The Trees — Class 10 English
First Flight – Poems · Chapter 7
Visual story
Watch as story →CBSE Class 10 community
View allEnglish
2~50days leftPre-boards · school dates varyDec 2026 · school-specific · tentative
Start now for December pre-boards. Reuse it for boards.- First Flight
- Footprints without Feet
All available subjects
~50days leftPre-boards · school dates varyDec 2026 · school-specific · tentative
TrendingStart now for December pre-boards. Reuse it for boards.- Mathematics
- Science
- + 10 more
Social Science
4~50days leftPre-boards · school dates varyDec 2026 · school-specific · tentative
Start now for December pre-boards. Reuse it for boards.- History
- Economics
- + 2 more
Mathematics (Standard and Basic)
~50days leftPre-boards · school dates varyDec 2026 · school-specific · tentative
Start now for December pre-boards. Reuse it for boards.- 70+ formulas and theorems
- Board-paper chapter counts
- 24 traps corrected
Science
~50days leftPre-boards · school dates varyDec 2026 · school-specific · tentative
TrendingStart now for December pre-boards. Reuse it for boards.- Equations and formulas
- Book tables as charts
- Traps corrected
Hindi A · Kshitij 2 + Kritika 2
~50days leftPre-boards · school dates varyDec 2026 · school-specific · tentative
Start now for December pre-boards. Reuse it for boards.- 15 पाठ
- व्याकरण
- लेखन प्रारूप
Computer Applications 2027
~50days leftPre-boards · school dates varyDec 2026 · school-specific · tentative
Start now for December pre-boards. Reuse it for boards.- HTML & CSS examples
- Protocol tables
- Cyber ethics
Hindi B · Sparsh 2 + Sanchayan 2
~50days leftPre-boards · school dates varyDec 2026 · school-specific · tentative
Start now for December pre-boards. Reuse it for boards.- 17 पाठ
- व्याकरण
- लेखन प्रारूप
Sanskrit · Shemushi 2 + Vyakaranavithi + Abhyaswaan Bhav
~50days leftPre-boards · school dates varyDec 2026 · school-specific · tentative
Start now for December pre-boards. Reuse it for boards.- 9 पाठ
- सन्धि-समास
- प्रत्यय
Chapter summary
Adrienne Rich’s poem “The Trees” describes trees that have long been confined inside a house and are now moving out to take their rightful place in the forest. The poet pictures the trees struggling all night to break free — their roots working loose from the cracks in the floor, their leaves straining towards the glass, and their twigs stiffening with effort — until by morning they will stand in the open forest where they belong. Inside the house the poet writes letters and barely mentions the trees’ departure, while outside the moon shines on the freed trees. On the surface the poem is about nature reclaiming its space, but it is also widely read as a symbol of freedom and liberation — of living things, and especially of women, breaking out of confinement to claim independence and their natural place in the world. The poem celebrates the irresistible urge for freedom.
The story in steps
- The poet says trees are moving out into the forest, though no trees should actually be inside a house.
- Roots work all night to leave the veranda floor, leaves press hard against the glass, and twigs strain to break free.
- The poet sits inside writing long letters and hears the whispers and breaking sounds of the trees leaving.
- She smells fresh air and notices the moon is broken like a mirror by the moving branches outside.
- By morning the trees reach the forest, and the empty house feels silent after their departure.
Nature reclaiming its placeFreedom and liberationConfinement versus freedomSymbolism (women’s emancipation)The urge for independence
Key ideas & terms
- The trees
- Confined indoors, now moving out to the forest — symbols of freedom.
- Confinement
- The state of being trapped indoors, against nature.
- Liberation/freedom
- The trees’ movement towards their natural place.
- Nature reclaiming its place
- The literal idea of the poem.
- Symbolism
- The trees read as symbols of freedom and women’s emancipation.
- Adrienne Rich
- The poet who wrote “The Trees”.
शब्दार्थ · Word meanings
- veranda
- roofed open space outside a house
- cracks
- narrow broken lines or openings
- disengage
- free themselves from something
- strained
- pulled hard with effort
- boughs
- main branches of a tree
- shuffling
- moving with dragging steps
- liquefaction
- the state of becoming liquid
- whispers
- very soft speaking sounds
- murmur
- low continuous sound
- scarcely
- hardly or almost not
- headed
- moving towards a place
Extra questions & answers
What is happening to the trees in the poem?
The trees, long confined inside a house, are moving out to take their natural place in the forest.
How does the poet describe the trees’ effort to break free?
Their roots work loose from the cracks in the floor, their leaves strain towards the glass, and their twigs stiffen as they struggle all night.
What is the literal meaning of the poem?
That nature, represented by the trees, is reclaiming its rightful place outdoors, away from human confinement.
What deeper meaning is the poem said to carry?
It is read as a symbol of freedom and liberation — of living things, and especially of women, breaking free from confinement.
What is the poet doing while the trees move out?
She sits inside writing long letters and hardly mentions the trees’ departure.
How does the poem present the urge for freedom?
As powerful and irresistible — the trees struggle all night and cannot be held back from reaching the forest.
What role does the moon play in the poem?
The moon shines outside on the freed trees, like a witness to their movement towards freedom.
Why are the trees said to belong in the forest?
Because the forest is their natural home, where they can grow freely, unlike being trapped inside a house.
How is the theme of confinement versus freedom shown?
The cramped indoors stands for confinement, while the open forest stands for the freedom the trees move towards.
What feeling does the poem leave the reader with?
A sense of hope and celebration at the trees’ — and by symbolism, all living beings’ — move towards freedom.