CBSE Class 10 English The Trees Poem Notes (2026-27): Summary, Themes and NCERT Answers
These Class 10 English The Trees poem notes explain Adrienne Rich’s poem in one sitting. You get a simple summary, themes, word meanings, NCERT answers and 10 MCQs. Use them tonight, or work through one section a day.
What is “The Trees” by Adrienne Rich about?
“The Trees” is a poem by Adrienne Rich. It is poem 7 in the Class 10 CBSE English book First Flight. Trees inside a house move out at night and go back to the forest. The poet watches quietly and writes letters. Many readers see the trees as people breaking free.
First Flight is the NCERT English textbook that Class 10 students use. NCERT is the national body that writes CBSE textbooks. The poem is free verse, which is poetry without a fixed rhyme pattern.
NCERT says Adrienne Rich was born in Baltimore, Maryland, U.S.A., in 1929. She wrote nearly twenty volumes of poetry. NCERT also calls her a feminist and a radical poet. That detail matters later, when we read the trees as symbols.
| Fact | Detail |
|---|---|
| Poem | The Trees |
| Poet | Adrienne Rich |
| Textbook | NCERT First Flight, Class 10 English (CBSE) |
| Position | Poem 7 of 10 in the 2026-27 syllabus listing |
| Form | Free verse, no regular rhyme |
| Speaker | “I”, a person sitting inside the house |
| Setting | A house with a veranda, one fresh night |
| Main images | Trees, roots, glass, forest, letters, moon |
| Poet’s background (NCERT) | Born 1929, Baltimore; nearly twenty volumes of poetry |
What is the summary of The Trees in Class 10 English?
In The Trees, trees leave a house at night to fill an empty forest. Their roots pull free from the veranda floor. Their branches move like patients leaving a clinic. The poet sits inside and writes letters. At the end, glass breaks and winds rush in. The moon looks broken in the tallest oak.
Part 1: The forest is empty
The poem begins with trees already moving into the forest. That forest has been empty for many days and nights. No bird could sit there. No insect could hide.
Even the sun had nothing to rest its feet in. By morning, the forest will be full of trees.
Part 2: The night work
All night the roots work. They pull free from cracks in the veranda floor. The leaves strain toward the glass, and the small twigs are stiff with effort.
The long-cramped boughs shuffle under the roof. The poet compares them to newly discharged patients. They are half-dazed and heading for the clinic doors.
Part 3: The speaker stays calm
The poet sits inside with the doors open to the veranda. She writes long letters. She hardly mentions that the forest is leaving the house.
The night is fresh. The whole moon shines in an open sky. The smell of leaves and lichen still drifts into the rooms like a voice.
Part 4: The breakout
Her head is full of whispers that will be silent tomorrow. She tells you to listen. The glass is breaking.
The trees stumble forward into the night. Winds rush to meet them. The moon is broken like a mirror. Its pieces flash in the crown of the tallest oak.
Who are the key figures in The Trees?
The Trees has no named characters. The key figures are the trees, the poet, the forest, the glass and the moon. The trees act like people. The poet only watches. The forest is where the trees belong. The glass and the moon mark the big change.
| Figure | Role in the poem |
|---|---|
| The trees | Main figures. Roots work, leaves strain, boughs shuffle like patients. |
| The poet (“I”) | Sits inside and writes letters. She watches but does not stop the trees. |
| The forest | The place the trees belong. Empty at first, full by morning. |
| The house and glass | The barrier. The glass breaks near the end. |
| The moon | Whole at first. Broken like a mirror at the end. |
| Winds and the tallest oak | Winds rush to meet the trees. The oak’s crown holds the moon’s flashing pieces. |
What are the main themes of The Trees?
The main themes are freedom, nature against confinement, and silence about big changes. The trees want to return to the forest. The house holds them in. The poet’s silence shows how people sometimes stay quiet about changes that surprise them. Each theme is covered below.
| Reading | The trees stand for | The house stands for | The breakout means |
|---|---|---|---|
| Nature reading | Real trees and forests | Human control of nature | Nature returns to its own place |
| Human reading | People who want freedom | Limits placed on people | People claim their own space |
Freedom and confinement
The trees are shut inside a house. Everything they do aims at getting out. Roots pull, leaves reach, boughs move. You feel how strongly a living thing wants its natural place.
Conflict between man and nature
People cut forests and then place trees indoors for decoration. The poem turns this upside down. The trees leave on their own.
