If I was a tree

Question 1.
The speaker wants to be a tree because
(a) trees are not treated as objects of defilement.
(b) no other creature in nature has the concept of defilement.
(c) trees are more humane than humans.
Answer:
(b) no other creature in nature has the concept of defilement.

Question 2.
What wouldn’t the bird ask the tree before building its nest?
Answer:
The bird wouldn’t ask the tree what caste the tree belonged to.

Question 3.
When does the sacred cow scrape her body onto the bark?
Answer:
Whenever she has itching sensation, the sacred cow would scrape her body onto
the bark.

Question 4.
How does the speaker want to be purified?
Answer:
The speaker wants to be hacked into pieces of dry wood and burn in the holy fire
and become pure. The speaker would be happy to become the wooden frame on
which a sinless dead body is carried.
Question 5.
How does the speaker view his friendship with the cool breeze and leaves?
Answer:
His friends would be sweet.

Comprehension II

Question 1.
Why would mother earth not flee, according to the speaker?
Answer:
In the world of nature, there is no discrimination. Stratification in the name of caste
is done only in the society of human beings. That is why when a tree tries to spread
its roots, mother earth wouldn’t flee accusing the tree of defilement. Instead, mother
earth would give strength to the tree to get stronger and stronger with its roots
being spread wider and wider. Thus the poet shows that discrimination in the name
of caste is prevalent only in human society and not in the world of nature. But when
we remember that we too have come from nature and go back to nature, it is crystal
clear that in the name of God and religion, we have been following this diabolic
system of caste, discriminating against our own brothers and sisters.

Question 2.
How do the life forces – sunlight and the cool breeze – enforce nature’s idea of
equality?
Answer:
The poem ‘If I was a tree’ is a satire in which the poet makes an attempt to expose
the subtle ways in which the upper caste society has been discriminating against
untouchables for centuries. The speaker juxtaposes the world of nature with the
human world so as to accuse human beings of practicing untouchability and being
meaner than the world of nature. The speaker speaks in the persona of an
untouchable but asks the reader to imagine that he is a tree. Next, he presents a
few everyday instances of untouchability. In the poem, the tree is a metaphor for
the world of nature and, using the tree as the point of contact between nature and
the people, he points out how elements of nature like the ‘cool breeze’ and the
‘sunlight’ do not discriminate between people and treat everyone equally. Thus he
highlights nature’s idea of equality. The speaker argues that if he was a tree, and
when sunlight falls on him, his shadow would not feel defiled. On the contrary, if he
were an untouchable and when sunlight falls on him and his shadow falls on a
person of the upper caste he or she would feel that he or she has been defiled by
the shadow of an untouchable. Similarly, since he is a tree and not an untouchable,
the friendship between the cool breeze and the leaves of the tree would be sweet.
On the contrary, if he were an untouchable there would be no such sweet
friendship. Thus, the speaker wants to argue that the elements of nature enforce
equality whereas some sections of human beings enforce inequality.

Comprehension III

Question 1.
Why does the speaker want to be a tree?
OR
In what way would life have been different if the speaker were a tree?
OR
Why does the speaker believe he will be happier in the world of nature?
OR
Why does the speaker wish to be a tree?
Answer:
It is clear from the poem that the speaker has suffered the bane of discrimination in
human society. His statement that if he were a tree no bird would ask him what
caste he is, makes it clear that the speaker is made to feel ashamed of his caste
repeatedly. When he states that the shadow of the tree which is formed on the
ground when the sunlight falls on it, wouldn’t feel defiled, it is clear that people keep
him at a distance and do not allow even his shadow to come in their way as he and
his shadow are considered impure. When he talks about the sweet friendship with
the cool breeze and leaves, it is clear that in society not many extend to him their
hands of friendship.

When he avers that raindrops wouldn’t turn back from him considering him a dog
eater, it is understandable that people from whom he hoped for sustenance just as
a tree gets its sustenance from water, he got only abuse and rejection. When he
writes that mother earth wouldn’t flee from him with the fear of getting defiled, the
picture of upper caste people shooing him away forms in the imagination of the
readers. The phrase ‘branching out’ makes it clear that the hopes and aspirations of
the lower caste people are curbed and they are not allowed to make use of their
potential.
Through the image of the sacred cow coming to the tree and giving the tree the joy
of being touched by the three hundred thousand gods sheltering inside her, the
speaker shows that entry to sacred places is denied to him. It could even be an
ironical reference to the higher caste people who worship cows as divine but fail to
see divinity in their fellow human beings. It could even be a mockery of the upper
caste people who worship thousands of gods but have no respect for their brethren.

