Get notes, line-by-line explanation, summary, questions and answers, critical analysis, word meanings, extras, and pdf of the poem A Work of Artifice by Marge Piercy which is part of ICSE Class 9 English (Treasure Chest). However, the notes should only be treated for references and changes should be made according to the needs of the students.
Line-by-line explanation of the poem
The bonsai tree in the attractive pot could have grown eighty feet tall on the side of a mountain till split by lightning.
This line introduces the bonsai tree, which could have grown to a great height in its natural environment. The tree’s potential growth is cut short by the artificial environment of the pot, symbolizing the societal constraints placed on women.
But a gardener carefully pruned it. It is nine inches high.
The gardener represents society, which carefully shapes and restricts the growth of the tree (or woman) to fit a certain aesthetic or expectation. The tree’s height, just nine inches, emphasizes the extent of this restriction.
Every day as he whittles back the branches the gardener croons, It is your nature to be small and cozy, domestic and weak;
The gardener’s daily pruning and his words reflect societal expectations that women should be small, domestic, and weak. This line criticizes the way society often justifies gender roles as “natural”.
how lucky, little tree, to have a pot to grow in.
The pot, while providing a place for the tree to grow, also limits its growth. This reflects the societal view that women should be grateful for their domestic roles, even though these roles can be restrictive.
With living creatures one must begin very early to dwarf their growth: the bound feet, the crippled brain, the hair in curlers, the hands you love to touch.
The poem concludes by drawing parallels between the bonsai tree and various ways in which women’s growth and potential have been historically limited, such as foot binding, intellectual stifling, and objectification.
Word meanings
Bonsai tree: A small tree that is grown in a container and is prevented from reaching its full size by the careful pruning of its roots and branches. It’s a Japanese art form.
Attractive pot: A pleasing or appealing container. In the poem, it symbolizes the societal constraints placed on women.
Pruned: Cut off or removed parts of (a tree, bush, or plant), especially to encourage better shape or growth.
Whittles back: To reduce something in size, amount, or extent by a gradual series of steps.
Croons: Hum or sing in a soft, low voice, especially in a sentimental manner.
Domestic: Relating to the running of a home or to family relations. In the poem, it refers to the traditional role of women in the home.
Dwarf their growth: To stunt or inhibit the growth or development of something.
Bound feet: A reference to the historical practice in China where women’s feet were tightly bound from an early age to keep them small. It’s used here as a metaphor for societal restrictions on women.
Crippled brain: A brain that is unable to function fully or at its full potential. In the poem, it refers to the intellectual stifling of women.
Hair in curlers: A reference to traditional beauty standards and the effort women put into maintaining their appearance.
Summary of the poem
The poem opens with an image of a bonsai tree, which could have reached a towering height of ‘eighty feet’ if it had been allowed to grow freely on a mountaintop until it was struck by lightning. However, it has been kept small and confined in a pot, with a gardener meticulously pruning it to ensure it remains a mere nine inches tall. The gardener joyfully sings to the bonsai that it is its nature to be small and cozy, domestic and weak and thatit is lucky to have a pot to grow in.
At this juncture, it becomes clear that the bonsai tree symbolizes women who are oppressed by men in a male-dominated society. The gardener (representing the men) seems to tell the bonsai (symbolising the women) that she should consider herself fortunate to be in a home, performing domestic tasks, as she is small and weak. Just as the pot shields the bonsai from the ‘lightning strike’, the home safeguards the woman from all external adversities.
The poet, with a touch of sarcasm, indicates that just as the gardener must start early to keep the bonsai small, men or society must start early to stunt the growth of women – physically, mentally, and spiritually – and prepare them for preordained roles such as curling their hair to appear attractive or binding their feet to keep them small. The final two lines ironically suggest that while men inhibit women’s growth, they still seek admiration and comfort from them.
Critical analysis of the poem
The title of the poem, ‘A Work of Artifice,’ immediately grabs your attention. The word ‘artifice’ means ‘trickery’ or ‘sneaky tricks,’ which gives us a hint about the deeper meaning of the poem. As you read the poem, you realize it’s not just about a bonsai tree that’s constantly trimmed by a gardener to look pretty in a pot, safe from ‘lightning.’ The bonsai tree actually represents all women who are unfairly treated and controlled in a society where men have more power.
Just like the plant is stuck living in a pot, a woman is often stuck within the four walls of her home, doing housework and thinking it’s her job to be small, weak, and domesticated. This is because she’s been ‘conditioned’ or trained from a young age to think this way.
The gardener, who could be a husband, a father, or any man, is happy to limit the woman’s growth. He makes sure that the woman happily accepts her role in society. She’s made to look attractive to men by curling her hair and binding her feet.
