Class 10 English First Flight The Trees by Adrienne Rich: Get a complete explanation of the Class 10 poem “The Trees” by Adrienne Rich. This guide includes a detailed Hindi summary, word meanings, simplified NCERT solutions, poetic devices and extra important questions for board exam preparation.
1. About the Author
Adrienne Rich (एड्रियन रिच) का जन्म 1929 में बाल्टीमोर, मैरीलैंड, यूएसए में हुआ था। वह एक प्रसिद्ध नारीवादी (feminist) और क्रांतिकारी कवयित्री (radical poet) रही हैं। उन्होंने कविता के लगभग बीस खंड (volumes) लिखे हैं। उनकी कविताएँ मुख्य रूप से महिलाओं के अधिकारों, पहचान और समाज में उनकी स्थिति को दर्शाती हैं। “The Trees” कविता में भी उन्होंने पेड़ों के माध्यम से प्रतीकात्मक (symbolic) रूप से महिलाओं और प्रकृति की आज़ादी की बात की है।
2. Difficult Words Meaning in Hindi
- Strain (स्ट्रेन): प्रयास करना / ज़ोर लगाना
- Disengage (डिसएंगेज): खुद को अलग करना / मुक्त करना
- Bough (बाउ): पेड़ की बड़ी शाखा या डाली
- Shuffling (शफ़लिंग): पैर घसीटकर चलना या बार-बार अपनी जगह बदलना
- Lichen (लाइकेन): काई / शैवाल और कवक का मिश्रण जो पेड़ों या ज़मीन पर उगता है
- Exertion (एग्ज़र्शन): थकान / अत्यधिक मेहनत
- Stumbling (स्टंबलिंग): लड़खड़ाते हुए चलना
3. Explanation of Each Stanza in Hindi
Stanza 1
| 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. |
कवयित्री कहती हैं कि जो पेड़ अब तक घर के अंदर सजावट के लिए रखे गए थे, वे अब बाहर अपने असली घर यानी जंगल की ओर जा रहे हैं। इतने दिनों से जो जंगल पेड़ों के बिना खाली पड़ा था, जहाँ कोई पक्षी पेड़ों की डाल पर बैठ नहीं सकता था, कोई कीड़ा छिप नहीं सकता था, और सूरज की किरणें पत्तों की छाँव में छिप नहीं सकती थीं—वह खाली जंगल कल सुबह तक पेड़ों से पूरी तरह भर जाएगा।
Multiple Choice Questions (MCQs) based on the first stanza,
Q1. Where are the trees moving?
A) Into a new glasshouse
B) Out into the empty forest
C) Towards the open veranda
D) Into the city streets
Answer: B) Out into the empty forest
Q2. Why couldn’t insects hide in the forest earlier?
A) Because the birds would eat them
B) Because there were no trees for them to hide in
C) Because the sun was too bright
D) Because the forest was filled with water
Answer: B) Because there were no trees for them to hide in
Q3. What does the poet mean by the phrase “sun bury its feet in shadow”?
A) The sun sets behind the mountains in the evening
B) The sun’s rays hide in the dark clouds
C) The sun’s rays falling on the ground are blocked by the dense leaves of the trees, creating shadows
D) The sun walking through the forest at night
Answer: C) The sun’s rays falling on the ground are blocked by the dense leaves of the trees, creating shadows
Q4. By what time does the poet say the empty forest will be full of trees?
A) By tomorrow night
B) By evening
C) By midnight
D) By morning
Answer: D) By morning
Q5. Which poetic device is used in the line “no sun bury its feet in shadow”?
A) Personification
B) Simile
C) Alliteration
D) Oxymoron
Answer: A) Personification
Q6. What has been the condition of the forest “all these days” and “all these nights”?