Compare this with A Tiger in the Zoo. There, a caged tiger longs for the wild. Both poems show living things held where they do not belong.
Silence about big changes
The poet writes long letters and scarcely mentions the forest leaving. NCERT hints that we are often silent about events that are unexpected or embarrassing. Her silence is part of the story.
Change and renewal
The ending is noisy. Glass breaks and the moon looks shattered. Yet the forest will be full by morning. The poem treats change as rough but alive.
Which poetic devices does The Trees use?
The Trees uses personification, simile, imagery, symbolism and free verse. The trees act like people. The boughs are like newly discharged patients. The moon is broken like a mirror. The glass, house and forest all stand for something bigger. You can use these in any answer on style.
| Device | Example | Effect |
|---|---|---|
| Personification | Roots “work”; trees are “stumbling forward” | Trees seem to have will and effort |
| Personification | The sun’s “feet” | Makes the sun feel alive and shows what the forest lacked |
| Simile | “like newly discharged patients” | Shows weakness, caution and hope |
| Simile | “broken like a mirror” | Gives a sharp, flashing picture of change |
| Imagery | Smell of leaves and lichen | Brings the forest into the room |
| Enjambment | Lines run on without end stops | Feels like one steady, quiet movement |
| Symbolism | Glass, house, forest | Barrier, confinement, freedom |
| Direct address | “Listen.” | Pulls you into the moment |
Why this line matters
| Line (short) | What it shows | Use it for |
|---|---|---|
| “sun bury its feet in shadow” | A world without trees has no shade or rest | NCERT Q1 |
| “newly discharged patients” | The trees are tired but free to go | NCERT Q2(ii) |
| “scarcely mention the departure” | The speaker’s silence | NCERT Q3(iii) |
| “Listen. The glass is breaking.” | The mood shifts from calm to action | Theme answers |
| “broken like a mirror” | The moon changes from whole to broken | NCERT Q3(i) |
What do the difficult words in The Trees mean?
The difficult words in The Trees are disengage, strain, bough, shuffling and lichen. NCERT lists these five in its glossary. Disengage means to pull free. Strain means to make a big effort. A bough is a branch. Shuffling is moving by small repeated steps. Lichen is a growth on trunks.
| Word | Meaning | In the poem |
|---|---|---|
| to disengage themselves | to separate or pull free | Roots leave the floor cracks |
| strain | to make a big effort | Leaves reach toward the glass |
| bough | a branch | Boughs shuffle under the roof |
| shuffling | moving with small, repeated steps | The cramped boughs move |
| lichen | a crusty or bushy growth made by a fungus and an alga living together | Its smell reaches the rooms |
Extra words (added by us, not in the NCERT glossary):
| Word | Meaning |
|---|---|
| veranda | a roofed open platform along the side of a house |
| discharged | allowed to leave a hospital or clinic |
| half-dazed | a little confused and unsteady |
| exertion | hard physical effort |
| crown (of a tree) | the top, leafy part of a tree |
What are the NCERT questions and answers for The Trees?
These are the questions printed after the poem in First Flight. Our model answers use simple words. Write two to three sentences for small parts. Write a short paragraph for the meaning questions at the end. Always name the poem and the poet once.
Check the poem and exercises in the NCERT First Flight textbook.
Q1 (i). Find, in the first stanza, three things that cannot happen in a treeless forest.
In a treeless forest, no bird can sit. No insect can hide. The sun cannot bury its feet in shadow.
Q1 (ii). What picture do these words create in your mind: “… sun bury its feet in shadow…”? What could the poet mean by the sun’s ‘feet’?
You see sunlight reaching the ground and sinking into cool shade. It is like feet sinking into soft earth. The sun’s “feet” are its rays touching the ground. Without trees, there is no shade for them to sink into.
Q2 (i). Where are the trees in the poem? What do their roots, their leaves, and their twigs do?
The trees are inside the poet’s house, near the veranda. Their roots work all night to pull free from cracks in the floor. Their leaves strain toward the glass. Their small twigs are stiff with effort.
Q2 (ii). What does the poet compare their branches to?
She compares the long-cramped boughs to newly discharged patients. Like patients, they are tired and half-dazed. Still, they move toward the clinic doors, which means they are leaving.
Q3 (i). How does the poet describe the moon: (a) at the beginning of the third stanza, and (b) at its end? What causes this change?
(a) At the start, the whole moon shines in a sky that is still open. (b) At the end, the moon is broken like a mirror. Its pieces flash in the crown of the tallest oak.
