Dear Class 12 Samacheer Kalvi Students, here are the text book solutions to the Poem Our Casuarina Tree in Unit 2 in your English text book.
1. Fill in the blanks choosing the words from the box given and complete the summary of the poem.
The casuarina tree is tall and strong, with a creeper winding around it like a (1) python. The tree stands like a (2) giant with a colourful scarf of flowers. Birds surround the garden and the sweet song of the birds is heard. The poet is delighted to see the casuarina tree through her (3) casement. She sees a grey monkey sitting like a (4) statue on top of the tree, the cows grazing and the water lilies (5) springing in the pond. The poet feels that the tree is dear to her not for its (6) impressive appearance but for the (7) nostalgic memories of her happy childhood that it brings to her. She strongly believes that (8) nature communicates with human beings. The poet could communicate with the tree even when she was in a far-off land as she could hear the tree (9) lamenting her absence. The poet (10) consecrates the tree’s memory to her loved ones, who are not alive. She immortalizes the tree through her poem like the poet Wordsworth who (11) sanctified the yew tree of Borrowdale in verse. She expresses her wish that the tree should be remembered out of love and not just because it cannot be (12) forgotten.
[python, statue, nature, casement, nostalgic, lamenting, impressive, forgotten, giant, consecrates, springing, sanctified]
2.Based on your understanding of the poem, answer the following questions in one or two sentences each.
a) What is the creeper compared to?
Answer: The creeper is compared to a huge python.
b) How does the creeper appear on the tree?
Answer: The creeper has wound itself round and round the rugged trunk of the casuarina tree. It has made its way to the very top of the tree, leaving deep scars along the trunk.
c) Describe the garden during the night.
Answer: At night, the garden is filled with the unending song of a darkling.
d) How does the poet spend her winter?
Answer: During winter, the writer opens her window to gaze at the casuarina tree, where she sees a grey baboon sitting at its crest and watching the sunrise. She also notices the baboon’s young ones playing on the lower branches of the tree.
e) Name the bird that sings in the poet’s garden.
Answer: The kokilas sing in the poet’s garden.
f) Why is the casuarina tree dear to poet’s heart?
Answer: The casuarina tree is dear to poet’s heart because it brings back happy memories of the time she used to play beneath the tree with her loved ones.
g) Does nature communicate with human beings?
Answer: Yes, nature communicate with human beings.
h) What has Wordsworth sanctified in his poem?
Answer: Wordsworth has sanctified the Yew trees of Borrowdale in his poem.
i) To whom does Toru Dutt want to consecrate the tree’s memory?
Answer: Toru Dutt want to consecrate the tree’s memory to her loved ones who are no longer alive.
j) The casuarina tree will be remembered for ever. Why?
Answer: Toru Dutt hopes that the casuarina tree will be remembered forever just like the ancient Yew trees in Borrowdale, because of how she has immortalized it in her poem.
3. Read the lines given below and answer the questions that follow.
a) A creeper climbs, in whose embraces bound
No other tree could live.
i) Which tree is referred to in the above lines?
Answer: The casuarina tree is referred to in the above lines.
ii) How does the tree survive the tight hold of the creeper?
Answer: The tree survives the tight hold of the creeper because it is a big strong tree.
iii) Why does Toru Dutt use the expression ‘a creeper climbs’?
Answer: Creeper plants usually grow on the ground, while climber plants grow vertically. However, in Toru Dutt’s poem, the creeper plant has managed to entwine itself around the casuarina tree and use it as a support to grow right to the top.
b) The giant wears the scarf, and flowers are hung
In crimson clusters all the bough among!
i) Who is the giant here?
Answer: The casuarina tree is the giant referred to in the poem.
ii) Why is the scarf colourful?
Answer: The scarf is colourful because of the crimson clusters of flowers that hang on its branches.
c) “ Fear, trembling Hope, and Death, the skeleton,
And Time the shadow”, and though weak the verse
That would thy beauty fain, oh, fain rehearse,
May Love defend thee from oblivion’s curse.
i) What does the poet mean by the expression ‘May love defend thee from oblivion’s curse?’
Answer: The poet means that love should protect the casuarina tree from being forgotten or overlooked in the passage of time.
ii) What does the expression ‘fain’ convey?
Answer: The expression “fain” conveys a sense of willingness or eagerness
iii) What does the poet convey through the expression ‘Fear, trembling Hope’?
Answer: Wordsworth immortalized the Yew trees of Borrowdale, which symbolize themes of fear and trembling hope. Similarly, Toru hopes that her love for the casuarina tree will be immortalized through her poem.
4. Explain the following lines with reference to the context.
a) Dear is the Casuarina to my soul;
Answer:
Reference: This line is taken from Poem – Our Casuarina tree by Torn Dutt.
Context: The poet expresses how important the tree is to her.
Explanation: The poet says that the tree is dear to her not because of its majestic appearance but because it brings back happy memories of the time she and her loved ones spent playing under it.
b) It is the tree’s lament, an eerie speech,…
Answer:
Reference: This line is taken from Poem – Our Casuarina tree by Torn Dutt.
Context: The poet feels that the tree is making a mournful or sorrowful sound.
