FYJC - Poem 2.1 Cherry Tree by Ruskin Bond Part II Solved Brainstorming activities
Poem 2.1 Cherry Tree by Ruskin Bond
Part II Solved Brainstorming activities Prepared by Mrs. Premjit Sunil
Gatigante Textbook page from 68-70
Brainstorming
(a) The poet has mentioned different
seasons.
Answer : -
The lines are
“And suddenly that summer near the end of May,” - Summer season.
“Split it apart and
a monsoon blight” - Monsoon season.
“Next spring I watched three new
shoots grow,” - Spring.
“Who watched, wandering, while Time
and the rain” - Monsoon season.
Thus, it can be concluded that
the poet has mentioned different seasons.
(b) The poet’s minute observations of the steady growth of the cherry tree.
Answer :-
The steady growth of the cherry tree
shown in these following lines.
I found a tree had come to stay.
It was very small, five months child,
Lost in the tall grass running wild.
It can thus be proved that the poet made minute observations of the
steady growth of the tree.
(c) The colour imagery in the poem.
The poet refers to the cherry tree as
'dark'.
He describes the blossoms as 'pink'.
The sky has been described as 'blue'.
The use of the words 'dappled green'
to describe the leaves of the cherry tree.
The use of different
colours to describe the different elements in the extract proves that the poet
has used colour imagery in the poem.
(d) The struggle of the cherry tree for
survival.
Answer :-
The struggle of the cherry tree for
survival has shown in the following lines-
The young tree struggle, upward
thrust
Its arms in a fresh fierce lust
For light and air and sun.
This instance
proves the struggle of the cherry tree for survival.
statements by finding evidence from the
poem to support your remark.
(a) The cherry tree did not take long
to grow. False
Correct Answer : - The cherry tree took eight years long to grow.
(b) Birds and insects were benefitted
from the tree. True
(c) The poet was exalted at the sight
of the cherry tree. True
(d) The poem has an underlying message
about the importance of trees. True
(e) The poet repents planting the
cherry tree. False
Correct Answer : - The poet praised
planting the cherry tree.
(a) The life of the cherry tree was
threatened.
Answer:- The life of the cherry tree was threatened because of goats
grazing, grass cutters and monsoon. The cherry tree has no leaves and stem. It
gets dried. But as the spring arrives new shoots grow.The young tree struggles
for light,air and sun.
(b) The cherry blossomed.
Answer:- The cherry blossomed. : Initially the cherry tree bore just one
BERRY. It was not so good. But the next year the tree was blossomed. The poet,
bees, moon moths and crickets were much excited.They became the beneficiary of it.
(ii) A small thought, put in action, led to a great achievement. Pick out the
lines from the beginning and end of the
poem and explain their significance.
Answer:- Line- Eight years have passed since I placed my cherry seed in the grass.
This is the normal work that the poet
did.
Line- It was very small, five
months child.
The tree survived and showed growth
struggling in the adverse situations.
Line- Next spring I watched
three new shoots grow.
The progress of the tree continues
Line- But richer by a cherry
tree at my door.
Glorifies the importance of the tree
considering himself rich due to tree.
Line- That small, the cherry,
grown by me.
Great achievement as the tree
survived and stayed.
(A3) The cherry tree has inspired the poet to compose the poem. Such poems, describing Nature or aspects of Nature are called ‘Nature poems’. Find out some expressions from the poem that bring out the elements of beauty of Nature.
Answer : - Expressions from the poem that bring out the elements of beauty
are as follows : running wild, slender stem, new shoots grow, arms in fresh
fierce lust, bees in an ecstasy,the sun sank swiftly.
1) Next spring I watched three new
shoots grow.
2) Made a miracle from green growing
pain.
3) But richer by a cherry tree at my
door
4) Ripened and jeweled in the sun.
5) And next year there were blossoms
small pink, fragile, quick to fall.
6) While bees in an ecstasy drank
7)Swiftly and the stars turned in
the sky.
(A4) (i) Read the line.
Pink, fragile, quick to fall
Notice the arrangement of the words
in the line:
They move from healthy to delicate
This figure of speech is called
Climax where successive words, phrases, sentences are arranged in ascending
order of importance. Here, the cherry blossom turns pink, ripens and is ready
to be picked.
(ii) Find out examples from the poem.
Alliteration :
1. Its arms in a fresh fierce lust. :
A consonantal sound 'f' is repeated for poetic effect.
2. Made a miracle from green growing
pain. : A consonantal sound 'g' is repeated for poetic effect.
Antithesis :
1. but cherries have a way of
growing,
Though no one's caring very much or
knowing. : Opposite idea of growing without caring is seen in the line.
