When great trees fall

Extract 1

When Great Trees Fall,

Rocks On Distant Hills Shudder,
Lions Hunker Down
In Tall Grasses,
And Even Elephants
Lumber After Safety.

(I) State Three Effects Of The Fall Of Great Trees In The Forest?

Answer :- Three Effects Of The Fall Of Great Trees In The Forest Are:

1)Rocks On Distant Hills Shudder.

2)Lions Hunker Down In Tall Grasses.
3)Even Elephants Lumber After Safety.

(II) Why Do The ‘Rocks On Distant Hills Shudder What Is Suggested By Their Shuddering?

Answer :- The Rocks On Distant Hills Shudder Because They Are Impacted By The
Reverberations Caused By The Fall Of Great Trees. Their Shuddering Suggests The Magnitude
Of The Event And Its Effect On The Surrounding Environment.

(III) Lions Are Regarded As Fearsome Predators. Still They ‘Hunker Down In Tall Grasses”?
Why? What Does Their Fear Symbolise?

Answer :- Lions, Despite Being Fearsome Predators, Hunker Down In Tall Grasses As A
Response To The Disturbance Caused By The Fall Of Great Trees. Their Fear Symbolizes The
Disruption Of Their Natural Habitat And The Instinctual Need To Seek Safety And Protection.

(IV) (A) Explain Briefly The Meaning Of The Line : “…..And Even Elephants Lumber After
Safety.”
(B) Which Figure Of Speech Is Used In The Above Line?

Answer :- (A) The Line “Even Elephants Lumber After Safety” Means That Even Elephants,
Which Are Typically Considered Large And Powerful Animals, Move Slowly And Cautiously In
Search Of Safety After The Fall Of Great Trees. They Are Concerned About Their Well-Being
And Seek Refuge From The Potential Dangers Posed By The Disturbance.

(B) The Figure Of Speech Used In The Line Is A Metaphor, Where The Movement Of Elephants
Is Compared To “Lumbering,” Indicating Their Slow And Heavy Gait As They Move Cautiously.

(V) Explain With Examples The Metaphoric Use Of ‘Trees’ In The Poem.

Answer :- The Metaphorical Use Of “Trees” In The Poem Represents Individuals Or Entities
That Are Significant, Influential, Or Powerful In Society. Just As Trees Provide Shelter, Stability,
And Protection In A Forest, These “Great Trees” Symbolize Figures Of Authority, Leadership, Or
Inspiration Whose Presence Is Fundamental To The Well-Being And Security Of Others. Their
Fall Represents The Loss Of Such Figures And The Subsequent Impact On The Surrounding
Environment, Causing Upheaval And Uncertainty.

Extract 2

When Great Trees Fall

In Forests,
Small Things Recoil Into Silence,
Their Senses
Eroded Beyond Fear.

(I) What Are The ‘Small Things’ Referred To In This Extract? What Happen To Them When
Great Trees Fall?

Answer :- The “Small Things” Referred To In This Extract Are Likely The Smaller Organisms,
Creatures, Or Elements Present In The Forest Ecosystem. When Great Trees Fall, These Small
Things Recoil Into Silence, Suggesting A Reaction Of Retreat Or Withdrawal From The
Disturbance Caused By The Falling Trees.

(II) What Are The ‘Small Things’ Contrasted With In The Previous Extract Of The Poem?

Answer :- In The Previous Extract, The “Small Things” Are Contrasted With Large, Powerful
Entities Like Rocks On Distant Hills, Lions, And Elephants.

(III) What Happens To The ‘Senses’ Of Small Things When Great Trees Fall? How Can This Be
Compared With Those Of The Human Beings?

Answer :- When Great Trees Fall, The Senses Of Small Things Are Eroded Beyond Fear,
Indicating A State Of Shock Or Trauma. This Can Be Compared To The Numbing Effect Of
Trauma On Human Beings, Where Extreme Events Can Overwhelm The Senses To The Point
Where Fear Is Surpassed, And A Sense Of Numbness Or Detachment Prevails.

(IV) State Two Poetic Devices Used In This Extract. Give An Example Of Each.

Answer :- Two Poetic Devices Used In This Extract Are:

Personification: The Personification Of “Small Things” Recoiling Into Silence Suggests A

Human-Like Response To The Event, Attributing Human Qualities To Non-Human Entities.
Metaphor: The Metaphorical Use Of “Senses Eroded Beyond Fear” Compares The Impact Of
The Fall Of Great Trees On The Senses Of Small Things To Erosion, Implying A Gradual
Wearing Away Or Degradation Beyond The Capacity For Fear.
(V) Explain Briefly How Do The Fall Of Great Trees Impact Both Big And Small Things.

Answer :- The Fall Of Great Trees Impacts Both Big And Small Things By Disrupting The
Natural Balance And Harmony Of The Forest Ecosystem. Large Entities Like Rocks, Lions, And
Elephants React To The Physical Disturbance Caused By The Falling Trees, While Smaller
Organisms And Creatures Retreat Into Silence, Experiencing A Numbing Effect On Their
Senses. Overall, The Event Creates A Sense Of Upheaval And Vulnerability For All Elements Of
The Forest Ecosystem.

Extract 3

When Great Souls Die,

The Air Around Us Becomes
Light, Rare, Sterile.
We Breathe, Briefly.
Our Eyes, Briefly,
See With
A Hurtful Clarity.
Our Memory, Suddenly Sharpened,
Examines,
Gnaws On Kind Words
Unsaid,
Promised Walks
Never Taken.

(I) What Is The Effect Of The Death Of Great Souls On The Air Around Us? What Does It
Suggest?

