11

ON KILLING A TREE
Gieve Patel
Gieve Patel is a poet, painter, playwright anda doctor. He lives
in Mumbai and practices medicine there. Along with his practice he
has managed to write plays and poems of contemporary signitficance
and organize exhibitions of his paintings in India and abroad.
SUMMARY

"On Killing a Tree" presents a clinical and systematic description

criticizes
ofthe procedure forkilling a tree. Sardonic in tone, the poem
the ruthless, methodical ways in which humans uproot trees which
have taken years to come into being. Unmindful ofthese ecological
them down.
processes, humans cut
it has a natural
When a fully matured tree is hacked or chopped,
new green twigs and
mechanism to heal. Its bark will heal and
The tree will go back tó its
branches will sprout from the bottom.
A tree can be truly killed only when
former size again if unchecked.
This be done by roping it and pulling it till it snaps
it's uprooted. can
tree will then become brown and
or by pulling it out entirely. The
wither and harden, and ultimately
die. The earth is the anchor of
to the tree. When the connection to the earth
stability and security the tree will begin to wither
that is, the tree roots are taken away,
and then die.
the poem; but it clearly
The task of killing a tree is completed in
anywhere anytime.
Suggests that it can never be an accomplishment
 QUESTIONS ANDANSWERS
1.Answer the following questions in two or three sentences:
a. Is the poet really trying to teach us to kill a tree?
On the surface the poem appears to be about how to kill a tree,
but in reality it is an outcry against human
attempts to Overcome
nature and a reminder that nature rebounds even in the face of mass
extinction. The poet uses a sardonic tone to criticize the ruthless
ways in which humans uproot trees.

b. How has the tree grown to its present status?

The tree has grown slowly in a process spanned acrosS
years.
Asa seedling it consumed the nutrients within the earth and
sprouted
out. The tree reached its present state with abundant
green foliage
after absorbing years ofsunlight, air and water through the processes
ofphotosynthesis and respiration.

C. Howwill the tree overcome the hacking and chopping?

When a fully matured tree is hacked or chopped, it has a natural
 ISSUESTHAT MATTER 105

mechanism to heal. Its bark will heal and new green twigs ana
branches will sprout from the bottom. The tree will go back to its
former size again if left unchecked.

d. What does the poet mean by No' at the beginning of the

third stanza?
The poet says that it is not enough to hack or chop a tree to kill
it. It has to be uprooted as the roots of the tree are deep within the
earth ifit has to be killed.

e. What does the poet mean by 'anchoring earth' and 'earth-

cave'?
By 'anchoring earth' the poet means that Earth is a solid anchor
or stable support for the tree. The 'earth-cave' is a hollow in the
earth used by primitive humans for shelter and storage. Here, the
uses the term to show that to the tree's roots, the earth is
a
poet
cave of security.

f Why does the poet call the roots 'the strength ofthetree'? in
The poet calls roots 'the strength ofthe tree'as they are rooted
tree. It is also thepart
the soil which is the source ofnutrition for the
is off from
which helps the tree to regenerate if the tree chopped
above.
in about 100 words:
2. Answer the following questions

that it takes 'much time' to kill a

a. Why does the poet say
tree?
soil has beena deeply rootedand
The tree's relationship with the earth
consumed the nutrients within the
long one. As a seedling it
and sprouted out. The tree reached
its present state with abundant
after absorbing years ofsunlight, air and water through
green foliage it
photosynthesis and respiration. Merely chopping
the processes of
to kill it as ithas the ability regenerate
to
offfrom above is not sufficient be
tree has to be killed it has to
Irom below. The poet says that ifa
in its roots which lie deep in
uprooted as the strength ofthe tree lies
the soil.
106 ISSUES THAT MATTER
b. What needs to be done to kill a tree permanently?
1o kill a tree one needs to attack its strength, that 1s, its roots
need to be pulled out from the earth which offers it support and
stability. The earth acts as an anchor of stability and source of
resources to the tree. Since roots are the nodes that connect the
and the
earth tree, disconnectingthe roots from the soil is vital to kill
it permanently. This can be done by roping it and pulling it till it
become brown
Snaps or by pulling it out entirely. The tree will then
and wither and harden, and ultimately die.