A) It was full of wild animals
B) It was completely empty and treeless
C) It was being cut down by humans
D) It was overgrown with wild weeds
Answer: B) It was completely empty and treeless
Stanza 2
| All night the roots work to disengage themselves from the cracks in the veranda floor. The leaves strain toward the glass small twigs stiff with exertion long-cramped boughs shuffling under the roof like newly discharged patients half-dazed, moving to the clinic doors. |
पेड़ों की पत्तियाँ शीशे की खिड़की की तरफ़ ज़ोर लगा रही हैं ताकि वे शीशा तोड़कर बाहर निकल सकें। पूरी रात पेड़ों की जड़ें बरामदे के फर्श की दरारों से खुद को आज़ाद करने की लगातार कोशिश कर रही हैं। पेड़ों की छोटी टहनियाँ अत्यधिक मेहनत के कारण सख्त हो गई हैं। बड़ी शाखाएँ जो छत के नीचे सिकुड़ गई थीं, वे अब ऐसे पैर घसीटते हुए बाहर निकल रही हैं जैसे अस्पताल से नए डिस्चार्ज हुए मरीज़ हों, जो अभी भी कुछ मदहोश और कमज़ोर हालत में क्लिनिक के दरवाज़े की ओर जा रहे हों।
Multiple Choice Questions (MCQs) based on the given stanza
Q1. What are the roots trying to achieve all night?
A) To absorb water from the garden soil
B) To break the glass of the window
C) To free themselves from the cracks in the veranda floor
D) To support the weak and cramped boughs
Answer: C) To free themselves from the cracks in the veranda floor
Q2. What poetic device is used in the line “like newly discharged patients”?
A) Metaphor
B) Simile
C) Personification
D) Alliteration
Answer: B) Simile
Q3. Why does the poet compare the branches (boughs) to “newly discharged patients”?
A) Because they are diseased, infected, and dying
B) Because they are being treated in a clinic for broken twigs
C) Because they are waiting for a doctor outside the house
D) Because they are moving slowly, looking weak and half-dazed after a long confinement
Answer: D) Because they are moving slowly, looking weak and half-dazed after a long confinement
Q4. What does the word “disengage” mean in the context of this stanza?
A) To attach firmly
B) To separate or free oneself
C) To break into small pieces
D) To grow longer and thicker
Answer: B) To separate or free oneself
Q5. Why are the boughs described as “long-cramped”?
A) Because they have been tied with ropes
B) Because they have grown too old to stand straight
C) Because they have been confined in the limited space under the roof for a long time
D) Because the roots are not giving them enough nutrients
Answer: C) Because they have been confined in the limited space under the roof for a long time
Q6. Which of the following words from the stanza indicates that the leaves are making a great physical effort to break free?
A) Shuffling
B) Strain
C) Cramped
D) Dazed
Answer: B) Strain
Q7. The overall mood or tone of this stanza can be best described as:
A) Peaceful and relaxing
B) Melancholic and sad
C) Rebellious and full of struggle
D) Joyful and celebratory
Answer: C) Rebellious and full of struggle
Stanza 3
| I sit inside, doors open to the veranda writing long letters in which I scarcely mention the departure of the forest from the house. The night is fresh, the whole moon shines in a sky still open the smell of leaves and lichen still reaches like a voice into the rooms. |
कवयित्री घर के अंदर बैठी हैं, बरामदे के दरवाज़े खुले हुए हैं, और वह लंबे-लंबे पत्र लिख रही हैं। आश्चर्य की बात यह है कि इन पत्रों में वह पेड़ों के घर छोड़कर जंगल की ओर जाने की इस बड़ी घटना का ज़िक्र बिल्कुल नहीं करती हैं। रात बहुत सुहावनी और ताज़ी है, आसमान खुला है और पूरा चाँद चमक रहा है। घर के अंदर पत्तियों और काई (lichen) की महक एक आवाज़ की तरह कमरों में पहुँच रही है, मानो वे कुछ कह रहे हों।
Multiple Choice Questions (MCQs) based on this stanza :
Q1. What is the poet doing while sitting inside the house?
A) Watching the moon shine
B) Writing long letters
C) Trying to close the veranda doors
D) Listening to the wind
Answer: B) Writing long letters
Q2. What does the poet deliberately avoid mentioning in her letters?
A) The beauty of the full moon
B) The smell of the leaves and lichen
C) The departure of the forest from the house
D) The open doors of the veranda
Answer: C) The departure of the forest from the house
Q3. How does the poet describe the night and the sky in this stanza?
A) The night is dark and the sky is cloudy
B) The night is fresh and the whole moon shines in an open sky
C) The night is silent and the moon is hidden
D) The night is stormy and the sky is falling
Answer: B) The night is fresh and the whole moon shines in an open sky
Q4. What reaches into the rooms “like a voice”?