The last two lines are pretty ironic. The man who limits the woman still wants her to show him love and affection!
Through this poem, Marge Piercy expresses her sadness for women who accept the roles given to them by a society where men have more power, without questioning or protesting. In many cases, the woman doesn’t even realize the sneaky tricks used to make her a pretty decoration in the house, an object owned by her man. She doesn’t know that her growth in all areas of life is being constantly limited to stop her from demanding equal rights and freedom.
The poem, like a story with a hidden meaning, can be understood in two ways – literally and metaphorically. The beauty of the poem lies in the clever use of words and irony.
Themes of the poem
Oppression and Limitation: The poem uses the metaphor of a bonsai tree, which is carefully pruned and kept small, to represent the oppression and limitations placed on women in society. Just as the bonsai tree is confined to a pot, women are often confined to certain roles and spaces.
Societal Expectations and Conditioning: The poem discusses how society conditions individuals, particularly women, from a young age to conform to certain expectations. This is represented by the gardener who starts pruning the bonsai tree early to keep it small.
Gender Roles and Inequality: The poem criticizes the traditional gender roles that expect women to be domestic, weak, and small. It highlights the inequality in society where women are expected to be nurturing and attractive for men, even when their growth is being stunted.
Freedom and Growth: The bonsai tree, which could have grown eighty feet tall in the wild, symbolizes the potential for growth and freedom that is often suppressed in individuals, particularly women. The poem encourages readers to question societal norms that limit this growth and potential.
Irony and Criticism of Patriarchy: The poem uses irony to criticize patriarchal society. The gardener, who represents the oppressive forces in society, limits the growth of the bonsai tree while still expecting it to be beautiful and nurturing. This reflects the irony of expecting women to be nurturing and loving while limiting their growth and potential.
Figure of speech
Metaphor: This is when you describe something by saying it is something else. In this poem, the bonsai tree is a metaphor for women. Just like the bonsai tree is kept small and confined, women are often kept in certain roles and places.
Irony: Irony is when the actual meaning is the opposite of the literal meaning. In the poem, the gardener (representing men) limits the growth of the bonsai tree (representing women) while still expecting it to be beautiful and nurturing. This is ironic because the gardener is preventing the tree from reaching its full potential, yet he still wants it to be beautiful.
Imagery: Imagery is when the poet uses words to create a picture in your mind. The poem uses imagery when it describes the bonsai tree being pruned and kept in a pot, which helps you visualize the situation.
Personification: Personification is when you give human qualities to something that isn’t human. In the poem, the bonsai tree is given human qualities. For example, the gardener tells the tree that it is lucky to have a pot to grow in, as if the tree can understand him.
Evergreen workbook answers/solutions
Multiple Choice Questions
1. The image of the small bonsai tree in an attractive pot is used to show that the woman is desirable so long as she is
(a) pretty
(b) domesticated
(c) delicate
(d) all of the above
Answer: (d) all of the above
2. Select the option that shows the correct relationship between the statements (1) and (2).
1. The bonsai tree can grow very tall.
2. It is carefully pruned to prevent its growth to serve as a decorative piece.
(a) 1 is the cause for 2.
(b) 1 is an example of 2.
(c) 1 is independent of 2.
(d) 1 is a contradiction of 2.
Answer: (a) 1 is the cause for 2.
3. Which of these statements is NOT true?
(a) The bonsai tree is an extended metaphor for a woman in patriarchal society.
(b) The growth of a woman is deliberately stunted in a man-dominated society.
(c) A woman is brainwashed to be careful only about her looks from the beginning.
(d) The poet urges all women to revolt against their oppressors.
Answer: (d) The poet urges all women to revolt against their oppressors.
4. Every day as he
Whittles back the branches
the gardener croons,
Select the word that shows the mood of the gardener, as revealed by the above-mentioned lines.
(a) sad
(b) thwarted
(c) happy and self-satisfied
(d) jealous
Answer: (c) happy and self-satisfied
5. Which of these attributes are NOT generally associated with women by men in patriarchal societies ?
1. intelligent
2. mentally strong
3. weak
4. attractive
5. confident
6. capable of taking independent decisions
(a) 2, 3, 4
(b) 1, 2, 5 and 6
(c) 3, 4, 5 and 6
(d) 1, 3, 4 and 5
Answer: (b) 1, 2, 5 and 6
6. how lucky, little tree,
to have a pot to grow in.
Which figure of speech is used in these lines ?
(a) simile
(b) oxymoron
(c) irony
(d) pun
Answer: (c) irony
7. What does the word ‘artifice’ in the title of the poem ‘A Work of Artifice’ mean?
(a) art
(b) trickery
(c) intelligence
(d) skill
Answer: (b) trickery
8. Which of these statements is NOT true?
(a) Women are themselves responsible for their plight in society.