Finally, when the speaker says that if he were a tree he would have the privilege of
being burnt in the holy fire or becoming the bier, it is clear that, as a human being,
he knows that he would be shunned even after death and wouldn’t be allowed a
decent death. Thus, as a human being, in life and death, he would be condemned,
but as a tree, he would live a life of dignity and joy. Thus the speaker makes it clear
that instead of being born as a human being in a society which practises
discrimination, it is better to be bpm as a tree or any other creature in nature, as in
nature there is no discrimination.

Question 2.
The poem is a satire of social discrimination. Discuss.
OR
How does the poet bring out social discrimination in society?
Answer:
The poem is a social satire. By juxtaposing the world of nature and the world of
human beings, the poet points out that human beings, who are supposed to be
God’s supreme creation, have gone against the natural order of nature and have
made life miserable for their fellow human beings. Caste is purely a man-made
construct and with this diabolic idea, powerful sections of society have managed to
put down the meek, age after age. The poem voices the injustice meted out to
certain sections of society in the name of caste.

Question 3.
The speaker brings out the concepts of defilement and purification. How is the
meaninglessness of the practice brought out?
OR
Analyse the concepts of defilement and purification as illustrated in ‘If I was a Tree’.
Answer:
The poem makes it very clear that the question of defilement and purification are
man-made concepts. How can one human being be different from another? What is
meant by purification?
The poem makes it very clear that the concept of defilement is in the mind of man
and hence purification should be the purification of such evil thoughts in the mind of
man. Ironically, purification doesn’t mean the purification of the so-called outcasts.
The purification is the purification of those who have by mistake come into contact
with the outcasts. There are different rituals which are performed in the name of
purification.

If I was a Tree Additional Questions and Answers

I. Answer the following questions in a word, a phrase or a sentence each:

Question 1.
What does the speaker want to be?
Answer:
A tree.

Question 2.
When does the poet feel that his shadow wouldn’t be defiled?
Answer:
If he were to be a tree.

Question 3.
How many gods take shelter inside the cow, according to the speaker in ‘If I was a
Tree’?
Answer:
Three hundred thousand.

Question 4.
Where are the three hundred thousand gods sheltered?
Answer:
Inside a cow.

Question 5.
Who wouldn’t flee shouting for a bath?
OR
_______ wouldn’t flee shouting for a bath in the poem, ‘If I Was a Tree’.
(a)
Mother Earth
(b) Raindrops
(c) Leaves.
Answer:
Mother earth.

Question 6.
With whom would the friendship of the speaker be sweet?
Answer:
With the cool breeze and the leaves.

Question 7.
What would not turn back taking the speaker for a dog-eater?
Answer:
Raindrops.

Question 8.
Who would not ask the caste of the tree before building its nest in ‘If I was a Tree’?
Answer:
In the poem, ‘If I was a Tree’, no bird would ask the caste of a tree before building a
nest in it.

Question 9.
What wouldn’t feel defiled when sunlight embraces the tree in ‘If I was a Tree’?
Answer:
In the poem, ‘If I was a Tree’, the shadow of the tree would not feel defiled when
sunlight embraces it.

Question 10.
The _______ would embrace the tree in the poem ‘If I was a Tree’.
(a) cow
(b) sunlight
(c) bird.
Answer:
(b) sunlight.

Question 11.
Whose friendship with the cool breeze would be sweet, in ‘If I was a Tree’?
Answer:
In ‘If I was a Tree’, the friendship of the tree with the cool breeze and the leaves
would be sweet.

Question 12.
______ would not turn back taking the speaker for a dog-eater if he was a tree.
(a) The Mother Earth
(b) Raindrops
(c) The sacred cow.
Answer:
(b) Raindrops.

Question 13.
According to the speaker, when wouldn't Mother Earth flee shouting for a bath in ‘If
I was a Tree’?
Answer:
According to the speaker in the poem, ‘If I was a Tree’, Mother Earth would not flee
shouting for a bath, if the tree branched out further from its roots.
Question 14.
Who is sheltered inside the body of the cow?
Answer:
Three hundred thousand gods are sheltered inside the body of the cow.

Question 15.
What would scrape her body on the bark of the tree in ‘If I was a Tree’?
Answer:
In the poem, ‘If I was a Tree’, the sacred cow would scrape her body on the bark of
the tree.

Question 16.
When would the three hundred thousand gods touch the speaker if he was a tree?
Answer:
According to the speaker, the three hundred thousand gods sheltering inside the
body of a cow would touch the speaker whenever the cow scraped her body on the
bark of the tree.

Question 17.
Name any one of the uses of the tree, according to the speaker, in the poem, ‘If I
was a Tree’.
Answer:
According to the speaker in the poem ‘If I was a Tree’, the dried pieces of wood got
from the tree can become the bier for a sinless body to be borne on the shoulders
of four good men.

