Treasure Trove Poems and Short Stories Workbook Answers
The Heart of a Tree Summary by Henry Cuyler Bunner
The Heart of a Tree Summary About the Poet
Henry Cuyler Bunner (born August 3, 1855, New York-died May 11, 1896, New Jersey) was a poet, novelist and editor. His verse and stories provided vivid descriptions of the place where he lived and the people that he observed around him. He was a prolific writer. In 1893, he had a book published called “Made in France”: “French Tales Retold” with a United States Twist’. Earlier titles included- “The Midge (1886)” and “The Story of a New York House” which came out the following year.
Bunner produced a number of poetry collection including ‘Airs from a ready and Elsewhere’ (1884), Rowen (1892) and Poems (1896).
One of his short storifes “The Tower of Babel” was staged in 1883. Another one, ‘Zenobia’s Infidelity’ was made into a Hollywood movie.
The Heart of a Tree Summary
Man has been causing an immense destruction to nature by cutting down trees for his greed for agricultural land, timber and fuel, which is causing a big threat to our environment. ‘The Heart of a Tree’ is based on the universal concern and it discusses the various advantages we gain by planting a tree. The poet has praised the act showing that, it not only helps life on earth but also plays a major role in the nation’s growth.
The refrain of the poem before every stanza, ‘What does he plant who plants a tree?’ is a rhetorical question which is answered by the poet himself, explaining the worthiness and significance of planting a tree.
He has highlighted the achievement of the planter in three different stanzas, every stanza shedding light on various reasons as to, why the planter’s work should be considered divine and noble.
The Heart of a Tree Explanation of the Poem
Stanza 1. “What does he plant who plants a tree?
He plants a friend of sun and sky;
He plants the flag of breezes free;
The shaft of beauty, towering high;
He plants a home to heaven anigh;
For son and mother-croon of bird
In hushed and happy twilight heard
The treble of heaven’s harmony
These things he plants who plants a tree.”
Explanation: In the first stanza, the poet explains the value of planting a tree by telling that, the one who plants a tree is planting a friend of sun and sky. A plant grows upwards as if aiming to touch the sky and the sun and they all become friends. The tree requires sunlight from the sun and carbon-dioxide from air to survive. Thus, it absorbs the sun’s heat and saves the earth from the scorching sun and releases oxygen, making the air pure. Then, the poet compares the leafy branches to a flag which flutter with the cool and free wind. While the trunk of the tree acts as the pole of the flag standing high, it also redefines beauty.
The tree, which one plants, becomes the shelter for many mellifluous mother birds which sing to their little ones. She sings a gentle tone during twilight which creates an atmosphere of serenity and bliss. Her song (with a rising pitch) mingles with the melody of heaven, in perfect harmony.
Thus, who plants a tree, indirectly plants all these things.
Word Meanings
1. Flag of breezes — Flag that flutters freely in the mild wind.
2. Shaft — Pole, bar
3. High — Near
4. Croon — To sing in a low soft voice, (a lullaby)
5. Hushed — Calm, peaceful
6. Treble — The highest range of sounds used in music, high pitched tone or sound.
Stanza 2. “What does he plant who plants a tree?
He plants a friend of sun and sky;
He plants the flag of breezes free;
The shaft of beauty, towering high;
He plants a home to heaven anigh;
For son and mother-croon of bird
In hushed and happy twilight heard
The treble of heaven’s harmony
These things he plants who plants a tree.”
Explanation: In the second stanza, the poet further discusses by repeating the question and trying to answer it himself. The tree provides shade to man and animals. It binds the soil by retaining moisture. It is proved that trees help in bringing rain. Plants transpire, which leads to formation of clouds due to condensation, leading to rains.
Now, the poet talks about the benefit that the future generation will reap from the trees that one plants now. The tree contains the ‘seed and bud’, which would years later, bloom into new trees and forests, after the present one withers away. Thus, planting a tree now will bear fruits for the next generation, who would be joyous to receive this blessing and heritage. Trees are responsible for the ‘fade & flush’ of years
i. e. the seasonal cycle. The trees make the otherwise very dull plains, beautiful.
Thus, a person who plants a tree now, is making way for provision of many gifts for generations to come in the form of food, timber, rain, shade and natural beauty, consequently paving way for the prosperity of human race.
Word Meanings
1. Cool shade – Shelter from the blazing heat of the sun.
2. Seed and bud of days to be – Seeds and buds that will bloom into flowers and trees in future.
3. Years that fade and flush again – Refers to seasonal cycle
4. Glory of the plain – Greenery
5. Heritage – Legacy
6. Harvest – Yield; productive result
7. Unborn eyes – Future generation
Stanza 3. “What does he plant who plants a tree?
He plants a friend of sun and sky;
He plants the flag of breezes free;
The shaft of beauty, towering high;
He plants a home to heaven anigh;
For son and mother-croon of bird
In hushed and happy twilight heard
The treble of heaven’s harmony
These things he plants who plants a tree.”
Explanation: In the third stanza, the poet says that a man who plants a tree which is made of ‘sap’, leaf and wood,’ tends to show his love and sense of duty towards the society he lives in. He is full of obligation towards his neighbours and, in fact, the entire humanity. ‘His’ in capital gives a divine place to the planter of the tree because he is at a higher position of ‘giving’ his blessing to the society, which is a Godlike action. He carries the sapling to be planted in his folded hands, in the same manner as God carries the power to elate mankind in his benevolent hands.
This generous act from the one who plants a tree could lead to the progress of a rtation from sea to sea, i.e., it would lead to the econqpiic growth of a country through import and export within the countries.