Answer :- The Death Of Great Souls Has An Effect On The Air Around Us, Making It “Light,
Rare, Sterile.” This Suggests A Profound Change In The Atmosphere, Indicating A Sense Of
Loss, Emptiness, And Absence Left Behind By The Departed Souls.

(II) Which Figure Of Speech Is Used In The Lines Given Below? What Does It Suggest?
We Breathe, Briefly.
Our Eyes, Briefly,/See

Answer :- The Figure Of Speech Used In The Lines “We Breathe, Briefly. Our Eyes, Briefly, See”
Is Anaphora. It Emphasizes The Brevity And Fleeting Nature Of Life, Highlighting The Transient
Moments Experienced After The Death Of Great Souls.

(III) What Do Our Eyes See With ‘Hurtful Clarity’? Why?

Answer :- Our Eyes See With “Hurtful Clarity,” Suggesting That In The Wake Of Loss, Our
Perception Becomes Sharper And More Acute. We Become Acutely Aware Of The Absence Of
The Departed Soul, As Well As The Things Left Unsaid And The Promises Unfulfilled.

(IV) What Happens To ‘Our Memory’ After The Death Of A Loved One?

Answer :- After The Death Of A Loved One, “Our Memory” Becomes Suddenly Sharpened,
Examining And Gnawing On Kind Words Unsaid And Promised Walks Never Taken. This
Indicates A Heightened Awareness Of Missed Opportunities And Unfulfilled Connections, As
Well As A Deep Sense Of Regret And Longing For What Could Have Been.
(V) Explain How Does This Extract Portray The Feelings Of Despair And Regret Felt By The
Bereaved Person After The Loss Of Someone Close.

Answer:-After the loss of someone close, the bereaved person feel emptiness by gnawing about
the loss one. The extract portrayes the feelings of despair and regret of that person who has lost
someone dear. This regret may be due to the kind words unsaid or the promised walks never
taken. So, having never fulfilled such promises leaves the bereaved person with a gnawing pair
of despair and regret.

Extract 4

Great Souls Die And

Our Reality, Bound To
Them, Takes Leave Of Us.
Our Souls,
Dependent Upon Their
Nurture,
Now Shrink, Wizened.
Our Minds, Formed
And Informed By Their
Radiance, Fall Away.
We Are Not So Much Maddened
As Reduced To The Unutterable Ignorance Of
Dark, Cold
Caves.

(I) What Happens To ‘Our Reality’ When Great Souls Die?

Answer :- When Great Souls Die, “Our Reality” Takes Leave Of Us. This Suggests A Profound
Disruption And Disorientation In Our Understanding Of The World, As The Departure Of Great
Souls Fundamentally Alters Our Perception Of Reality.

(II) Explain How Do Our Souls Depend On Great Souls For Their Nurture. What Happens When
These Great Souls Depart?

Answer:-Our souls depend on great souls souls for their nurture as they support and nourish us
and those around them. When such people leave the world, people those are left behind are
robbed of this nourishment that the great souls provided. They feel their souls are suddenly
starving and have shrunk to become shrivelled

(iii) (a) Which figure of speech is used in the line given below:

Answer:-Our minds formed/and informed.

Polyptoton figure of speech is used in the given line.

(b) How do the great souls impact our minds?

Answer:-The impact of the great soul is felt far and wide. People feel intense pain. Losing
someone close eats away the very heart and soul of a bereaved person.

(iv) Why does the speaker say that 'we are not so much maddened?

Answer:-The speaker says that we are not so much maddened because the feeling of despair is
so strong that it seems un utterable.

(v)Explain The Connotations Associated With The Phrase ‘Dark, Cold Caves.”

Answer:-The connotation associated with the phrase 'dark cold cave' is the loneliness and
incomprehension that accompany such a loss. It means that the feeling of our loved one is so
strong that we are in great despair and not able to put them into words.

Extract 5

And When Great Souls Die,

After A Period Peace Blooms,
Slowly And Always
Irregularly. Spaces Fill
With A Kind Of
Soothing Electric Vibration.
Our Senses, Restored, Never
To Be The Same, Whisper To Us.
They Existed. They Existed.
We Can Be. Be And Be
Better. For They Existed.

(I) How Does Peace Bloom After A Period?

Answer :- Peace Blooms After A Period Slowly And Always Irregularly, Indicating That The
Process Of Healing And Reconciliation Takes Time And Occurs In An Unpredictable Manner. It
Suggests That The Restoration Of Peace Is Gradual And May Not Follow A Linear Trajectory.

(II) Which ‘Spaces’ Is The Speaker Talking About? How Are These Spaces Filled?

Answer:-The loss of the love one 'spaces' is the speaker talking about. These spaces are filled
with a kind of soothing electric vibration and comforting I comforting feeling.

(III) How Are Our Senses Restored? What Do They Whisper To Us?

Answer:-When the loved one departs from this world, we live in a fear and despair. But we feel
and think beyond it and perceive the world again and turn. Our senses are restored. They
wishper to us that though they are dead and gone yet they are with us and inspired us.

(IV) Which Poetic Device Is Used In—They Existed. They Existed.” What Is Suggested By This
Repetition?
Answer:-Epizeuxes poetic device is used in it. By this repetition, it is suggested that death
doesn't change the fact that these people lived and shed their radiance all around them. Thier
existence will continue to inspire to keep on living and to make a better place in spite of the pain
of losing the loved one.

(V) Explain How Does This Extract Signify The Role Played By ‘Great Souls’ Or Immensely
Talented People To Bring About Massive Cultural Change.

Answer:-This extract signifies that the most impressive or talented people in a community have
a far reaching impact on the world. Both in life and death, they reshape the entire culture, just as
the falling of a huge tree in a forest can impact the entire landscape in the forest. Similarly, the
death of great people have a profound impact not only on their near and dear one but also on
the entire community.