The Voice of Trees for Serene and Harmonious
Survival
Dr. Nagalakshmi K
Assistant Professor
of English
Dr. N.G. P. Arts
and Science College
Coimbatore, Tamil
Nadu, India
Abstract:
Life in the earth is common for everyone.
Living and non-living creatures have the same space to obtain for their
survival in this universe. Many a times, human beings take the upper hand and
destroy trees for their benefit. Many eco-critics extend support for the
welfare of growing, preserving and giving life to trees. Similarly, they become
conversationalists of nature and propagate the need and deed of saving trees
and nature. This paper predominantly focuses on lives of trees and how to
nurture them for the better living from the perceptions of Gieve Patel through
his poem On Killing a Tree. He
disseminates how trees should be taken care and ironically tells the lives of
trees are getting harmed due to the demeanor that human being’s endeavor. For
instance, he points out a vivid and brutal picture of what is indulged in
killing a tree and eventually describes the way in which it has to be killed. The poem encompasses the effectiveness of nature in
the walk of every living and non-living beings’ life. The paper throws light on
the significance of preserving nature and how it feels pejorative to kill trees
which consequences the impediments for every being. It portraits the cruelty of
man and compares the act of killing the trees with the process of murdering man
by following certain steps. Here, the voice of trees is registered through
Patel’s insights. It also explicates about how lives of both man and nature
need to be kept in serenity and harmony.
Keywords: On Killing a Tree; Voice of Trees; Serenity;
Harmony; Patel
Gieve Patel was born on 18th
August 1940 is a famous Indian poet and playwright. Patel is an active member
to a group of writers who have addressed themselves to the ‘Green Movement’.
The movement primarily involved in an effort to protect the environment. His
poems voice out the profound concerns for nature and depict man’s cruelty to
it. Patel’s works include Poems which was launched by Nisim Ezekiel in 1966, How Do You Withstand, Body (1976) and Mirrored Mirroring (1991). He has also authored three plays titled Princes, Savaska, and Mr. Behram. He currently resides in Mumbai and
practices medicine. He is also a painter. As one of the contemporary Indian
artists, he has been part of exhibitions around the world. The works throw
light to the insights of natural conservation. In his poem” On Killing a Tree”,
he describes the values and benefits of preserving trees in particular.
The poem On Killing a
Tree has been taken from Gieve Patel’s anthology named Poems. The poem is a
realistic representation of man’s unkindness towards the tree, which indicates
Nature. The poet gives the readers nadir to zenith instructions on how to kill
a tree and makes the readers realize that killing a tree is parallel to
murdering a human being. It also refers to the disparaging nature of humans and
the indestructibility of Nature. Patel explains that, the tree which stands as
a nucleus part of Nature which has grown slowly consuming the earth and
increasing out of its crust. It has grown over a period of time absorbing air,
water and sunshine. He mentions about the way of killing a tree and also
informs his readers that:
So hack and chop
But this alone won’t do it.
Not so much pain will do it.
The bleeding bark will heal
And from close to the ground
Will rise curled green
twigs,
Miniature boughs
Which if unchecked will
expand again
To former size. (10-18)
Killing a tree is not an easy task and the tree cannot be
killed easily. It takes much time to do it. The meager performing on hacking
and chopping are not sufficient to kill a tree which symbolizes Nature’s soul.
The tree overcomes hacking and chopping by branching off small stems with the
help of its roots. The bleeding bark heals soon and the tree starts surviving
again to former position. The voice and determination that a tree has is
marvelous because it imparts lesson how to be an optimist creature even after
several downfalls in life. Patel with the heavy heart describes the core
process of killing a tree that:
Then the matter
Of scorching and choking
In sun and air,
Browning, hardening,
Twisting, withering,
And then it is done. (30-35)
After chopping and hacking is done, the live of tree is still
retained in the trucks and stems. Subsequently, the roots have to be pulled in
and have to scorch it in the sun until it turns to brown. At last, hardening,
twisting and withering lead to the complete killing of a tree. Patel feels pity
for the menfolk because trees are sources for human beings lives. They hardly
comprehend the significance of trees around them.
People do not read
the real power of trees and Patel explains, knowing a tree’s supremacy to come
to life, man decides to pull out the root itself entirely. The tree has been
congenial in giving away oxygen and extends lot more benefits and useful to
man. However, Man lacks to reciprocate to it that trees do to man. He is
egotistical and pitiless in his behavior when it comes for safe guarding
environment. His greed made him blind and ungrateful. His characteristics are
associated with a butcher to take away the soul of the tree. He makes numerous
breaks in the tree and cuts it down. After cutting the tree down, he further
cuts it into several opportune pieces. He not satisfied until he brings down to
tree to its root level.
The tree will rise against man’s attack. The small stems will
branch out from the truck where they have pores to start up their lives. Man is
ignorant to leave the life of trees in its midway. It has power to sprout up
again with little hope and green. The voices of tree are heard many times
during the process of killing it. The man failed in his attempt when he left
the work half way. Patel explains, the elongated way of killing tree. He
compares the lives of trees with the lives of human beings. It is possible for
anybody to grow the dead tree to life by talking to itself.
The hurting that man causes to tress is similar to the harm
which man experiences. Trees also have pain, grief, suffering, sorrows and joys
as sensitively as human beings feel. It is not wise to hurt them. The poet
reminds the readers that no man has inherited these green trees for his
utilization. It is everybody’s foremost duty to conserve trees and not making
any harm to trees at least for the future. Similar concept has been defined by
Cheryll Glotfelty in her The Ecocriticism Readerwhere she talks about
relationship between literature and the environment.
The poet describes the cruelty of man in obliterating the
tree with insincerity and lack of involvement. But the poet’s own understanding
is with the tree. The language of the poem is effortless, extraordinary and
vibrant. He pictures the voices of the trees and how they spread out the
goodness and goodwill to people. His poems usually have set to inform that the
impediments that human being cause to trees in the modern world. The world is
facing speedy deforestation for urbanization and industrialization. The poem is
a mere depiction where nature is spoiled in order to lead luxurious and
sophisticated life. The poet has just mentioned about the voice of trees to go
ahead with the serene and harmonious feeling in the forthcoming walks of life.
Works Cited
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gieve_Patel
https://www.learninsta.com/on-killing-a-tree-summary/
https://www.studyrankers.com/2019/12/summary-of-on-killing-tree-class9-beehive.html
https://poemanalysis.com/gieve-patel/on-killing-a-tree/