A) The sound of the breaking glass
B) The whispering of the trees
C) The smell of leaves and lichen
D) The cold wind of the night
Answer: C) The smell of leaves and lichen
Q5. Which poetic device is used in the phrase “reaches like a voice into the rooms”?
A) Metaphor
B) Simile
C) Personification
D) Oxymoron
Answer: B) Simile
Q6. What does the word “scarcely” mean in the context of this stanza?
A) Frequently
B) Hardly or barely
C) Angrily
D) Loudly
Answer: B) Hardly or barely
Stanza 4
| My head is full of whispers which tomorrow will be silent. Listen. The glass is breaking. The trees are stumbling forward into the night. Winds rush to meet them. The moon is broken like a mirror, its pieces flash now in the crown of the tallest oak. |
कवयित्री के दिमाग में पेड़ों, पत्तों और जड़ों की फुसफुसाहट गूँज रही है, जो कल सुबह तक शांत हो जाएगी क्योंकि पेड़ बाहर जा चुके होंगे। वह पाठकों से कहती हैं, “सुनो! शीशा टूट रहा है”। पेड़ आज़ाद होकर लड़खड़ाते हुए रात के अंधेरे में आगे बढ़ रहे हैं। तेज़ हवाएँ उनका स्वागत करने के लिए उनकी ओर दौड़ रही हैं। अब जब सबसे ऊँचा ओक (बलूत) का पेड़ जंगल में जाकर खड़ा हो गया है, तो चाँद उसकी शाखाओं के पीछे छिप गया है, जिससे चाँद ऐसा लग रहा है जैसे कोई शीशा टूट गया हो और उसके टुकड़े पेड़ के ऊपरी हिस्से (ताज) पर चमक रहे हों।
Here are some important Multiple Choice Questions (MCQs) based on this final stanza from the poem “The Trees”, along with their answers:
Q1. What do the “whispers” in the poet’s head refer to?
A) The sounds of the strong winds outside
B) The silent struggle, rustling, and movement of the trees trying to escape
C) The voices of the people in the neighborhood
D) The chirping of the birds in the forest
Answer: B) The silent struggle, rustling, and movement of the trees trying to escape
Q2. Why will the whispers be “silent” tomorrow?
A) Because the trees will have successfully broken out and left for the forest
B) Because the poet will go to sleep
C) Because the trees will die
D) Because the wind will stop blowing
Answer: A) Because the trees will have successfully broken out and left for the forest
Q3. What does the breaking of the glass signify?
A) An accident in the house
B) The failure of the trees to get out
C) The final victory of nature as the trees break free from human confinement
D) The harshness of the winter wind
Answer: C) The final victory of nature as the trees break free from human confinement
Q4. Which poetic device is prominently used in the line “The moon is broken like a mirror”?
A) Metaphor
B) Personification
C) Simile
D) Alliteration
Answer: C) Simile
Q5. Why does the moon appear to be “broken” to the poet?
A) Because it is a crescent moon
B) Because it is hidden behind dark clouds
C) Because the tall oak tree has reached outside, and its topmost branches are blocking the view of the full moon, scattering its light
D) Because the poet is looking at it through a broken window
Answer: C) Because the tall oak tree has reached outside, and its topmost branches are blocking the view of the full moon, scattering its light
Q6. What does the word “crown” mean in the context of the tallest oak?
A) A piece of jewelry
B) The topmost part of the tree, consisting of its branches and leaves
C) The strong trunk of the tree
D) The roots holding the tree
Answer: B) The topmost part of the tree, consisting of its branches and leaves
Q7. How do the winds react when the trees step out into the night?
A) They try to push the trees back inside
B) They stop blowing completely
C) They rush forward to greet and welcome the trees
D) They break the branches of the oak tree
Answer: C) They rush forward to greet and welcome the trees
4. Given Exercise Solution in English
1. (i) Find, in the first stanza, three things that cannot happen in a treeless forest.
Answer: The three things that cannot happen in a treeless forest are:
- Birds cannot find a place to sit.
- Insects cannot find a place to hide.
