English Notes Latest Questions

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  1. Poonam Sharma
    Poonam Sharma literarian

    Following figures of speech have been used in the poem The Trees by Adrienne Rich: Simile: It is a figure of speech involving the comparison of one thing with another thing of a different kind using "as" or "like". In the poem the poet compares trees with newly discharged patients "like newly dischaRead more

    Following figures of speech have been used in the poem The Trees by Adrienne Rich:

    1. Simile: It is a figure of speech involving the comparison of one thing with another thing of a different kind using “as” or “like”. In the poem the poet compares trees with newly discharged patients “like newly discharged patients half-dazed, moving to the clinic doors“. In the last stanza, the moon is compared with broken mirror, “The moon is broken like a mirror“.
    2. Personification: It is the attribution of a personal nature or human characteristics to something non-human. e.g. “the trees are moving”, “no sun bury its feet”, “all night the roots work” etc.
    3. Metaphor: In the poem, trees symbolise women, forest symbolises freedom, lichens symbolise lesbians, whispers symbolise men’s voice which is patriarchal in nature.
    4. Enjambment: It is the continuation of a sentence without a pause beyond the end of a line, couplet, or stanza. In the poem, a single sentence continues to more than 1 line e.g. “The trees inside are moving out into the forest, the forest that was empty all these days where no bird could sit no insect hide no sun bury its feet in shadow the forest that was empty all these nights will be full of trees by morning.“
    5. Images: The poet uses different images to strike our senses e.g. visual images (empty forest), auditory images (head full of whispers), olfactory (the smell of leaves and lichens) and tactile (small twigs stiff with exertion).
    6. Alliteration: It is the occurrence of the same letter or sound at the beginning of adjacent or closely connected words. e.g. “small twigs stiff”, “sky still open”, “leaves and lichen“, “the forest from the house”, “writing long letters” etc.

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  1. Poonam Sharma
    Poonam Sharma literarian

    The Trees is a lyric poem which is written in blank verse. It does not have a particular structure of stanzas. Read summary of this poem. Read analysis of the poem.

    The Trees is a lyric poem which is written in blank verse. It does not have a particular structure of stanzas.

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    • 2
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  1. Poonam Sharma
    Poonam Sharma literarian

    The poet compares the trees with newly discharged patients who look half-dazed (half-slept) while going towards the door of clinic because the trees are weak. They have been struggling since long to get freedom from the four walls of house. They could not grow fully there as they did not get properRead more

    The poet compares the trees with newly discharged patients who look half-dazed (half-slept) while going towards the door of clinic because the trees are weak. They have been struggling since long to get freedom from the four walls of house. They could not grow fully there as they did not get proper nutrition. Finally they are moving out and will be strong eventually.

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  1. Poonam Sharma
    Poonam Sharma literarian

    Stumble means walking with difficulty. In the poem, the trees are described stumbling because they are weak and have been struggling since long. They seem to be like newly discharged half-dazed patients. They are stumbling forward in order to get freedom from the four walls. They are going back to fRead more

    Stumble means walking with difficulty. In the poem, the trees are described stumbling because they are weak and have been struggling since long. They seem to be like newly discharged half-dazed patients. They are stumbling forward in order to get freedom from the four walls. They are going back to forest which is their original home.

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  1. Poonam Sharma
    Poonam Sharma literarian

    There are two themes based on the interpretation of the poem. Theme of Freedom (As a Nature Poem) First, if we talks about this poem as the poem of nature, we find that it supports the freedom and liberation of trees from the clutches of human beings. According to the poet, humans have taken away thRead more

    There are two themes based on the interpretation of the poem.

    • Theme of Freedom (As a Nature Poem)

    First, if we talks about this poem as the poem of nature, we find that it supports the freedom and liberation of trees from the clutches of human beings. According to the poet, humans have taken away the freedom of trees by taking them in their homes and growing there. They have been separated from their original home i.e. forest.

    However now that they are a part of strong movement, they are going back to their home (forest) and the poet seems to be quite happy with their departure. She does not mention this departure in her writings but still she is happy with them.

    • Feminism, Lesbianism, Women Emancipation

    When we go through the words several times, we find that the poem is not about nature and trees but about the women and their slavery in the patriarchal world. They are forced to live in the four walls of the home. They are made to believe that these four walls are their homes.

    However, the women have been enlightened (because of emergence of feminism). They are now coming out of this prison and going to the outer world which is their ultimate destination. The poet seems to be happy about their departure from four walls. However she does not take part in the movement.

    Women are weak, yet they keep struggling without stopping. They break the glass of patriarchy and finally succeed in coming out. They are now free. The norms of the society have been changed now.

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    • 8
In: ,
  1. Poonam Sharma
    Poonam Sharma literarian

    The central idea of the poem The Trees is that man has enslaved the nature for selfish reasons. The trees which used to grow in forest are now being grown in the four walls of house. Hence they are not free at all. But now all the trees have started a movement against this slavery. They are now retuRead more

    The central idea of the poem The Trees is that man has enslaved the nature for selfish reasons. The trees which used to grow in forest are now being grown in the four walls of house. Hence they are not free at all. But now all the trees have started a movement against this slavery. They are now returning back to their original home i.e. forest. The poet describes this departure of the trees.

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