The Heart of the Tree Summary

The Heart of the Tree Summary (*About the Author- Scroll down)

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Summary:

Here is a summary of the poem The Heart of the Tree by Henry Cuyler Bunner.

In the first stanza, the poet highlights how those who plant trees help the environment. According to the poet, when trees grow, they befriend the sun and the sky. They clean the air and generate oxygen. Their leaves flutter in the wind and provide cool breeze. The poet further states that by planting trees, a safe habitat is created for birds and animals. In such a habitat, mother birds sing to their young ones in hushed or soft tones at twilight. This creates a heaven like atmosphere on our planet.

In the second stanza, the poet focuses on the enduring legacy of planting a tree. Trees provide value not only in the present, but also in the future. In the present, they provide shade and help bring rain. At the same time, they bear seeds out of

which new trees will be born. As years fade by, old trees will die, but the land will not be barren. It will be flush with new saplings which will eventually become a dense forest. Thus, long after a person is no more, the tree that he planted will continue to benefit the future generations. In his own way, he would have helped preserve the Earth and make it a better place for future inhabitants, both humans and animals.

In the third stanza, the poet asserts most emphatically that planting trees is beneficial to the nation as well. According to the poet, the person who plants a tree demonstrates his sense of responsibility towards his immediate neighbourhood and ultimately towards the country. Tree-planting benefits the economy in the long run by checking pollution levels, improving the green cover, providing employment and conserving the environment. Thus, a seemingly simple act of planting a tree can have a significant overall effect on the nation's well-being. By capitalising 'His', the poet expresses his reverence for the person who plants trees, for such a person has great foresight and has the nation's best interests at heart.

Thus, the poem beautifully explains the glory of a tree and the greater glory in planting one.

About the Author: Henry Cuyler Bunner was a nineteenth century American poet, playwright, story writer and novelist. He was born in the state of New York in USA.

He initially worked as a clerk in an importing house but later turned to journalism. He was the editor of a publication Puck, the first in the USA to run satires on current issues and political figures of that time. Bunner's short stories and verse are better known than his novels. His notable poetry collections are Airs from Arcady and Elsewhere, Rowen and Poems.

The Heart of the Tree was published as a song for Arbor Day, a day that recognizes the importance of trees in our lives. It is a simple poem with a profound message. In the poem, the poet describes the varied virtues of planting trees. He presents it as an immensely noble and selfless act, and stresses that it benefits the nation in the long run.

Important links related to the poem "The Heart of the Tree":- (Click on the link alongside the given topic)

1. About the author and Summary- 

2. Analysis: Themes- 

3. Literary Style: Form, Rhyme Scheme & Figures of Speech- 

4. Questions and Answers- 

5. The text of the poem- 

6. Stanza-wise summary and Analysis-