Chapter 5: Glimpses of India I. A Baker from Goa II. Coorg III. Tea from Assam The Trees

Activity to be done by yourself.

Activity to be done by yourself.

Access Answers to NCERT Solutions for Class 10 English Chapter 7 Poem – The Trees

(i) The three things that cannot happen in a treeless forest are listed below:

1. the sitting of a bird on trees
2. the hiding of insects in the trees
3. the sun burying its feet in the shadow of the forest

(ii) The sun’s ‘feet’ refers to the heat and rays of the sun that fall on the ground. Since there are no trees, there will be no shadow, the sun rays will fall on the ground directly. However, in a forest full of trees, the shadow hides the sun rays and it appears that the sun is burying its feet in the shadow of the trees in the forest.

(i) In the poem, the trees are confined to the limits of the poet’s house. Their roots work all night to separate themselves from the cracks on the veranda floor. The leaves make attempts to move towards the glass and exert pressure to break it, while the small twigs get stiff and tight with exertion.

(ii) The poet compares the ‘long-cramped’ branches shuffling under the roof to newly discharged patients from a hospital who look half-disoriented and confused after suffering long illnesses as they move towards the clinic doors. The large branches of the trees become cramped under the roof as they want to be set free so that they are able to spread themselves fully in the open air outside.

(i) At the beginning of the third stanza, the poet mentions that the full moon is shining in the open sky in the fresh night. Towards the end of the stanza, she describes that the moon breaks into many pieces just like a cracked mirror and shines on the heads of the tallest oak trees. As the trees move outside from her home, they cover some moonlight and it can be seen only in small portions. This justifies the poet’s statement that the moon has broken into pieces.

(ii) When the trees move out of the house, the glass breaks and the smell of leaves and lichen reach the rooms of the house like a voice.

(iii) The poet scarcely mentions “the departure of the forest from the house” in her letters because human beings generally don’t care for nature in the first place. Hence, she thinks that nobody would be interested to know how hard the trees are trying to set themselves free. She also mentions that if humans would really have cared for the trees, they would never think of destroying them. Therefore, we can understand that the poet could feel the whole beauty of trees moving back to the forest and she was immensely happy to realise it.

The poem may connote different meanings to different readers. The poet tries to explain two different things using the same metaphors in the poem.

(i) Yes, the poem presents a conflict between man and nature. Humans have always had the tendency to damage or harm nature without even realizing the usefulness and the benefits that mankind derives from it. They do mass deforestation which disturbs the environmental balance and results in destruction of natural scenic beauty. Man tries to contain plants and trees within limited spaces that deny their natural freedom. Due to this reason, the branches of the trees want to spread themselves and feel the fresh air outside. Similarly, in the poem ‘A Tiger in the Zoo’, the poet shows that animals which are kept in cages are unable to enjoy their freedom as even they want to be set free and run around freely in the open space.

(ii) If trees have been used as a metaphor for human beings, then it could be said that just like trees, humans would also like to break away from the shackles of their busy schedules and restricting boundaries that life puts on them. Although men strive hard in their daily routines to earn a living, they don’t always have the privilege to enjoy its benefits. Modern life brings in a lot of physical comfort, but also has its equal share of drawbacks. Hence, even man wants to break free from all his tasks and enjoy the peaceful nature out in the open just like the trees.

Activity to be done by yourself.

You can download these NCERT Solutions for Class 10 English in PDF format, through the links provided below. Given below are some brief descriptions of the prose lessons and poems included in NCERT Solutions for Class 10 English Chapter 7.

I. A Baker from Goa

In this writeup, the author Lucio Rodrigues writes about Goa and the Portuguese culture it still preserves. Baking is the traditional profession of the people of this region and bakers are known as ‘paders’ in Goa. He writes how much the villagers enjoyed the bread brought in baskets by these bakers during his childhood. He further describes their special attire and how baking is the most profitable profession in Goa. He also believes that the families of bakers always led a happy and prosperous life and their jackfruit-like physical appearance was an open testimony to it.

II. Coorg

In this writeup, the writer Lokesh Abrol describes Coorg, which is a beautiful town situated midway between Mysore and Mangalore. It is home to evergreen rainforests, spices, and coffee plantations. It is a hilly place full of independent people who are possibly of Greek or Arabic descent as their culture is quite distinct from the Hindu mainstream. It is adorned with a beautiful landscape, and visitors get to experience high-energy adventure sports and enjoy the view of different kinds of animals in this region.

III. Tea from Assam

In this story, the writer Arup Kumar Datta mentions Pranjol, a young boy from Assam who is Rajvir’s classmate at school in Delhi. Pranjol’s father is a tea-garden manager in Upper Assam and Pranjol invites Rajvir to visit his home during the summer holidays. Rajvir is thrilled about the visit and enjoys the scenic beauty of the place while travelling and wants to make the best use of his trip.

In this poem, the poet Adrienne Rich tells us how she observes the trees from her house and wishes those trees could move back to the forest. She wants to convey a message to her readers that deforestation is creating havoc for the trees and so, forests should not be destroyed by humans and they should stop causing harm to the natural habitat of plants and trees.