How does the poet describe the growth of a tree over the years ? What are the different steps taken for killing a tree ?

How does the poet describe the growth of a tree over the years ?

What are the different steps taken for killing a tree ?

In the first stanza the poet describes the slow and steady growth of a tree over the years. It breaks open the surface of the earth and rises out of it. It feeds upon the solid exterior of the earth. It drains away all the nutrients from the soil and consumes the vitality of the earth. A tree receives many years of sunlight, air and water to grow into a massive shape. The tree takes deep root in the soil and leaves keep coming out of its leprous hide to renew the cycle of life.

The poem ‘On Killing a Tree’ pictures man’s cruelty to Nature. It is very difficult to kill a tree easily. Mere hacking and chopping with an axe cannot kill a tree. The tree is tied with strong ropes . The tree is hacked and pulled out of the earth’s secure shelter. Ultimately the tree chokes and dies after various processes of annihilation. It becomes incapable of shooting new buds and twigs. Under the heat of the sun it dries and crunches and turns brown and this ensures that there is no chance of its coming back to life again.