(b) Women are conditioned to willingly accept stereotypical roles.
(c) The gardener represents the stereotypical male.
(d) Women need to protest against their suppression.
Answer: (a) Women are themselves responsible for their plight in society.
9. The tone of the speaker in the poem is
(a) condescending
(b) amusing
(c) entertaining
(d) solemn
Answer: (a) condescending
10. Select the option that best suggests that the poet is talking about women.
(a) it is your nature/to be small and cozy
(b) the crippled brain/the hair in curlers
(c) the hands you/love to touch
(d) the bonsai tree/in the attractive pot
Answer: (b) the crippled brain/the hair in curlers
11. What is the theme of the poem ? Select the correct option :
(a) Men are oppressors.
(b) Social conditioning is used to prevent women from flourishing to their full potential.
(c) Women are conditioned to feel happy in being small and weak.
(d) Women must protest against their stereotypical role in society.
Answer: (b) Social conditioning is used to prevent women from flourishing to their full potential.
12. Which of these figures of speech is extensively used in the poem ?
(a) personification
(b) metaphor
(c) simile
(d) alliteration
Answer: (b) metaphor
13. The technique of miniaturising of trees aims at
(a) stopping their growth
(b) domesticating them (trees)
(c) making them profitable
(d) none of the above
Answer: (a) stopping their growth
14. How does the gardener feel as he addresses the bonsai tree?
(a) sad
(b) happy
(c) excited
(d) happy and proud
Answer: (d) happy and proud
15. Why are women’s feet bound in some cultures ?
(a) to punish women
(b) to make women slaves
(c) to make women realize their unimportance
(d) to keep them small and look attractive
Answer: (d) to keep them small and look attractive
16. What would have happened to the bonsai tree if it had not been pruned ?
(a) it would have died
(b) it would have grown 80 feet tall
(c) it would have looked attractive
(d) it would have borne fruit.
Answer: (b) it would have grown 80 feet tall
Comprehension Passages
PASSAGE-1
Read the extract given below and answer the questions that follow :
The bonsai tree
in the attractive pot
could have grown eighty feet tall
on the side of a mountain
till split by lightning.
But a gardener
carefully pruned it.
It is nine inches high.
(i) What kind of tree is a bonsai? Why is it pruned?
Answer: At a literal level, a bonsai tree is a tree in a pot, an attractive decoration piece, or a miniature representation of nature. It is pruned carefully to remain small, for instance, nine inches high. The gardener ensures that it does not grow too much because, in his considered viewpoint, the bonsai tree has to be small, weak, and domesticated, and it is pruned to prevent its growth to serve as a decorative piece.
(ii) Where could it have grown fully? What has stunted its growth? What metaphorical implication is involved in its miniaturising?
Answer: The bonsai tree could have grown fully, up to eighty feet tall, on the side of a mountain. A gardener who carefully pruned it has stunted its growth. Metaphorically, the bonsai tree is used as a symbol for women who are confined to their traditional, predetermined roles in patriarchal society; its miniaturising implies an oppressed woman who is not allowed to grow fully—physically, mentally, and spiritually.
(iii) Who does the gardener stand for in the poem? Why does it not let the ‘bonsai tree’ grow to its full potential?
Answer: In the poem, the gardener is the symbol of Man in a patriarchal society, who could be the woman’s husband, lover, father, or any male. He is determined to ‘dwarf’ the growth of women. He does not let the bonsai tree grow to its full potential because he subjects it to constant pruning, ensuring it does not grow more than just nine inches, as in his viewpoint, the bonsai tree has to be small, weak, and domesticated.
(iv) Why does the gardener want the bonsai to remain small and weak? What is its implication in the poem?
Answer: The gardener wants the bonsai to remain small and weak because, in his considered viewpoint, the bonsai tree has to be small, weak, and domesticated; he tells the bonsai tree that it is in its nature to be so. The implication in the poem is that the bonsai tree stands for women oppressed by males in a patriarchal society. Just as the gardener tells the bonsai tree it is lucky, he tells the woman that she is lucky to be in a home doing domestic chores because she is small and weak.
(v) What is the main idea projected in the poem?
Answer: The main idea projected in this poem, through the metaphorical use of the bonsai tree, is that stunting the growth of women is a clever trick played by men.
PASSAGE-2
Read the extract given below and answer the questions that follow :
Every day as he
whittles back the branches
the gardener croons,
It is your nature
to be small and cozy,
domestic and weak;
(i) What does the ‘gardener’ represent in the poem? Which function of the ‘gardener’ referred to in the poem is in reality regressive and harmful? How?
