ClassIX ENGLISH LITERATURE From Treasure Trove Poem 1
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Class-IX ENGLISH (LITERATURE) From: Treasure Trove Poem 1: The Heart of the Tree by Henry Cuyler Bunner PPT prepared by Tasneem I. Hajoori
POEM 1:
Author: Henry Cuyler Bunner
Message conveyed in the poem:
Syllabus: To understand the poem and to recognize the devices used in the poem.
Scope of Syllabus: • The poem celebrates the joy of planting trees. • The social and economical benefits we get from trees. • The greatness of a man who plants the tree.
Introduction: The Heart of the Tree by the American poet and novelist Henry Cuyler Bunner is a fine piece of poetry with a simple theme and a simpler structure. The poem was originally published in 1912. Planting a tree is always a great work for the mankind. But, the poet has found out new ways to look at the plants and plantation.
1 st Stanza He plants a friend of sun and sky; He plants the flag of breezes free; The shaft of beauty, towering high; He plants a home to heaven anigh; For song and mother-croon of bird In hushed and happy twilight heard— The treble of heaven’s harmony— These things he plants who plants a tree.
Explanation (1 st Stanza): A plant grows upwards and aims to reach the sun and the sky. So it is as if the sun and the sky get a new friend in a tree. Secondly, the tree needs sunlight and air to survive. And finally, the trees seem to absorb the heat and save the earth from the scorching sun, giving an implication that the sun becomes friendly in the presence of the tree. The speaker now adds that the man plants a flag that flies freely in the mild breeze. The poet here compares the leafy branches of the tree to a flag and the stem to the beautiful shaft (pole) of the flag that stands tall.
Explanation (1 st Stanza) Contd. By planting a tree the man plants a home for the sweet singing birds high in the sky, near the heaven. So, he keeps the earth habitable for birds and helps in maintaining the eco-system. In the entire first stanza of The Heart of the Tree, the poet accentuates the importance of trees in maintaining the holistic beauty of nature. Moreover, the use of words like ‘heaven anigh’, ‘heaven’s harmony’ and ‘towering high’ is aimed at giving an impression that the work of planting a tree is indeed a heavenly and glorious deed.
2 nd Stanza: What does he plant who plants a tree? He plants cool shade and tender rain, And seed and bud of days to be, And years that fade and flush again; He plants the glory of the plain; He plants the forest’s heritage; The harvest of a coming age; The joy that unborn eyes shall see— These things he plants who plants a tree.
Explanation (2 nd Stanza): So, the poet repeats the question to begin a new stanza and attempts to answer again in the subsequent lines. The tree he plants provides us with cool shade and helps in bringing rain. The tree will produce seed and bud in future. Years will pass silently but the tree will remain there through its seeds producing new trees.
Explanation (2 nd Stanza) Contd. Trees are the main elements that make a plain area green and beautiful. So the poet describes trees as ‘the glory of the plain’. Moreover, today’s single tree may turn into a forest someday. So by planting a tree now the man plants a ‘forest’s heritage’. The speaker mentions that planting a tree today would give fruits in coming days. Our next generations would be delighted seeing so much vegetation and reap its benefits. So all the credit goes to the man who plants a tree.
3 rd Stanza: What does he plant who plants a tree? He plants, in sap and leaf and wood, In love of home and loyalty And far-cast thought of civic good— His blessings on the neighborhood, Who in the hollow of his hand Holds all the growth of all our land— A nation’s growth from sea to sea Stirs in his heart who plants a tree.
Explanation (3 rd Stanza): By planting a tree the man directly or indirectly contributes to the nation’s growth. When a tree is planted, it sets in motion the progress of a nation from sea to sea. And all these start from the progressive thought in the man’s heart who plants a tree.
Summary: The poem is about the beauty or the satisfaction of planting a tree. The poet is describing what is that is actually planted while planting a tree. When somebody plants a tree, he not only plants a tree but plants a friend of sun, sky, and breeze. The sky's brightness, sun's warmth and the touch of breeze makes them a friend of a plant. The stems are like beauty shafts which keep growing. He plants a home to heaven for birds, their crooning and hushed voices in it.
Summary (Contd. ) He plants a future, the tree will bring rain and coolness to the environment, the tree will become an identity of the habitat, the tree will become food for future generation. He is being a good citizen of his country by planting a tree, he is bringing joy and blessings to the neighbourhood. All this will make the land fertile, a boon to the mankind.
Theme: The themes of the poem are- i) Trees are blessing/boon to mankind ii) Importance of trees for a sustainable future
Rhyme and Rhythm: The poem is lyrical and it develops on single thought of planting a tree and its benefits. It has three stanza with a rhyme scheme of 'ababbccaa', in all three stanzas.
Poetical Devices: Figures of Speech/Poetic Devices
Alliteration: In alliteration, consonant sounds in two or more neighboring words or syllables are repeated. What does he plant who plants a tree? He plants a friend of sun and sky; He plants a home to heaven anigh; In hushed and happy twilight heard — The treble of heaven’s harmony —
Personification: • Personification is a figure of speech in which a thing – an idea or an animal – is given human attributes. • The non-human objects are portrayed in such a way that we feel they have the ability to act like human beings. ■The poet personifies the tree when he calls it ‘a friend of sun and sky’.