How does the poet show the regenerative power of nature?

C.
The poet shows the regenerative powerofnature by describing
the way a chopped of tree revives itself. He says that even if
the
trunk of a tree is chopped off, the bark has the potential to heal.
New twigs and branches will soon sprout from the bottom to restore
the tree to its former glory. A tree can be truly killed only if it's
resists and
uprooted; signifying that regenerative power ofnature
revives until the connection from the earth is destroyed completely.
It's a reminder that nature rebounds even in the face of mass
extinction.

d.
d. What is the symbolic significance ofroots?
The tree's roots signify its intimate connection with nature. This
connection hidden deep within the earth sustains it on a day-to-day
basis and in the event ofa crisis. The carth provides the tree with the
much needed resources through the roots and also helps it to
the infinite
regenerate ifit's chopped offfrom above. This symbolizes
potential ofnature to nurture and heal all living things despite what
humans do to destroy them. When human beings forget their roots
with nature, however, and engage ultimate exploitation everything
will witherlike the uprooted tree.

e.
e.
What relationship between the earth and trees is presented
in the poem?
The relationship between the earth and the trees is a one of the
nurturer and the nurtured. The Earth acts like a mother to the trees
and aids them to grow from a seedling to a tree. The soil is the
 ISSUES THAT MATTER 107

source ofnutrients and water for the trees. Besides

this, the them
deep rooted connection of the trees with earth enables literally
to
regenerate back when chopped offby selfish human beings. The
earth acts as an anchor of stability and cave of
safety for the trees.
The connection between the earth and trees severed
only if they are
uprooted; signifying that regenerative power of nature resists and
revives until the connection from the earth is destroyed completely.

3.Answer the following questions in about 300 words:

a. Critically evaluate the poem 'On Killing a Tree' considering
the tree represents every living being with a deep connection with
nature.
OR
b. How does the poem reinforce the regenerative power of
nature, in the context ofthe dangers to biodiversity due to human
actions?
In the poem 'On Killing a Tree', the poet adopts a sardonic tone
to criticize the ruthless, methodical ways in which humans uproot
trees which have taken years to grow. Using complex organic
processes, a tree uses the resources in the air and soil to process
food to grow. The tree has grown slowly in a process spanned
across years. As a seedling it consumed the nutrients within the earth
and sprouted out. The tree reached its present state with abundant
air and water through
green foliage after absorbing years sunlight,
of
the processes of photosynthesis and respiration. Unmindful ofthese
down.
ecological processes, humans cut them
When a fully matured tree is hacked or chopped, it has a natural
mechanism to heal. Its bark will heal and new green twigs and
branches will sprout from the bottom. The tree will go back to its
former size againifunchecked. Atree can be truly killed only when
it's uprooted. The regenerative power of nature resists and revives,
until its connection with the earth is destroyed entirely. The earth is
the anchor of stability and security to the tree. When the connection
to the earth that is, the tree roots are taken away, the tree will begin
to wither and then die.
On the surface, the poem appears to be about how to kill a tree,
but in reality it is an outery against human attempts to overcome
108 SAVOURING THE CLASSICS

nature and a reminder that nature rebounds even in the case ofmass
extinction. The job ofkilling a tree is not over as long as its
deepest
roots -its intimate relationship with nature - are not pulled out.
The poem is a jab at human beings who ruthlessly exploit nature,
unmindful of the fact that their own roots are deeply intermingled
with Planet Earth. They fail to understand thatifthey continue
destroying the various elements ofnature it will finally lead to their
own demise. The fact that nature has amiraculous ability to regenerate
does not give humans the right to continue abusing nature as at some
point it is bound the give way and collapse.