurture, now shrink, wizened.”
Our spirits become small and dried-up without their guidance.
Device: Metaphor, imagery.
“Our minds, formed and informed by their radiance, fall away.”
Their wisdom shaped our minds, so their loss leaves us empty.
Device: Metaphor (“radiance” = wisdom), alliteration.
“We are not so much maddened as reduced to the unutterable ignorance of dark, cold caves.”
We do not go mad; instead, we fall into a primitive darkness—like being in caves.
Device: Simile (implied), imagery, symbolism.
“And when great souls die, after a period peace blooms,”
After some time, healing begins gently, like a flower blooming.
Device: Metaphor, imagery.
“slowly and always irregularly.”
Healing is uneven and unpredictable.
Device: Adverbial contrast.
“Spaces fill with a kind of soothing electric vibration.”
The emptiness is replaced by a peaceful, energizing presence.
Device: Personification, imagery.
“Our senses, restored, never to be the same, whisper to us.”
We heal, but we are changed. Our senses quietly tell us something profound.
Device: Personification.
“They existed. They existed.”
Their life was real, meaningful, unforgettable.
Device: Repetition for emphasis.
“We can be. Be and be better.”
Their lives inspire us to live and improve ourselves.
Device: Imperative tone, repetition.
“For they existed.”
Their existence justifies our hope and progress.
Device: Repetition, emphasis.
2. Character Sketch of “Great Souls”
Great souls in the poem are noble people who influence others deeply. They are compared to giant trees because they provide strength, shelter, wisdom, and stability. Their presence nurtures the minds and spirits of those around them. They radiate goodness, clarity, and moral power. When they die, the world becomes empty, confused, and shaken, showing their immense importance. Even after their death, their memory inspires others to live better lives. Thus, great souls are portrayed as guiding lights whose impact continues beyond their physical existence.
3. Questions and Answers
Q1. What is the central idea of the poem?
Ans. The poem expresses the deep impact left by the death of great people. Their loss shakes the world, weakens our spirits, and creates emotional emptiness. However, with time, their memory inspires us to heal and become better human beings.
Q2. Why does the poet compare great souls to great trees?
Ans. Just as great trees provide strength and shelter to the natural world, great souls support, guide, and nurture the people around them. Their fall causes disturbance and fear, symbolizing the emotional shock felt when such people die.
Q3. What does “hurtful clarity” mean?
Ans. It means the painful sharpness with which we see reality immediately after someone great dies. Grief intensifies our senses and makes everything feel too real to bear.
Q4. What regrets does memory bring when great souls die?
Ans. Memory returns to unspoken kind words and unfulfilled promises such as “promised walks never taken.” These small losses become painful reminders after a person’s death.
Q5. What message does the poem give at the end?
Ans. The ending is hopeful. It says that although we are changed by grief, we can live and become better because great souls existed. Their lives inspire growth, goodness, and self-improvement.
Q6. What is the significance of repetition in the poem?
Ans. Repetition (“They existed”) highlights the importance and certainty of great souls’ influence. It emphasizes remembrance and respect for their legacy.
Q7. How does the poet describe the healing process?
Ans. Healing is described as slow and irregular, like a flower blooming. Peace returns gradually, filling the empty spaces with a soothing energy.
Comments
Post a Comment