Answer: The ‘gardener’ in the poem represents Man in a patriarchal society, such as a woman’s husband or lover, who is determined to ‘dwarf’ the growth of women. The function of the gardener whittling back the branches, or pruning, is in reality regressive and harmful. It is harmful because this constant pruning, an act of trickery and oppression, stunts the growth of the bonsai tree (representing women), not allowing it to grow more than nine inches and preventing women from growing fully—physically, mentally, and spiritually.
(ii) In what tone does the gardener speak? What picture do you form of the ‘gardener’ in your mind as ‘he’ speaks to the bonsai tree?
Answer: The gardener speaks in a tone that is conveyed by the word “croons,” suggesting he sings or speaks softly and gently. He happily tells the bonsai tree about its nature. As he speaks to the bonsai tree, I form a picture of a gardener who appears gentle and perhaps believes he is being kind or protective. However, this gentleness is manipulative, as he is happy and proud in stunting the growth of the woman under his charge, making his actions oppressive despite the soft tone.
(iii) In what way is the gardener wrong?
Answer: The gardener is wrong in asserting to the bonsai tree, “It is your nature to be small and cozy, domestic and weak.” He is wrong because the poem states that the tree could have grown eighty feet tall, indicating that its inherent nature is not to be small. By stunting its growth and imposing this false nature upon it, he is fundamentally mistaken about its potential and true characteristics. Metaphorically, he is wrong to believe that women are naturally meant to be confined, weak, and domesticated.
(iv) What do the last two lines suggest?
Answer: The last two lines, “domestic and weak;”, suggest the qualities that the gardener, representing patriarchal society, desires and imposes upon the bonsai tree, which symbolizes women. These words suggest a state of confinement, a lack of strength, and suitability for a controlled, indoor environment, reflecting the gardener’s viewpoint that the bonsai tree has to be small, weak, and domesticated.
(v) What does the word ‘croons’ mean? What does it imply?
Answer: The word ‘croons’ means sings. It implies a gentle, soft, perhaps persuasive or lulling manner of speaking or singing. In the context of the poem, the gardener’s crooning implies a manipulative gentleness, a way of making the oppressive act of stunting growth seem natural, caring, or even like a comforting truth, rather than an imposed limitation.
PASSAGE-3
Read the extract given below and answer the questions that follow :
how lucky, little tree,
to have a pot to grow in.
With living creatures
one must begin very early
to dwarf their growth.
(i) Who is the speaker? Who is being addressed?
Answer: The speaker of these lines is the gardener, as these words are part of what he croons. He is addressing the “little tree,” which is the bonsai tree.
(ii) What does the ‘pot’ mean in the metaphorical context of the poem? Give its relevance to the development of women?
Answer: In the metaphorical context of the poem, the ‘pot’ represents the home or the domestic sphere. Just as the pot protects the bonsai from the ‘lightning strike,’ the home is portrayed as protecting the woman from all outside troubles. Its relevance to the development of women is that, like the pot confines the bonsai tree, the home confines a woman to the four walls of her house to do domestic duties. This confinement limits her growth, stunting her full physical, mental, and spiritual development, keeping her small, weak, and domesticated.
(iii) What do men do to stunt the growth of women?
Answer: To stunt the growth of women, men, as suggested by the line “one must begin very early to dwarf their growth,” start this process from a very young age. They resort to trickery and oppression, metaphorically pruning them like the bonsai tree. This involves dwarfing their physical, mental, and spiritual growth and preparing them for predetermined roles by, for example, curling their hair to look attractive or, in some cultures, binding their feet to keep them small and weak.
(iv) Bring out the significance of the last two lines.
Answer: The significance of the last two lines, “With living creatures / one must begin very early / to dwarf their growth,” is that they reveal the deliberate, systematic, and early-initiated nature of the stunting process. The phrase “living creatures” broadens the poem’s scope beyond the bonsai tree, strongly hinting at its metaphorical application to human beings, specifically women. The assertion that “one must begin very early” emphasizes that this conditioning or indoctrination starts from a young age to ensure women accept their dwarfed state and predetermined roles.
(v) What stereotypical role do women play in life? How are they tricked to perform it?
Answer: In life, women are often confined to traditional, predetermined roles in a patriarchal society, where they are expected to be small, weak, and domesticated. They are told they are lucky to be in a home doing domestic chores, feeling protected within domestic walls, looking attractive, and performing household duties. They are tricked into performing this role through “artifice” or clever trickery. The gardener, representing men or society, “croons” to the bonsai tree (woman), telling her it is her “nature” to be small and that she is “lucky” to be confined. This conditioning, which involves controlling how she grows and behaves, ensures she willingly subjects herself to accepting the role of a domesticated, small, weak, and subjugated creature, made to believe this is her natural state.
