Main Theme/Central Idea
The central idea of the poem “Don’t Cut Down The Trees, Brother Woodcutter” is about the conservation of nature. Poet argues us to engage in conservation and afforestation instead of deforestation of nature. The poet uses the emotional word (mother) to show the importance of trees for the human species. We become extinct from the earth in the absence of trees. We must save nature for our future generations.
Four Level of Poem “Don’t Cut Down The Trees, Brother Woodcutter”
Literal Comprehensive:
The poem “Don’t Cut Down The Trees, Brother Woodcutter” is written by Balakrishna Sama and later this poem is translated into English by Michael Hutt. He argues with us about the importance of trees in our life and their conservation, reforestation. In this poem, he requests the people not to cut down the tree. The trees are like our dead mothers who can`t express their feeling and loves to us but protect us from the sun, rain, and other natural calamities. It provides us seats on their laps as mothers provide laps to their children. In childhood, most of the time we used to play around the trees. Sometimes we used to climb on the tree and sometimes we used to hang on their branches, playing on it.
Trees care us like our mothers. They provide us fruits and flowers, fill our stomachs and kiss our brows constantly with leafy lips, and also sing for us. They also weep but they can’t express it and only sigh it by dropping their sap. In winter, we are all gathered inside our homes, set fires, and enjoy by singing, talking with each other, etc. At night, we go to bed under the warm quilts for taking a rest. But trees are standing outside, covering with white frost. They sleep lightly and when something happens around it then they wake up. But they are silent, they can’t express their feeling.
Here, the poet personifies the tree. Poet shows the mother’s care towards their child. Poet also shows that when children are sleeping, mothers are there when something shocking event happens near their children. They pass their winter nights, dreaming of our sunshine childhood. And they also hear us signing the song they taught us. They always want to see us happy and provide us necessary things like; air, shelter, firewood, and others many more. They love us like our mothers but they can’t express their inner thought to us. They wait for winter ends. And when spring arrives, they again spread out their arms (here; arms stand for branches of a tree) and calls us to play under it. At last, the poet tries to establish emotional attachment by saying, ‘do not cut off those arms’ under which we used to play.
Interpretation:
The poet Balakrishna Sama might be trying to say us that trees are like our dead mothers who can’t express their feeling and love with us but protect us from the sun, rain, and other natural calamities. so it must be conserved. The poet uses the emotional word (mother) to show the importance of trees for the human species. We become extinct from the earth in the absence of trees. So we must save nature for our future generations. The poet criticizes those people who clearing the trees from the earth and making the life of our children and grandchildren insecure.
Critical Thinking
I am impressed with the idea of the poet said in this poem “Don’t cut down the tree, Brother Woodcutter” but I am not satisfied with some points said by the poet.
- Is it possible, a tree can feel the emotion like mothers, how the poet knows it?
- How can we set fire in winter without cutting down the trees?
- Tree spread out their arms and calls us to play under it, but where the tree arms lie on?
- How we know that a tree is appealing us not to cut or not?
- Does trees think like a human beings, is it possible?
Assimilation:
After reading this poem, I know about the real importance of trees or plants for human survival. These trees and plants protect us from different natural calamities like floods, landslides, etc, and also provides us fruits, flowers, oxygen which are required for human survival. From today onwards, I will not cut down the trees and also stop those, who cut down the trees. I also appeal to the government to make strict rules against deforestation and save our nature and ecology.
Important Question Answer of “Don’t Cut Down the tree, Brother Woodcutter” :
Why do you think the poet calls the trees as ‘dead’ mothers? Why not just mothers?
The poet calls the trees ‘Dead’ mothers, not just the mothers because trees love us unconditionally as our mothers but cannot show like alive mothers. They observe us in whatever we do around them. They also protect us from the sun, rain, and other natural calamities. Trees provide us fruits to fill our stomach as our mother provide us foods to fill. They carry us in their arms and shoulder, kiss our foreheads with leafy lips like our mother. But they can’t pour out their inner thoughts to us. So, the writer calls the tree as dead mother.
What are the motherly duties enumerated in the poem?
Motherly duties enumerated in the poem are:
Protects us from harm and dangers.
Provides foods to filled our stomach
Mothers are near to us when we are in deep sleep. They protect us
Mother always want to see her children happy
Loving their children unconditionally
Describe the winter scene as painted in the poem?
In winter, we are all gathered inside our homes, set fires, and enjoying by singing, talking with each other, etc. At night, we go to bed under the warm quilts for taking a rest. But trees are standing outside, covering with white frost. They sleep lightly and when something happens around it then they wake up. They pass their winter nights, dreaming of our sunshine childhood.
The poet’s primary task in the poem is to argue how trees are important in life and they need to be protected. Are the arguments strong enough to make the poem a strong statement for natural conservation?
Yes, the poet’s arguments are enough strong in the poem for nature conservation. In the poem, the poet tries to establish the emotional attachment by saying trees are like our dead mothers who can’t express their love, affection, and care. But they provide us flowers, fruits, air, shelter, etc. like our mother provides necessary things to us. He requested woodcutter politely by saying “Brother woodcutter” not to cut down the trees. They protect us from the sun and rain.
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