The change comes from the trees’ breakout. The glass breaks, the winds rush in, and the moving crowns scatter the moonlight.
Q3 (ii). What happens to the house when the trees move out of it?
The house loses its trees. The glass breaks as they push out. The rooms will fall silent, and the forest fills up instead.
Q3 (iii). Why do you think the poet does not mention “the departure of the forest from the house” in her letters?
The event is so strange and sudden that she cannot explain it. People often stay silent about big changes that surprise or embarrass them. Her silence also shows she is watching the change, not stopping it.
Q4 (i). Does the poem present a conflict between man and nature? Compare it with A Tiger in the Zoo.
Yes, the poem can be read as a conflict between people and nature. People keep trees indoors for decoration while forests are cut. The trees are like prisoners who must break out.
In A Tiger in the Zoo, a caged tiger longs for the wild. Both poems show living things held where they do not belong.
Q4 (ii). What new meanings emerge if you take the trees to be symbolic of human beings?
Then the house stands for the limits placed on people. The trees are people who want to live freely. Their slow, quiet breakout shows how change can build in secret.
NCERT notes that Adrienne Rich often uses trees as a metaphor for human beings. Many readers link the trees to women claiming their place.
Q5. Compare and contrast The Trees with “On Killing a Tree” by Gieve Patel.
Both poems treat trees as living things with a strong will to live. In Patel’s poem, a person attacks and kills a tree. In Rich’s poem, the trees free themselves.
Patel’s tone is grim. Rich’s tone is calm and hopeful. Re-read your Class 9 poem before you write a full answer.
Which MCQs test The Trees poem in Class 10 English?
These 10 MCQs cover the poet, setting, images and devices in The Trees. Try each one before you read the answer. Every answer has a one-line reason, so you can fix wrong choices fast. Score 8 or more and you are ready for most class tests.
- Who wrote The Trees? (A) Robert Frost (B) Adrienne Rich (C) Carolyn Wells (D) Robin Klein
Answer: B. Frost, Wells and Klein wrote other First Flight poems. - Where are the trees at the start of the poem? (A) In the forest (B) In a school yard (C) Inside the poet’s house (D) Beside a river
Answer: C. They are moving out of the house into the forest. - What do the roots do at night? (A) Grow new leaves (B) Work to free themselves from floor cracks (C) Drink rain (D) Sleep
Answer: B. The roots “work” to disengage themselves. - The boughs are compared to… (A) soldiers (B) dancers (C) newly discharged patients (D) birds
Answer: C. This simile shows tired, careful, hopeful movement. - What is the poet doing while the trees leave? (A) Planting seeds (B) Writing long letters (C) Calling for help (D) Closing the doors
Answer: B. She hardly mentions the departure in her letters. - How is the moon described at the end? (A) Red and low (B) Hidden by clouds (C) Broken like a mirror (D) Full and calm
Answer: C. Its pieces flash in the crown of the tallest oak. - What does “bough” mean? (A) Root (B) Branch (C) Leaf (D) Seed
Answer: B. NCERT’s glossary defines it as a branch. - What breaks near the end of the poem? (A) A window frame (B) The moon (C) The glass (D) A branch only
Answer: C. The poet says, “Listen. The glass is breaking.” - Which poem does NCERT ask you to compare for man-and-nature conflict? (A) Fog (B) A Tiger in the Zoo (C) Amanda! (D) Dust of Snow
Answer: B. NCERT Q4(i) names it. - “Like newly discharged patients” is an example of… (A) Metaphor (B) Alliteration (C) Simile (D) Hyperbole
Answer: C. The word “like” signals a simile.
How do you revise Class 10 English The Trees poem notes fast?
To revise The Trees fast, learn the order of events, two readings and three images. Trees leave the house, the poet stays calm, and glass breaks. Read the poem as nature and as people. Then recall the patients simile, the moon changing, and the silent letters.
Quick revision box
- Poet: Adrienne Rich, born 1929 in Baltimore (NCERT).
- Setting: a house with a veranda, one night.
- Trees: roots work, leaves strain, boughs shuffle.
- Simile: boughs are like newly discharged patients.
- Speaker: writes letters, hardly mentions the forest leaving.
- Moon: whole at first, broken like a mirror at the end.
- Two readings: nature against confinement; people claiming freedom.
- Compare with A Tiger in the Zoo and “On Killing a Tree”.
Two memory tricks
R-L-B: Roots work, Leaves strain, Boughs shuffle. This is the order in the second part of the poem.
