Updated on 14/06/2026
Poem-7. The Trees (Adrienne Rich)
*1. Who is the poetess of the symbolic poem ‘The Trees’?*
Ans. Adrienne Rich
*2. What kind of trees are in the house?*
Ans. Artificial, decorative indoor plants grown in small pots.
*3. Where are these decorative plants kept?*
Ans. In the house
*4. What is the poet doing while sitting inside her room?*
Ans. She is writing long letters.
*5. How are the small twigs of these plants?*
Ans. Stiff
*6. How are the boughs compared to?*
Ans. A newly discharged patient
*7. What is the poetess’s head full of?*
Ans. Invisible, quiet whispers
*8. Which part of the trees works all night to free itself from the veranda floor cracks?*
Ans. The roots
9. Where are the trees moving to?
Ans. out into their true home, the forest
10. What three natural elements is the forest empty of?
Ans. Birds, insects and the sun’s shadow
11. To what destination are the newly discharged patients moving?
Ans. Towards the clinic doors.
Textual Questions
1. Can there be a forest without trees? Where are the trees in the poem and where are they going?
Ans. No, there can't be a forest without trees. The trees in the poem are only decorative plants. These are grown in the pots for decoration. When The poetess says that these trees are moving out, it means these decorative plants are being taken out in the veranda.
2. Where are the trees in the poem? What do their roots, their leaves and their twigs do?
Ans. The trees are in the houses. These are grown in the pots for decoration. Their roots try to free themselves from the cracks in the veranda. Their leaves go towards the glass and small twigs become stiff.
3. Why does the poet compare the long, cramped branches to 'newly discharged patients'?
Ans. The poet uses this striking simile because the branches have been cramped under the low roof of the house for a long time, making them weak and exhausted. When they finally break out into the open, they move in a dazed, clumsy, and slow manner, just like half-healed patients walking out of a hospital clinic door.
4. Why are the trees described in the first stanza not useful for birds or insects?
Ans.The trees inside the house are merely artificial, decorative indoor plants. These are grown in the pots for decoration. They are not useful for birds or insects. Birds cannot sit on their branches, insects cannot find hiding places under their leaves, and the sun cannot cast shadows through them. They offer no real shelter.
5. What happens to the roots and leaves of the trees at night?
Ans. The night is completely fresh and clear, with a full moon shining brightly in the open sky. The trees are in the houses. These are grown in the pots for decoration. Their roots try to free themselves from the cracks in the veranda. Their leaves go towards the glass and small twigs become stiff.
6. What is the theme of the poem 'The Trees'.
Ans. Men are cutting the trees for their benefit. They grow only decorative plants in their houses. These plants are not useful for birds or insects. Thus we see the human being is doing more and more harm to nature. It's our duty to protect the environment. On a metaphorical level, it depicts the feminist struggle of women breaking free from the suffocating, traditional boundaries of domestic households to find their rightful place in professional society.