When great trees fall,

rocks on distant hills shudder,

lions hunker down
in tall grasses,
and even elephants
lumber after safety.
When the great trees fall, we see their impact on lions, elephants and rocks, which are associated
with steadfastness and strength. Yet all these gures feel the impact of the falling trees with fear
. Angelous is trying to convey that the signi cant loss of a great person disrupts everything. How
the reaction of the strongest animals in the jungles disrupts the ecosystem and signi es a big loss
similarly the death of in uential people leads to a huge grief and a huge loss. The metaphor
compares the death of a loved one to a monumental loss; it's a huge loss just like great trees fall
in the forest. The e ect of the fall is felt for miles for a large distance; similarly, a great soul passes
away. The e ect is felt both nearby as well as over a larger distance area

When great trees fall

in forests,
small things recoil into silence,
their senses
eroded beyond fear.
This stanza speaks about how even the small creatures are impacted by the fall of great tree that
they recoil into silence and they are so shocked that they can’t feel anything, let alone fear
similarly that the reaction you have when you hear someone’s passing you go beyond fear which
is numbness and lose the ability to react immediately

When great souls die,

the air around us becomes
light, rare, sterile.
The air usually is a source of life, but here the same air is feeling light, rare and sterile, which
conveys a sense of emptiness and detachment.

We breathe, brie y.
Our eyes, brie y,
see with
a hurtful clarity.
While our basic functions continue, breathing is not normal anymore; you may either be breathing
heavily or maybe a little erratic or abnormal. Hurtful clarity describes a very painful awareness of
the loss of someone dear to you, even if it is for a brief, you eyes as in your entire being can
realise that the loss is truly is big and that person is never going to come back again and its
hurtful

Our memory, suddenly sharpened,

examines,
gnaws on kind words
unsaid,
promised walks
never taken.
The loss kind of jolts our memory, and it is suddenly sharpened. This stanza is focusing on
regrets, so this sharp memory is kind of this memory which is coming to you which is sharpened.
There are so many regrets. Gnaws emphasises the pain of missed opportunities and things which
are left unsaid. The words and promised walks are certain examples of this kind of regret. These
lines essentially convey a sense of overwhelming grief and emotional paralysis
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 Great souls die and
our reality, bound to
them, takes leave of us.
The loss of a great soul disrupts our sense of reality because they were such a signi cant force
that some part of our world we associated with their presence and now that will vanish. The world
bound converys connections or dependence of sorts, and there is some emotional and
intellectual support.

Our souls,
dependent upon their
nurture,
now shrink, wizened.
The great souls are depicted as nurturing gures because they helped us grow emotionally and
intellectually. Their absence now feels like an emotional vacuum for you; you feel shrunk or
withered like Plants.

Our minds, formed

and informed by their
radiance, fall away
These lines highlight how the wisdom and in uence of great individuals shape our thoughts and
understanding. When they pass, our minds, once illuminated by their presence, feel lost and
weakened, as if their guiding light has been extinguished.

We are not so much maddened

as reduced to the unutterable ignorance of
dark, cold
caves.
We are not maddened by grief like it is making us angry, but we are reduced to a state of
ignorance, there are no words to express what you are feeling. Dark, cold caves convey a sense
of isolation and despair. They represent a state of emotional and intellectual darkness, where grief
leaves us feeling primitive, vulnerable, and disconnected from the light of understanding that the
great souls once provided.

And when great souls die,

after a period peace blooms,
slowly and always
irregularly. Spaces ll
with a kind of
soothing electric vibration.
These lines suggest that healing after loss takes time. “Peace blooms” indicates that a sense of
calm and acceptance eventually returns, but it happens slowly and irregularly, meaning grief
doesn’t fade in a straight path—it comes and goes in waves like some days you will feel good but
some days you won't. The impact of great individuals lingers, and adjusting to their absence is a
gradual process.
These lines suggest that after a great person’s death, the emptiness they leave behind gradually
lls with a comforting, almost unseen energy. " soothing electric vibration" symbolizes a lingering,
almost spiritual presence that brings comfort after loss. It suggests that even though great souls
are gone, their energy, in uence, and impact continue to be felt in a subtle but powerful way,
o ering reassurance and a sense of connection.
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Our senses, restored, never
to be the same, whisper to us.
They existed. They existed.
We can be. Be and be
better. For they existed.
These lines emphasize how, after grief, we gradually regain our senses, but we are forever
changed by the loss. "Whisper to us" suggests a quiet realization—we remember that those great
souls truly lived, and their existence continues to inspire us. The repetition of "They existed"
reinforces their lasting impact, and the nal lines encourage us to live meaningfully, striving to be
better because of the legacy they left behind.
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