The Trees
Class 10 English · First Flight – Poems · Chapter 7
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The story in short
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 5 beats
- 1The poet says trees are moving out into the forest, though no trees should actually be inside a house.
- 2Roots work all night to leave the veranda floor, leaves press hard against the glass, and twigs strain to break free.
- 3The poet sits inside writing long letters and hears the whispers and breaking sounds of the trees leaving.
- 4She smells fresh air and notices the moon is broken like a mirror by the moving branches outside.
- 5By 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
Characters & key ideas
The treesConfined indoors, now moving out to the forest — symbols of freedom.
ConfinementThe state of being trapped indoors, against nature.
Liberation/freedomThe trees’ movement towards their natural place.
Nature reclaiming its placeThe literal idea of the poem.
SymbolismThe trees read as symbols of freedom and women’s emancipation.
Adrienne RichThe poet who wrote “The Trees”.
Word meanings · शब्दार्थ
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 (board-style)
Try one from this chapter
Who is the poet of “The Trees”?