Explanation: The poet’s eyes fill up with tears when she remembers that the loved ones who played with her under the tree are no longer alive. She feels that when the leaves and branches of the tree make a rustling sound, it is as if it is conveying its own sorrowful feelings.
c) Unto thy honor, Tree, beloved of those
Who now in blessed sleep for aye repose,
Answer:
Reference: This line is taken from Poem – Our Casuarina tree by Torn Dutt.
Context: The poet consecrates the casuarina tree in memory of her departed loved ones.
Explanation: The poet expresses a desire to honour the casuarina tree, which is cherished by those who are now deceased and resting in eternal peace.
5. Identify the figure of speech used in each of the extracts given below and write down the answer in the space given below. The first one is done for you.
a) “ LIKE a huge Python, winding round and round
The rugged trunk, indented deep with scars”,
Answer: Zoomorphism / Simile
b) “ A creeper climbs, in whose embraces bound
No other tree could live. But gallantly
The giant wears the scarf, and flowers are hung……”
Answer: Personification
c) “A gray baboon sits statue–like alone’’
Answer: Simile
d) “The water-lilies spring, like snow enmassed.”
Answer: Simile
e) “ What is that dirge – like murmur that I hear
Like the sea breaking on a shingle -beach?
Answer: Simile/Personification
6. Answer each of the following questions in a paragraph of 100–150 words.
a. Describe the reminiscences of the poet, when she sees the casuarina tree.
Answer: When the poet, Toru Dutt, sees the casuarina tree, it evokes a flood of cherished memories and emotions from her past. She reminisces about her childhood, when she and her siblings played under the tree’s expansive canopy. The tree is a silent witness to their laughter, games, and the innocent joys of youth. The poet also recalls how the tree was a part of the everyday landscape. She remembers observing the sunrise with a gray baboon and enjoying the songs of kokilas. Additionally, the tree’s physical presence, with its strong trunk and towering height, symbolizes stability and continuity amidst the changes in her life. The casuarina tree stands as a living monument to her lost loved ones, particularly her siblings who have passed away. It embodies the poet’s profound emotional connection to her past, blending the happy memories with a sense of loss and enduring affection. This intimate bond ensures that the tree remains forever dear to her heart, immortalized in her memories and poetry.
b) How does nature communicate with the poet?
Answer: Nature communicates with the poet, Toru Dutt, in a profound and intimate way. The casuarina tree, in particular, becomes a symbol through which nature speaks to her. The tree stands as a symbol of her memories, reminding her of the joyful times spent with her siblings. The sounds of the birds, the rustling of the leaves, and the sight of the tree itself evoke a sense of continuity and connection to the past.
The “dirge-like murmur” of the casuarina tree, which is hauntingly similar to that of the sea breaking on a shingle beach, represents the tree’s lament or sorrowful expression. The poet interprets this murmur as a spiritual message, possibly reaching an unknown land that is familiar to those with faith.
The poet is able to hear the mournful lament of the tree even in distant places she has visited, such as the shores of France and Italy, where she heard similar wailing sounds while the world was in a tranquil, dreamless state. Every time she hears this music, it conjures a vivid image of the casuarina tree in her mind. Through these elements, nature communicates a message of resilience, eternal beauty, and the unbroken bond between the poet’s past and present.
c) The poet immortalizes the tree. Elucidate.
Answer: The poet, Toru Dutt, immortalizes the casuarina tree through her evocative and heartfelt poetry. She describes the tree as a central figure in her childhood, a witness to her joys and sorrows, and a symbol of her connection to her homeland and lost loved ones.
Through lines like “Dear is the Casuarina to my soul” and “May Love defend thee from oblivion’s curse,” she conveys the tree’s profound importance in her life. By capturing its beauty, the tree’s lament, and the way it stirs memories of distant lands and past experiences, she elevates the tree to a timeless symbol of memory, love, and continuity.
She immortalizes the tree through this poem like how Wordsworth sanctified the Yew trees of Borrowdale. She says “May love defend thee from Oblivion’s curse’”- expressing her wish that love shield her tree against the curse of forgetfulness. She hopes that the tree is remembered out of love and not because it cannot be forgotten.
Her poetry serves as a testament to the tree’s lasting impact, ensuring that it remains a cherished and revered part of her legacy. In doing so, she not only preserves the tree in her own memory but also shares its significance with readers, allowing the casuarina tree to live on through her words and the emotions they evoke.
Listening
First read the questions given below, then listen to the poem, read aloud by the teacher or played on an audio player. Then answer the questions based on your listening of the poem.
1. The poet was tossing in the bed awake because ________.
a) he was worried
b) he was struggling to sleep
c) it was day time
d) he was tired
2. The ________ were ‘sparkling as pearls’.
a) moon
b) sun
c) stars
d) meteoroids
3. The ________ gave the poet a motherly smile.
a) sun
b) stars
c) moon
d) sky
4. ________ made the poet’s eyelids droop.
a) nature
b) rosy lips
c) songs
d) tiredness
5. ________ is the title of the poem.
a) Wonders
b) Midnight Wonders
c) Nature
d) Midnight dreams
If you have any questions, please reach out to us in the comments section.
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