- The sun cannot bury its feet (rays) in the shadows of the trees.
(ii) What picture do these words create in your mind: “… sun bury its feet in shadow…”? What could the poet mean by the sun’s ‘feet’?
Answer: The sun’s ‘feet’ refers to the rays of the sun that fall on the earth. In a forest with trees, the dense leaves cast shadows on the ground, blocking the direct sunlight. The words create a beautiful visual image of the sun’s rays playfully hiding within the cool shadows of the forest trees.
2. (i) Where are the trees in the poem? What do their roots, their leaves, and their twigs do?
Answer: The trees are currently trapped inside the poet’s house.
- Their roots work all night to separate themselves from the cracks in the veranda floor.
- Their leaves make continuous efforts (strain) to break the glass of the window.
- Their twigs become stiff with exertion due to their struggle to break free.
(ii) What does the poet compare their branches to?
Answer: The poet compares the long-cramped branches (boughs) to newly discharged patients moving towards the clinic doors, half-dazed and shuffling.
3. (i) How does the poet describe the moon: (a) at the beginning of the third stanza, and (b) at its end? What causes this change?
Answer: (a) At the beginning of the third stanza, the moon is described as full and shining in an open, clear sky. (b) At the end of the poem, the moon is described as broken like a mirror, with its pieces flashing in the crown of the tallest oak tree. This change is caused by the trees moving outside. The tall oak tree now stands between the poet’s view and the moon, and the moon’s light gets scattered through the branches, making it look broken.
(ii) What happens to the house when the trees move out of it?
Answer: When the trees move out, the glass of the windows breaks. The rooms are filled with the smell of leaves and lichen, and the house is full of the whispering sounds of the trees struggling to leave.
(iii) Why do you think the poet does not mention “the departure of the forest from the house” in her letters?
Answer: The poet might not mention the departure of the forest because humans often feel embarrassed or shocked by unexpected rebellions of nature. Humans have tried to domesticate nature for a long time, and watching nature reclaim its freedom is an overwhelming event that leaves her speechless.
5. Another Important Questions and Their Answers
Short Answer Type Questions
Q: Why does the poet compare the tree branches to newly discharged patients?
Answer: The tree branches have been confined within the four walls of the house for a long time, causing them to become weak, cramped, and suffocated. When they finally break out, they move slowly and clumsily, just like patients who are weak and half-dazed after a long stay in a hospital.
Q: What do the ‘whispers’ represent in the poem?
Answer: The ‘whispers’ represent the silent struggle and the sounds made by the leaves, twigs, and roots of the trees as they exert force to break out of the house. It also symbolizes the suppressed voices of nature (or women) planning their liberation.
Long Answer Type Question
Q: The poem “The Trees” presents a deep conflict between humans and nature. Elaborate.
Answer: In the poem, Adrienne Rich highlights how humans have selfishly uprooted trees from their natural habitat (the forest) and confined them inside artificial glasshouses and verandas for mere interior decoration. Because of human interference, the real forests have become empty, leaving birds and insects without shelter.
However, nature cannot be subdued forever. The poem beautifully describes the rebellion of the trees. Every part of the tree—the roots, leaves, twigs, and branches—fights relentlessly to break the glass and the floorboards. Their successful escape into the night symbolizes nature’s ultimate triumph over human confinement, proving that true beauty and growth can only happen in freedom, not in captivity.
6. Poetic Devices for This Poem
- Personification: Human qualities are given to non-human elements.
- Example: “Sun bury its feet in shadow” (Sun is given human feet).
- Example: “The trees are stumbling forward” (Trees are described as walking/stumbling).
- Simile: Direct comparison between two different things using ‘like’ or ‘as’.
- Example: “like newly discharged patients” (Branches compared to patients).
- Example: “The moon is broken like a mirror” (Moon compared to a broken mirror).
- Enjambment: A sentence continues into the next line without any punctuation mark at the end of the line.
- Example: “The leaves strain toward the glass / All night the roots work…”
- Imagery: Words used to create strong visual or sensory pictures in the reader’s mind.
- Visual Imagery: “moon shines in a sky still open”, “pieces flash now in the crown of the tallest oak”.
- Olfactory Imagery (Smell): “the smell of leaves and lichen”.