W then B: the moon goes Whole, then Broken. The glass breaks first, so the moon breaks too.
Self-check table
| Can you do this? | If not, revisit |
|---|---|
| Name three things a treeless forest cannot have | Part 1 of the summary |
| Say what roots, leaves and boughs do | Part 2 and NCERT Q2 |
| Explain why the poet stays silent in her letters | NCERT Q3(iii) |
| Give both readings in two lines each | The themes table |
| Name two similes and one personification | The poetic devices table |
What practice questions can you try for The Trees?
These are practice questions written by Nextoper. They are not previous-year questions. We have not verified any past-paper question for this poem, so we list none. Try each one first, then use the hint. Marks shown are only a guide for how long your answer should be.
- (1 mark) What do the leaves strain toward? Hint: look at Part 2.
- (2 marks) Why is the forest called “empty” at the start? Hint: name the three missing things.
- (3 marks) Explain the simile “like newly discharged patients”. Hint: say what it shows about the boughs.
- (3 marks) How does the poet’s silence in her letters add to the poem? Hint: link it to surprise and embarrassment.
- (5 marks) “The trees stand for people.” Do you agree? Give two reasons. Hint: use the house, the glass and Rich’s background.
- (5 marks) Compare The Trees with A Tiger in the Zoo. Hint: confinement, longing, and tone.
What mistakes do students make in The Trees answers?
Students often mix up three facts: the start, the letters and the moon. Others label devices wrongly or give only one reading. Check the table below before you write. Each row shows the slip, why it is wrong, and what to write instead.
| Common slip | Why it is wrong | Write this instead |
|---|---|---|
| “The trees start in the forest.” | They start inside the house. | “The trees move from the house into the forest.” |
| “The poet writes about the trees leaving.” | She scarcely mentions it. | “She writes letters but stays silent about the departure.” |
| “The moon is broken at the start.” | It is whole at first. | “The moon is whole, then broken like a mirror.” |
| “The sun’s feet is alliteration.” | The sun is given feet, so it is personification. | “The poet personifies the sun.” |
| Giving only the nature reading | NCERT Q4 asks for both readings. | Give nature first, then people. |
| Calling the poem “Chapter 5” | The 2026-27 syllabus lists it as poem 7 (P7). | “Poem 7, The Trees, First Flight.” |
The official syllabus is on CBSE Academic. Check it for the latest list of prescribed poems.
Short answer: what is the message of The Trees?
The Trees by Adrienne Rich shows trees leaving a house at night. They return to the forest. On the surface, the poem is about nature breaking free from human control. Underneath, the trees can stand for people who want freedom. The poet watches and stays quiet. This shows how big changes can happen without a single word.
FAQs on The Trees (Class 10 English)
What is the summary of The Trees by Adrienne Rich?
The Trees describes trees moving out of a house at night into an empty forest. Their roots, leaves and boughs struggle to get free. The poet sits inside writing letters and barely mentions it. At the end, the glass breaks and the winds rush in. The moon looks broken like a mirror.
What do the trees symbolise in The Trees?
The trees can symbolise nature held back by people. They can also symbolise human beings who want freedom. NCERT says Adrienne Rich often uses trees as a metaphor for people. Many readers link them to women who break free from limits. Write both readings in your answer.
Why does the poet not mention the forest leaving in her letters?
The event is so unexpected that it is hard to put into words. NCERT suggests we are often silent about surprising or embarrassing events. Her silence also shows she is a quiet witness. She watches the change instead of stopping it. Use one or two of these points in your answer.
What is the central idea of The Trees?
The central idea is simple. Living things long for their natural place. Change can build quietly before it breaks out. The trees leave the house to fill the forest. The glass breaks, and a new order begins. The poem can speak of nature, freedom, or both.
Which poetic devices are used in The Trees?
The Trees uses personification, simile, imagery, symbolism and free verse. The trees act like people. The boughs are like newly discharged patients, and the moon is broken like a mirror. Lines flow on without end stops, which makes the movement feel steady. The glass, house and forest are symbols.
You now have complete Class 10 English The Trees poem notes in one place. Revise the summary once, say the NCERT answers aloud, and test yourself with the MCQs. Then move on to the next poem in First Flight.
Related notes
- Previous poem: Amanda! poem notes for Class 10 English
- Previous poem: The Ball Poem notes for Class 10 English
- All poems and chapters: Class 10 English First Flight notes hub