Thus, we can see that the poet has made an attempt throughout the entire poem, to highlight the greatness of the man who plants a tree. Firstly, he aids in maintaining the ecological balance. Secondly, he passes on the beautiful heritage to his future generation to live a happy life. And thirdly, he shows “man’s contribution towards his fellow beings as well as his nation. Altogether, a tree is a boom for mankind.
Word Meanings
1. Sap – The fluid part of a plant
2. Civic good – Benefit of society, public welfare
3. Neighbourhood – Fellow being
The Heart of a Tree Summary Questions and Answers
Question 1.
Read the extract given below and answer the questions that follow :
Stanza 1.
“What does he plant who plants a tree?
He plants a friend of sun and sky;
He plants the flag of breezes free;
The shaft of beauty, towering high;
He plants a home to heaven anight;
For son and mother – croom of bird
In hushed and happy twilight heard
The treble of heaven’s harmony
These things he plants who a tree
(i) Name the poem and the poet.
(ii) Why does the poet begin the poem with the refrain, ‘What does he plant who plants a tree?’
(iii) How does a tree become a friend of sun and sky?
(iv) How does a man ‘plant the flag of breezes free’? Why is the plant referred as the shaft of beauty?
Answer:
(i) The poem is, ‘The Heart of the Tree1 and the poet is ‘Henry Cuyler Bunner’.
(ii) The poet begins the poem with this refrain because he wants to highlight the thought that, how beneficial it is to plant a tree and the one who plants, does a marvellous job towards mankind.
(iii) The tree grows upward and gains sunlight for photosynthesis. It protects the earth from the scorching heat of the sun. It also purifies the air by converting carbon dioxide into oxygen. Thus, it is considered as a friend of sun and sky.
(iv) The poet here compares the leafy branches of the tree to a flag. The breeze flutters the branches like it flutters a flag.
The trunk of the tree is compared to the beautiful pole shaft of the flag that holds the tall aerial part firmly to the ground.
(v) ‘Home to heaven anigh’, means a ‘home similar to heaven’.
The tree becomes an abode to birds, where the mother bird sings melodiously to its baby in the serene twilight, and her song blends with the melody of the heavenly music.
Question 2.
Read the extract given below and answer the questions that follow:
Stanza 2.
What does he plant who plants a tree?
He plants cool shade and tender rain,
And seed and bud of days to be,
And years that fade and flush again;
He plants the glory of the plain;
He plants the forest’s heritage;
The harvest of a coming age;
The joy that unborn eyes shall see
These things he plants who plants a tree
What does the poet mean when he says, “seed and buds of the days to be”?
(ii) Discuss some advantages the plants provide to the humans and the environment?
(iii) What does the poet mean by ‘unborn eyes’? What joy will the ‘unborn eyes’ see?
(iv) Give the meaning of
(a) cool shade (b) fade and flush again
(v) Explain ‘the forest’s heritage, and ‘harvest of the coming age.’
Answer:
(i) The poet here wants to emphasize the importance of trees for the future generation.
It produces seeds that will grow and buds that will bloom for our children in future.
(ii) The trees provide shelter to the people from the sweltering heat of the sun. They help in the seasonal cycle. They invite the beautiful tender rain. They give a scenic beauty to the plains. Thus, the trees not only beautify the environment, but also provide the humans with pure air, food, wood and medicines.
(iii) The ‘unborn eyes’ are the eyes of the children yet to be bom i.e., the future generation.
The ‘unborn eyes’ will be lucky enough to reap the benefits of the trees that are planted now. They will see the plants grown up into big trees, that will provide them with shelter against sun and abundant gifts of nature like the rain, fruits, timber, pure air, etc.
(iv) (a) cooling shelter (b) refers to the seasonal cycle
(v) The poet wants to explain that the one who plants a tree, paves a way for many more seeds and buds that will grow into numerous new trees contributing to the forest wealth of the nation. The future generation will then have ample harvest to enjoy in the days to come.
Question 3.
Read the extract given below and answer the questions that follow :
Stanza 3.
I What does he plant who plants a tree?
He plants, in sap and leaf and wood,
In love of home and loyalty
And far-cast thought of civic good
His blessings on the neighbourhood,
Who in the hollow of His hand
Holds all the growth of all our land
A nation’s growth from sea to sea
Stirs in his heart who plants a tree.
(i) What is the tree made of? What feeling does the planter highlight?
(ii) How does the planter bless his neighbourhood?
(iii) Whom does capital ‘His’ refer to? What does he carry in the hollow of his hand? What is the significance of the’hollow’?
(iv) In what way does a Nation’s growth depends upon planting trees?
(v) What stirs in the heart of the planter?
Answer:
(i) The tree is made of the juicy sap, leaf and wood. The planter shows his love and loyalty for his home i.e., the earth; his sense of duty towards his civilization and forwards his blessings to his neighbourhood.
(ii) The man who plants a tree blesses his fellow beings with food which is provided by the sap and leaves of the plants. Besides, they can get timber for their professional and domestic use.
(iii) The capitalization of ‘His’ signifies the power and importance of the man who carries the sapling in the hollow of his hand to plant it, because by planting a sapling he is helping in creating the destiny of the nation. The ‘hollow’ shows that he is giving something to his people. He is a benevolent giver. He holds in his hands the progress of humanity and the growth of universe.
(iv) According to the poet, a planter does a generous job by planting a tree which leads to other subsequent goods, which reflects growth and progress. Forests provide useful resources like wood, honey, rubber, medicine, etc., thus strengthening the nation financially. Trees control pollution, global warming and climatic disbalance.
(v) A country’s economic progress relies to a great extent on its import and export with other countries. The trees provide products which are used to trade within other nations. Thus, the one who plants a tree works for larger benefits, leading to the enrichment of the economy of a country.