Metaphor: Metaphor is an implied comparison between two different things where there is a point of similarity. “the flag of breezes free” and “the shaft of beauty towering high” are examples of metaphors in the poem. Here the leafy branches of a tree are compared to a flag and the stem is compared to a beautiful shaft standing high.
Metonymy: Metonymy is a figure of speech where one word or phrase is substituted by another one closely associated with it. In the first stanza of this poem, there are two metonyms. He plants a home to heaven anigh; (near the heaven). Here, ‘heaven’ represents the sky. The poet actually means that the man who plants a tree also plants a home for bird high in the sky. The treble of heaven’s harmony —Here, ‘treble’ (the pitch range of highest female voice) is used to mean the song or simply the sound which birds make. The joy that unborn eyes shall see —‘Eyes’ here means the child.
Imagery: Imagery makes use of particular words that create visual representation of ideas in our minds. The word “imagery” is associated with mental pictures. Visual Imagery●'flag of breezes free’ ●'a home to heaven anigh’ ●'cool shade and tender rain'
Imagery (Contd. ): Auditory Imagery'song and mother-croon of bird’ 'the treble of heaven's harmony'
WORKSHEET 1: Q. 1) Name the poet? Q. 2) What message does the poem convey? Q. 3) What is theme of the poem? Q. 4) What is the summary of the poem? Q. 5) Define alliteration and give an example from the poem. Q. 6) Define metaphor and give an example from the poem. Q. 7) What is a personification and give an example from the poem. Q. 8) What is imagery?
Answers for the worksheet 1 Ans. 1) The name of the poet is Henry Cuyler Bunner. Ans. 2) The 'Heart of the Tree' is a meaningful poem with a message that the one who plants a tree not only contributes to the betterment of nature for all the other creatures but he also helps in nation's growth. Ans. 3) The themes of the poem are - i) Trees are blessing/boon to mankindii) Importance of trees for a sustainable future Ans. 4) The poem is about the beauty or the satisfaction of planting a tree. The poet is describing what is that is actually planted while planting a tree. When somebody plants a tree, he not only plants a tree but plants a friend of sun, sky, and breeze. The sky's brightness, sun's warmth and the touch of breeze makes them a friend of a plant. The stems are like beauty shafts which keep growing. He plants a home to heaven for birds, their crooning and hushed voices in it. He plants a future, the tree will bring rain and coolness to the environment, the tree will become an identity of the habitat, the tree will become food for future generation. He is being a good citizen of his country by planting a tree, he is bringing joy and blessings to the neighborhood. All this will made the land fertile, a boon to the mankind.
Answers for worksheet 1 (Contd. ): Ans. 5) The poet has used alliteration in many places to add to the rhythm of the poem. Alliteration is the repetition of consonant sounds at the beginning or stressed syllables of words. Example-He plants a friend of sun and sky; The sound of the syllable 's' is repeated. Ans. 6) Metaphor is an implied comparison between two different things where there is a point of similarity. “the flag of breezes free” and “the shaft of beauty towering high” are examples of metaphors in the poem. Here the leafy branches of a tree are compared to a flag and the stem is compared to a beautiful shaft standing high. Ans. 7) Personification means the attribution of human nature or character to animals, inanimate objects, or abstract notions/ideas. Example-The poet personifies the tree when he calls it ‘a friend of sun and sky’. Ans. 8) Imagery is descriptive language used to appeal to a reader’s senses: touch, taste, smell, sound, and sight. By adding these details, it makes our writing more interesting.
WORKSHEET 2 Q. 1) Why do you think the poet uses questions to begin his poem? Q. 2) Explain the line 'He plants a friend of sun and sky. ’ Q. 3) Explain the line: 'He plants the glory of the plain’. Q. 4) What does the poet try to convey in the line "The joy that unborn eyes shall see"? Q. 5) Define twilight and why it is called 'happy'?
Answers for worksheet 2 Ans. 1) The poet uses questions to begin his poem to emphasize theme he wants to convey to the readers and make it extraordinary. It's not just a mere act of planting a tree. The poet makes one read in a different sense. Ans. 2) The poet Henry Cuyler Bunner, in his beautifully written poem, ”The Heart of a Tree”, tells about planting trees and how they are inevitable to the harmonious existence of nature. The tree needs the sun and the sky for its life and in return nourishes them too. There is no perfect nature without the friendship of these three as they are most essential for any life forms. Ans. 3) The poet Henry Cuyler Bunner in his poem “The heart of the Tree“, speaks about the virtues the tree possess. They add the aesthetic glory of a plain with their leaves, flowers, and fruits, in spite of being the life nourishers. A plain surrounded by hilly rocks would seem dry like a desert if there are no trees at all.
Answers for worksheet 2 (Contd. ) Ans. 4) The poet Henry Cuyler Bunner says that those who plant trees are part of the process of the cycle of nature. A tree would breed thousands other trees and the forthcoming generations which are yet to born will be overjoyed to accept such a legacy. Ans. 5) Twilight is the faint light at the end of the day when the sun goes down. It is a happy twilight because mother bird has returned to her nest and she is with her chicks. It is like a happy home.
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