PASSAGE-4
Read the extract given below and answer the questions that follow :
the bound feet,
the crippled brain,
the hair in curlers,
the hands you
love to touch.
(i) Do you find any shift of focus in these lines? What does it convey?
Answer: Yes, I find a distinct shift of focus in these lines. The poem moves from the central metaphor of the bonsai tree to more direct and explicit references concerning the ways women are physically and mentally shaped and controlled. This shift conveys that the poem’s message extends beyond the literal tree, making it clear that the bonsai is a symbol for the oppression and societal confinement of women. It is with lines like ‘the bound feet’ that I become aware that the poem is not just about the bonsai tree but about the stunting of women.
(ii) In which context are women’s ‘feet’ bound? Why?
Answer: Women’s ‘feet’ are bound in the context of some cultures, Chinese in particular. They are bound to keep them small and attractive, and also to keep them small and weak.
(iii) Why are women made to look attractive?
Answer: Women are made to look attractive, for instance by having their hair curled, to fit predetermined roles and societal expectations, often to be attractive to men. They are conditioned to think that looking attractive in a particular way suits them or is the only way they can be accepted in society. Essentially, their appearance is shaped to please men.
(iv) The last two lines are ironic. How?
Answer: The last two lines, “the hands you / love to touch,” are ironic because they suggest that although men stunt women’s growth—physically, mentally, and spiritually—they still look to these same women for admiration, comfort, and loving touch. It is ironic that men who are responsible for oppressing and keeping women down would then seek nurturing and affection from the very individuals whose potential they have crippled.
(v) What does the poet seem to lament? What does she expect of women?
Answer: The poet, Marge Piercy, seems to lament that women often allow themselves to fit into the roles determined by patriarchal society without any demur or protest, in many cases remaining unaware of the artful trickery played on them to be mere domestic decorations. She laments that their physical, mental, and spiritual growth is constantly stunted. While the poem doesn’t explicitly state an action she expects, it implies a desire for women to become aware of this stunting and to not passively accept these limitations, thereby enabling them to claim their potential for full growth, equality, and freedom.
Project Assignment
1. Comment on the title of the poem ‘A Work of Artifice’. Bring out its relevance.
Answer: The very title of the poem, ‘A Work of Artifice’, is significant and serves to make the readers alert. The word ‘artifice’ implies ‘trickery’ or ‘artful trickery’, and this is a key to unlocking the complexity involved in the poem. Its relevance lies in the fact that the poem is not merely about a bonsai tree being pruned; rather, it metaphorically describes the ‘artifice’ or the clever trickery and oppression that men in a patriarchal society resort to in order to ‘dwarf’ the growth of women and confine them to predetermined roles. Man is seen to use this ‘artifice’ to clip the wings of women in general, making the title deeply relevant to the poem’s central theme of subjugation.
2. How has the poet satirised the conventional beliefs of the patriarchal society in the poem?
Answer: The poet satirises the conventional beliefs of patriarchal society by using the bonsai tree as an extended metaphor for women who are confined to their traditional, predetermined roles. The gardener, symbolising Man in such a society, is depicted as carefully pruning the tree to keep it small, just as men are determined to ‘dwarf’ the growth of women. The poem satirises the notion, voiced by the gardener, that it is in the bonsai tree’s (and by extension, woman’s) “nature to be small and cozy, domestic and weak,” and that they should consider themselves “lucky” to have a pot (a home) to grow in, protected from outside troubles. This ‘conditioning’ starts very early to ensure women remain dependent and fit into socially acceptable roles, focusing on looking attractive and performing domestic chores. The poem points out how men stunt women’s physical, mental, and spiritual growth through practices like binding feet to keep them small, or curling hair to look attractive, leading to a ‘crippled brain.’ They are made to believe this is how they should be for societal acceptance. The satire is heightened by the irony that men, who stunt women’s growth, still look to them for admiration and comfort.
3. In what mood is the poet? How does she proceed to bring out the plight of women in the patriarchal society?
Answer: The poet, Marge Piercy, appears to be in an upset mood, particularly because she feels that women often allow themselves to fit into the roles determined by patriarchal society without any demur or protest, remaining unaware of the artful trickery played on them.
