On Killing a Tree is poem written by Indian poet, Gieve Patel. The poem basically tells us how difficult is to kill a tree and how big the process of growing it.
On Killing a Tree By Gieve Patel
Summary of On Killing a Tree By Gieve Patel
Trees take many-many years to grow, like as first its just a small seed then it slowly-slowly become a plant after watering it on daily basis and it become trees by taking care of it for years. On the other hand, Killing a tree is very easy but we should remember few things before killing a tree.
We should learn from Trees as they are very strong and always stays with their roots which makes it difficult to kill them. So we should make ourselves strong like trees.
The story of poem begins with speaker who says killing a tree required a lot of time as it is not an easy work to kill a tree. You can’t cut a tree with a simple jab of knife as it won’t make a no difference to him. Trees grows slowly-slowly by consuming earth, it has taken it power from earth and that’s how it has grown. It has rise from the land and has taken its nutrients from its crust.
Trees absorbs years of water, sunlight and air and that is why it is very difficult to kill a tree. Sprouting leaves are coming from its leprous hide which gives it more courage and strength. The poet is trying to say tree is growing for many years with its strong root so we cannot end its life with a small knife.
The writer says hack and chop is not enough to kill a tree neither its pain can do it as the bleeding bark of tree will heal itself soon. And wild rise curled will rise again from the bottom part of land. One tree was cut and make small pieces of it, but its bottom branches grows again from the ground. If we did not check these branches then it will rise again to its previous size.
The writer says so what we have to do now is to pull its roots from the ground. We should pull trees roots that part of earth which is working for tree like an anchor of ship. We have to pull trees roots out from the ground anyhow, and we have to pull it out completely from earth cave.
Then the power of trees will be exposed, these roots are wet and white color as they were in hidden inside land for years. These roots are the most sensitive part of tree. As the roots have came out from land so tree has no strength and power and tree last time has started.
Then the tree started becoming dry in sunlight and air, it become brown, hard and then tree dies. The death of a tree is shown like a murder, how it was chop and how ruthlessly it was pulled out from the land.
In poem, we learn that how many years one tree takes to grow but killing it is not difficult. All trees receive its true strength from its roots so like trees we humans should make our roots strong because only then we will become strong in life.
ABOUT AUTHOR : –
Gieve Patel is an Indian poet, playwright and painter who was born in 18 August 1940. He is also connected with “Green Movement”. Gieve Patel most of the poems are about nature and man’s cruelty towards it. His famous work include, How do you withstand, Body and Mirrored Mirroring.