Question 18.
When is the tree made pure, according to the speaker, in the poem ‘If I was a
Tree’?
Answer:
According to the speaker in ‘If I was a Tree’, the dried pieces of the wood obtained
from the tree may be made pure when it is used to make the holy fire.
Question 19.
The ______ is hacked into pieces of dry wood to burn in the holy fire.
(a) Mother Earth
(b) tree
(c) sacred cow.
Answer:
(b) tree.

Question 20.
What becomes a bier for a sinless body in the poem, ‘If I was a Tree’?
Answer:
The dried pieces of wood obtained by hacking the tree can become a bier for a
sinless body.

Question 21.
The speaker of the poem ‘If I Was a Tree’ wants to be a tree because
(a) trees are not useful to people
(b) trees are not treated as objects of defilement
(c) trees live longer than human beings.
Answer:
(b) trees are not treated as objects of defilement.

Question 22.
The tree wants to become a bier for a ______ body in ‘If I was a Tree’. (Fill in the
blank)
Answer:
a bier for a sinless body.

II. Answer the following questions in 80 – 100 words each:

Question 1.
What does the poem tell us about the sad plight of the untouchables?
OR
How is the problem of untouchability brought out in the poem ‘If I was a Tree’?
Answer:
If western society is guilty of apartheid, India is guilty of the practice of
untouchability. No other country is as stratified as India is as far as the caste
system is concerned. It is clear from the poem that the speaker has suffered the
bane of discrimination in human society. His statement that, if he were a tree, no
bird would ask him what caste he is, makes it clear that the speaker is made to feel
ashamed of his caste repeatedly.

When he states that the shadow of the tree which is formed on the ground when
the sunlight falls on it, wouldn’t feel defiled, it is clear that people keep him at a
distance and do not allow even his shadow to come in their way as he and his
shadow are considered impure. When he talks about the sweet friendship with the
cool breeze and leaves, it is crystal clear that in society not many extend to him
their hands of friendship. When he avers that raindrops wouldn’t turn back from him
considering him a dog eater, it is understandable that people from whom he hoped
for sustenance just as a tree gets its sustenance from water, he got only abuse and
rejection. When he writes that mother earth wouldn’t flee from him with the fear of
getting defiled, the picture of upper caste people shooing him away forms in the
imagination of the readers. The phrase ‘branching out’ makes it clear that the hopes
and aspirations of the lower caste people are curbed and they are not allowed to
make use of their potential. The image of the sacred cow coming to the tree and
giving the tree the joy of being touched by the three hundred thousand god's
sheltering inside her, the speaker shows that entry to sacred places is denied to
him. It could even be an ironical reference to the higher caste people who worship
cows as divine but fail to see divinity in their fellow human beings. It could even be
a mockery of the upper caste people who worship thousands of gods but have no
respect for their brethren.

Finally, when the speaker says that if he were a tree he would have the privilege of
being burnt in the holy fire or becoming the bier, it is clear that, as a human being,
he knows that he would be shunned even after death and wouldn’t be allowed a
decent death. Thus, as a human being, in life and death, he would be condemned,
but as a tree, he would live a life of dignity and joy. Thus the speaker makes it clear
that instead of being born as a human being in a society which practises
discrimination, it is better to be born as a tree or any other creature in nature, as in
nature there is no division.
Question 2.
How does the poem ‘If I was a Tree’ express the pain and plight of a particular
community?
Answer:
The poem, ‘If I was a Tree’ presents a satirical account of the cruel and inhumane
practise of caste discrimination practiced in Indian society. The poem presents the
impersonal and large-hearted treatment of nature vis-a-vis the pettiness of man.
The speaker speaks in the persona of an untouchable and presents some
instances of untouchability that he/she is subjected to. He uses the tree as a
metaphor for representing the plant world and highlights how agents of nature like
the sunlight, the cool breeze and the raindrops would have treated an untouchable
if he were not a tree when they come in contact with him.

The speaker says that if only he was not a tree his shadow would feel defiled when
the sunlight embraced him; his friendship with the cool breeze and the leaves would
not be sweet; the raindrops, taking him as an untouchable, would refuse to give him
water to quench his thirst and the mother earth would flee him asking for a bath if
she came to know that he was branching out further from his roots.

Similarly, taking the bird as a representative of the animal world, the speaker says
that if he were not a tree the bird would have asked him what caste he was if he
wanted to build its nest on the tree. Similarly, if he were not a tree the sacred cow
would not scrape her body on him scratching whenever it itched her and
incidentally all the three hundred thousand gods sheltering inside her would not
have touched him.

The speaker concludes optimistically, hoping that, because he is a tree at least,

after its death the tree would be hacked into pieces of dry wood, and would be
either used as fuel for the holy fire or a bier for a dead body. The pieces of wood,
when they burn as fuel in the holy fire, would make him pure and if not, as a bier for
a sinless body he would be borne on the shoulders of four good men. Thus the
poem expresses the anguish and desperation of the untouchables.