She proceeds to bring out the plight of women in patriarchal society through an allegorical approach. At the literal level, the poem is about a bonsai tree, but at the metaphorical level, this tree comes to stand for a subjugated and oppressed woman, or rather all women in such a society. The bonsai tree is an apt symbol for the woman whose growth is deliberately dwarfed. The poet contrasts the tree’s potential to grow “eighty feet tall” with its actual “nine inches high” stature due to the gardener’s constant pruning. The gardener, representing any man in a male-dominated society, carefully whittles back the branches and croons that it is the tree’s nature to be small and weak. The poem then explicitly links this to “living creatures,” detailing how “one must begin very early to dwarf their growth,” citing examples like “the bound feet, the crippled brain, the hair in curlers.” This illustrates how women are prepared for their set roles, their physical, mental, and spiritual growth being constantly stunted to prevent any claim to equality and freedom. The subtle use of irony, especially in the last lines about “the hands you love to touch,” further highlights this plight.
4. Comment on the imagery used in the poem.
Answer: The poem ‘A Work of Artifice’ uses vivid imagery to convey its message. The central image is that of “The bonsai tree in the attractive pot.” This immediately creates a picture of something small, contained, and aesthetically pleasing but artificially restricted. This image is contrasted with the potential image of the tree having “grown eighty feet tall on the side of a mountain till split by lightning,” which evokes a sense of natural, wild grandeur and immense potential.
The actions of the gardener, such as when “he whittles back the branches,” provide a visual of meticulous and controlling interference. As the poem progresses, the imagery shifts to human parallels with “the bound feet,” a powerful image of physical restriction and pain for aesthetic and social purposes; “the crippled brain,” suggesting intellectual and spiritual stunting; and “the hair in curlers,” an image of artificial beautification and conformity. The final image of “the hands you love to touch” is poignant, as these hands belong to the very creature whose growth has been dwarfed. The image of the small bonsai tree in an attractive pot is specifically used to show that the woman is considered desirable as long as she is pretty, delicate, and domesticated. These images collectively build a strong visual and emotional understanding of the theme of oppression and the stunting of potential.
Morning Star workbook answers/solutions
Multiple Choice Questions II
1. What does the word “Artifice” mean?
(a) Talent
(b) Deception
(c) Beauty
(d) Nature
Answer: (b) Deception
2. The bonsai tree did not grow eighty feet tall as
(a) the gardener whittled back its branches everyday
(b) the gardener pruned it
(c) it grew in a pot
(d) All of the above.
Answer: (d) All of the above.
3. The tree’s hidden potential is that
(a) it does not require any care
(b) it can grow without water
(c) it can grow in a week
(d) it can grow to an enormous height.
Answer: (d) it can grow to an enormous height.
4. The Bonsai tree symbolises is a metaphor for
(a) all trees
(b) children
(c) men
(d) women
Answer: (d) women
5. What does “bound feet” suggest?
(a) Binding of objects in feet
(b) Putting restrictions on growth
(c) Feet bound to shoes
(d) Feet on earth.
Answer: (b) Putting restrictions on growth
6. The gardener represents the ____ of the society.
(a) Patriarchs
(b) matriarchs
(c) all workers.
(d) children
Answer: (a) Patriarchs
7. Why does the gardener whittle back the Bonsai’s branches every day?
(a) to keep it tidy
(b) to shape it to his liking
(c) itis a routing
(d) the gardener likes to do it
Answer: (b) to shape it to his liking
8. The gardener says that the tree is lucky because
(a) it has a pot to grow in
(b) itis pretty and domestic
(c) it has special qualities
(d) it does not require water to grow
Answer: (a) it has a pot to grow in
9. The theme of the poem is
(a) suppression of women
(b) inequality
(c) deception
(d) all of the above
Answer: (d) all of the above
10. Who is referred to as “your” in “it is your nature to be small and cozy”?
(a) The gardener
(b) Patriarchs
(c) The bonsai tree
(d) Awoman and bonsai tree
Answer: (c) The bonsai tree
11. The gardener altered the tree’s by changing its
(a) size
(b) natural habitat
(c) both (a) and (b)
(d) None of the above
Answer: (c) both (a) and (b)
12. The term “dwarf” in the poem means.
(a) to curb the needs
(b) to curb someone’s growth
(c) to trivialise someone
(d) None of the above
Answer: (b) to curb someone’s growth
13. Which figure of speech is used in the line “how lucky, little tree’?
(a) Simile
(b) Metaphor
(c) Metonymy
(d) Irony
Answer: (d) Irony
14. With living creatures one begin very early to dwarf their growth. Whose growth is the poet talking about?
(a) Men’s
(b) Plant’s
(c) Children’s.
