Page 2 - LN4-QUESTIONS AND ANSWERS
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(3) Why do you think the poet does not mention “the departure of the forest from the
                    house” in her letters? (Could it be that we are often silent about important happenings
                    that are so unexpected that they embarrass us? Think about this again when you answer
                    the next set of questions.) ?
                    Ans: The poet did not mention the departure of the forest from her house because it is a
                    part of human nature to ignore the important matters of their life. We all know that trees
                    are so important for our survival on earth. But still human beings are cutting them for
                    making profits without even thinking of the aftermath.


                    Q4- Does the poem present a conflict between man and nature? Compare it with ‘A Tiger
                    in the Zoo’. Is the poet suggesting that plants and trees, used for ‘interior decoration’ in
                    cities while forests are cut down, are ’imprisoned’ and need to ‘break out’?

                    Ans: Yes, the poem presents a conflict between man and nature. Man is causing
                    deforestation by cutting down the trees for his own use. On the other hand, he decorates
                    his house with the trees. We are damaging our environment without even thinking about
                    the end results. By clearing up the forests, we are endangering ourselves. So is with the
                    animals too. We are ruining their natural habitat and killing them for our fun or food but on
                    the other hand, we are keeping them in the cages on the pretext of safeguarding them by
                    making sanctuaries and zoos. So, it is true that we are in a direct conflict with nature and
                    making the other living beings prisoners, be it the trees or animals.


                    Q5-On the other hand, Adrienne Rich has been known to use trees as a metaphor for
                    human beings; this is a recurrent image in her poetry. What new meanings emerge from
                    the poem if you take its trees to be symbolic of this particular meaning?

                    Ans: If trees are to be taken as a symbol for human beings, then the poem will define the
                    efforts of humans to free themselves from the clutches of the desire to achieve everything.
                    All the human beings are under constant pressure of being at the top in every field. Either
                    they are forced by their own desire of doing so or there is a constant peer pressure on
                    them. So, the human beings will set themselves free from this race and try to live a happy
                    and peaceful life.


























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