Personification :
1. A Tree had come to stay : A tree
has attributed human quality of coming and staying or 'Tree' is personified.
2. Its arms in a fresh fierce lust :
A tree is described as having arms like human beings. 'Tree's arms' are
personified.
3. sleepiest breeze : Breeze is given
human quality of being sleepy or 'Breeze' is personified.
(A5) (i) Cherry
tree is a narrative poem. Features that make it a narrative poem are given
below. Justify them with proper examples.
Answer-
a) The poem has a beginning, a middle
and an end - It begins with a planting of a cherry seed. It survives overcoming
adversities and at the end blossoms.
b) Different places are mentioned-
The poet’s residence and Kashmir.
c) Characters are referred to - The
poet, cherry tree, grass-cutters, bees, crickets and moon-moths are the characters referred
to in the poem.
d) Incidents are arranged in
sequence- The activities and growth of the tree are given in a sequence.
e) There is a dialogue between the
poet and the reader or the characters of the poem.-
" Must have a tree of my
own,” I said.
I found a tree that had come to
stay.
Next spring I watched three new
shoots grow.
Yes, I! – praised Night and
Stars and
tree:
f) It is a time-bound poem. It
deals with a particular time of the year and showed different changes in
atmosphere and the tree.
(ii) Compose 8 to
10 line. Narrate any incident in your life without using any rhyming pattern.
Answer:-
Plants a comfort that will never cloy;
Every day a fresh reality,
Beautiful and strong,
To whose shelter throng
Gifts that grow are best;
Life does the rest!
Heaven and earth help him who plants a tree!
(iii) Write an appreciation of the poem
considering the following points.
About the poem, poet, and title.
Theme/summary/gist of the poem.
Poetic style/language, poetic devices used in the
poem.
Special features/novelties/focusing elements.
Message/values/morals in the poem.
Your opinion about the poem.
Answer :-
About the poem, poet, and title.
'Cherry Tree' is a beautiful poem written by Ruskin Bond. It is a narrative poem describing the everyday struggle of a plant to grow & blossom. It is about the poet's ecstasy over a tree which he planted and took eight years to grow. He is expressing his wonder at the ways of Nature and how the cherry blossoms are fragile and quick to fall. The tree gives him immense joy as he can see the stars and the blue sky through dappled green trees.
The poet Ruskin Bond is a nature lover and belongs to India. His life in the beautiful hills of Mussoorie has provided setting for books and poems. He considered himself richer having a cherry tree at his door. He felt proud for planting his own tree.
Title of the poem is related to the
central character i.e. cherry tree whose journey from planting to upward growth
to blossomed tree is given.
Theme / Summary/ Gist of the poem.
It has the theme of
struggle, resilience, dedication, conflict, growth, responsibility and pride.
The poet planted a cherry seed which grew into a full blossomed tree after a wait of eight years. The poem is all about this wonderful experience and survival instinct of the tree such as bees, moon-moths, cricket and the poet. The time, that is the seasons and the rain helped the tree grow and the poet watched this patiently without much to do. The poem is about the poet’s sense of achievement & pride of having nurtured a tree.
The poet’s tone is optimistic, full of wonder for the nature – he focusses on the growing aspect of nature. The poem has a beginning, middle and an end. It’s a simple poem about the poet’s innocent & pure joy. All the incidents are in nice sequence.
The style & language of the poem is simple. Poetic devices such as Alliteration, Antithesis, Climax, Personification are used by the poet which add musical effects.It has a rhyme scheme aa,bb, cc, dd,ee, ff... The important aspect of this poem is its picturesque depiction & colourful imagery. The whole process of a seed turning into a plant is been made appealing to the readers with colourful & vivid description. The focus of the poem is on nature and its elements.The references of seasons, the sky, animals, birds, insects focus on the wonders of nature.
The poem advises the planting of trees. The poet underlines importance of trees in human life.The poem is interesting to read. It is a story like. It keeps the reader engaged.
Message/values/morals in the poem.
The poem gives a message of nature conservation- tree plantation & its importance. The cherry tree is indeed a ‘Giving Tree’. It also speaks about the tree’s determination to grow despite all odds.
Your opinion about the poem.
(iv) Write a summary of
the poem using the following points.
Title
Introductory paragraph (about the poem,
type, Nature, tone)
Main body (central idea, the gist of
the poem)
Conclusion (opinion, views, appeal)
Answer :-
"Cherry Tree"
- by Ruskin Bond
The
poem talks about nature; thus it falls under the category of Nature poetry. The
tone is that of optimism – the poet focuses on the growing aspect of nature;
how the cherry plant struggles to survive. It is realistic in nature as it
describes the everyday struggle of a plant to mature into a blooming tree.