(d) Women’s
Answer: (d) Women’s
15. Why did the gardener limit the bonsai tree’s growth?
(a) To keep it tidy and beautiful
(b) To stifle its growth
(c) To gift it to someone
(d) To protect the trees from winds
Answer: (b) To stifle its growth
16. Which of the following is similar to the word ‘crippleed’?
(a) Deformed
(b) Healthy
(c) small
(d) Sick
Answer: (a) Deformed
Context Questions
Extract 1
The bonsai tree
in the attractive pot
could have grown eighty feet tall
on the side of a mountain
till split by lightning
(i) Which tree is the poet talking about? How tall would it have grown and in which circumstances?
Answer: The poet is talking about a bonsai tree. It could have grown eighty feet tall if it had been left to grow naturally on the side of a mountain, exposed to nature.
(ii) What does the bonsai tree symbolise? Explain.
Answer: The bonsai tree symbolises the limitation of women’s potential. Just as the tree is pruned to remain small, women are constrained by societal expectations, limiting their growth and freedom.
(iii) Where would it have grown tall? How would have been its height its enemy?
Answer: It would have grown tall on the side of a mountain. Its height could have made it vulnerable to natural forces, such as being split by lightning, symbolising that unrestrained growth comes with dangers.
(iv) Why do you think the poet used the words “attractive pot” in the extract?
Answer: The phrase “attractive pot” suggests that the bonsai’s confinement is made to look beautiful and appealing, masking the underlying restriction of its natural growth. This can be seen as a metaphor for how society presents the restricted roles of women as desirable.
(v) What does “till split by lightning’ symbolise? How is the tree protected from lightning?
Answer: “Till split by lightning” symbolises the destructive potential of uncontrolled natural forces, representing the dangers of breaking societal constraints. The tree, by being pruned and kept small in a pot, is protected from such risks but also deprived of its potential for greatness.
Extract 2
carefully pruned it.
It is nine inches high.
Every day as he
whittles back the branches
the gardener croons.
(i) How tall is the tree? Why did it not grow any further?
Answer: The tree is nine inches high. It did not grow any further because it was carefully pruned and controlled by the gardener, who limited its growth intentionally.
(ii) Who prunes the tree? Why does he do so?
Answer: The gardener prunes the tree to keep it small and controlled. This reflects how women, like the tree, are limited and controlled by societal norms.
(iii) What does ‘croons’ mean? Briefly describe the symbolism used here.
Answer: ‘Croons’ means to sing softly or speak in a soothing manner. The gardener’s crooning symbolises how societal control is often enforced gently, with persuasion and manipulation rather than outright violence, making the limitations seem acceptable.
(iv) What role do the short lines of the poem play?
Answer: The short lines create a sense of restriction and confinement, reflecting the limited space in which the bonsai tree, and metaphorically women, are allowed to exist and grow.
(v) Identify the gardening vocabulary used in this extract. How do these aid in the artifice of the bonsai?
Answer: Words like “pruned” and “whittles” are gardening terms. These terms illustrate the careful and deliberate control over the tree’s growth, symbolising the calculated ways in which women’s roles and potential are curtailed by society.
Extract 3
It is your nature
to be small and cory,
domestic and weak;
how lucky, little tree,
to have a pot to grow in
(i) What is the nature of the tree according to the gardener?
Answer: According to the gardener, the tree’s nature is to be small, cosy, domestic, and weak, reflecting the societal expectation for women to remain in limited, domestic roles.
(ii) is the tree lucky to grow in a pot? Explain the irony in this line.
Answer: The tree is not truly lucky to grow in a pot. The irony lies in the gardener’s statement, as the pot represents confinement and restriction, not freedom or good fortune, just as the societal roles for women confine rather than empower them.
(iii) What effect do these lines have on the tree? Explain.
Answer: These lines symbolise the mental conditioning that limits the tree’s (or a woman’s) perception of its own potential. The tree is made to believe that it is lucky to be confined, just as women are often taught to accept their limited roles.
(iv) Even though the tree had the potential to grow taller, it didn’t. Why?
Answer: The tree didn’t grow taller because it was pruned and kept in a small pot, symbolising how societal expectations and limitations prevent women from realising their full potential.
(v) If the tree was nurtured, it would’ve grown tall and reached its potential. Comment.
Answer: If the tree had been nurtured and allowed to grow naturally, it would have grown tall and reached its full potential, symbolising that women, if given freedom and opportunities, can achieve greatness and fulfil their potential.
Extract 4
With living creatures
one must begin very early
to dwarf their growth;
the bound feet,
the crippled brain,
the hair in curlers,
the hands you
love to touch
(i) Why should one begin very early? What do you understand by ‘dwarf’?
Answer: One must begin very early to dwarf something because it is easier to limit growth before it fully starts. “Dwarf” here means to stunt or restrict natural growth and development, symbolising how societal constraints begin early to limit a person’s potential.
(ii) What is the significance of ‘dwarf and ‘crippled?