The
poem is about the poet's pure joy over a cherry seed, which he plants with the
intention of having a tree of his own. It takes eight years for the plant to
grow into a blossoming tree. He describes the seasons that the tree lives
through to eventually grow and bloom. The plant sees the light of the day in
the month of May. Goats, scythe, and the harsh monsoon weather; all harm the
plant but it strives to grow against all odds. In spring, new shoots grow and
they reach upwards for more sunlight, air, and water. The poet patiently waits
as time and the rains do their part to help the plant grow.
Meanwhile,
the poet leaves for Kashmir to stay there for a while and returns in a poor
state, but he still considers himself rich because now he has a full-grown
cherry tree by his house. He notices a berry hanging from one of its branches,
like a jewel shining in the sun, and feels ecstatic. A year passes by and the
poet watches the tree in full bloom. He talks about the pink flowers; which are
fragile and seem like they would quickly fall at the slightest breeze. One day,
the poet lies on the grass and describes nature in full swing – the sky,
finches, bees, crickets, and the blooming cherry tree. The moon-moths, the
singing crickets, the night, the stars, the tree as well as the poet appreciate
the beauty of the cherry. The sight of the cherry tree gives him immense joy
and he feels glad for having planted it all those years ago.
Overall,
the poem gives an underlying message about the tree‟s resilience and its
determination to grow despite all odds. In the same way, humans too can
overcome the obstacles that they face in life and become resilient like the
cherry tree.
(A6) (i) Write the poem ‘Cherry Tree’ in the form of a story.
Answer: -
One fine day, eight years ago, the
writer thought to himself that he should have a tree of his own. He didn't
waste any time and went to put his thought into action. He planted a cherry
seed and religiously watered it once every day. He didn't know much about the
ways of taking care of a plant.
It was around May, during the summer
when the little plant showed up. It was just five months old. Sadly, it wasn't
quite ready for the wraths of nature that almost killed him. The goat ate away
its little leaves, the fungal disease dried up its slender stem and even the
man-made grass cutter split it apart without any second thought. The poor
little plant didn't lose hope and stood strong with a wish to survive. Over the
period of a season, during spring, it finally reached up for the sun and light,
its small arms stretched in the air. The writer saw it and his happiness knew
no bounds, but he knew in his heart that he had to wait patiently for the plant
to grow into a tree. He went to Kashmir to spend a season there, leaving the
plant at nature's mercy.
When the writer returned home in poor
health, he saw the cherry tree at his door and couldn't help but feel at the
top of the world. He noticed a small ripened berry that hung from one of the
branches. It glistened like a jewel in the sun. The writer was overjoyed.
Time flew by and the next year, the
tree had pink flowers on all its branches. They were fragile and fell down at
the slightest breeze or movement, but the sight was simply beautiful. The
writer lay down in its shade one morning and kept gazing for long. He could see
the blue sky in patches in between the green canopy of the tree. He watched the
birds flitting past, the bees buzzing and busy collecting nectar from each
bloom. The day turned into night, with the writer enjoying the wonders of
nature around him. The moon moths and the crickets joined his company under the
starry night sky. And at this precise moment, the writer couldn't help but bask
in the reflected glory of his sole cherry tree
(ii) Write in 100 words what the cherry tree in the poem symbolises.
Answer :- The cherry tree in
the poem is symbolic of human life. It highlights the hardships that one has to
face and overcome in order to live life to the fullest. It sends out a loud and
clear message of „survival of the fittest‟. It is nature's law that only the
best can survive and not losing hope is the first step towards it.
Determination and time is an answer to everything in this world. The cherry
plant took its own sweet time to bloom; but it finally did, it didn't
disappoint the poet by giving up when it was facing the wraths of nature. We
should take lessons from this cherry tree and learn to survive against all
odds.
(iii) You have studied the lesson 'The Call
of the Soil' from prose 1.3. Compare 'Cherry Tree' with 'The Call of the Soil'
and find out the element of the joy of nurturing for the author and the poet.
Anwer :-
The author of 'The
Call of the Soil' and the poet of 'Cherry Tree', both share a love for nature.
The former chooses farming over worldly pleasures and the latter derives
pleasure in planting a tree; which he could call his own. Both Venkat Iyer and
Ruskin Bond find joy in nurturing – Iyer is bent on using traditional methods
to grow his 'desi' crops in order to nurture the soil and bring a balance in
nature, while Ruskin Bond spends eight years of his life in nurturing and
lovingly growing a cherry tree by his house. It can be concluded that both, the
author and the poet, have a green thumb.
Sneha jagtap
ReplyDeleteVery nice sirji
ReplyDeleteThank you Dev sir 🙏
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