Answer: “Dwarf” and “crippled” signify the deliberate stunting and deforming of one’s natural abilities or potential, representing how societal pressures distort and limit women’s lives and opportunities.
(iii) Briefly explain the meaning and significance of bound feet?
Answer: Bound feet refer to the old Chinese practice of physically restricting women’s feet, preventing natural growth and movement. It symbolises how women’s potential is similarly restricted in many societies.
(iv) “The bound feet” and “the hair in curlers” indicates that the poet is to | talking about a tree. Who/what is the poet talking about? Justify
Answer: The poet is talking about women, not just a tree. “Bound feet” and “hair in curlers” are metaphors for how society imposes physical and psychological restrictions on women, confining them to rigid beauty standards and roles.
(v) Explain the meaning and symbolism in “the hands you/love to touch”
Answer: “The hands you love to touch” symbolises how women are physically admired and desired, yet still restricted and controlled. It reflects the contradictory nature of admiration and oppression women often experience.
Extras/additional
Questions and Answers
Extract 1
The bonsai tree
in the attractive pot
could have grown eighty feet tall
on the side of a mountain
till split by lightning.
But a gardener
carefully pruned it.
It is nine inches high.
(i) What does the bonsai tree symbolise in the poem?
Answer: The bonsai tree symbolises a woman who has been constrained by societal expectations and limited in her potential. It represents how women, like the bonsai, could grow to their full potential but are pruned and shaped by external forces, in this case, patriarchal norms.
(ii) What does the height of the bonsai tree signify?
Answer: The tree’s stunted height of nine inches contrasts with its natural potential to grow eighty feet tall, signifying the suppression of a woman’s potential by societal limitations, much like how the tree’s growth is restricted by the gardener’s pruning.
(iii) What is the significance of the mountain setting?
Answer: The mountain setting, where the bonsai tree could have grown tall and free, represents the natural environment where women, in an ideal world, could flourish to their full potential. The idea of lightning splitting the tree suggests the dangers or natural challenges that might come, but they are preferable to the stunted growth enforced by societal norms.
(iv) How does the gardener’s role reflect societal norms?
Answer: The gardener represents the societal forces that control and restrict women. By pruning the tree and limiting its growth, the gardener mirrors how society enforces restrictive roles on women, keeping them from achieving their true potential.
(v) Why does the poet emphasise the careful pruning of the tree?
Answer: The careful pruning symbolises how the suppression of women is often deliberate and methodical. It shows that the limitation of women’s growth is not accidental but a conscious effort by society to maintain control over them.
Extract 3
With living creatures
one must begin very early
to dwarf their growth:
the bound feet,
the crippled brain,
the hair in curlers,
the hands you
love to touch.
(i) Why does the poet mention “living creatures”?
Answer: The poet mentions “living creatures” to highlight that the process of stunting growth, whether of a tree or a human being, especially a woman, starts early in life. This reflects how societal conditioning begins in childhood, shaping and limiting women from a young age.
(ii) What is the significance of the phrase “dwarf their growth”?
Answer: The phrase “dwarf their growth” signifies the deliberate effort to limit the potential of living beings, particularly women. It refers to how women are conditioned and restrained by societal norms, preventing them from developing fully.
(iii) What do the images of “bound feet” and “crippled brain” represent?
Answer: The images of “bound feet” and “crippled brain” represent the physical and intellectual restrictions imposed on women throughout history. “Bound feet” refers to the historical practice in some cultures of physically restraining women, while “crippled brain” refers to the intellectual limitations imposed on women through lack of education and opportunities.
(iv) How does the poet connect physical appearance with oppression?
Answer: The poet connects physical appearance with oppression through the reference to “hair in curlers” and “hands you love to touch.” These images suggest that women’s physical appearance is often controlled and manipulated to meet societal expectations, reflecting a form of oppression that reduces them to their physical traits rather than their capabilities.
(v) What is the significance of the final image of “hands you love to touch”?
Answer: The final image of “hands you love to touch” underscores the idea that women’s bodies are often valued for their physical beauty or for the pleasure they bring to others, rather than for their true selves or their intellectual and emotional contributions. It highlights how society objectifies women, focusing on their physicality rather than their humanity.
MCQs (Knowledge Based)
1. What could the bonsai tree have grown up to if left unpruned?
A. Nine inches high
B. Twenty feet tall
C. Eighty feet tall
D. Twelve inches high
Answer: C. Eighty feet tall
30. In the context of the poem, “artifice” most closely refers to:
A. The gardener’s decorative pot
B. The clever manipulation used to enforce subservience
C. A type of miniature art form
D. The growth pattern of the bonsai
Answer: B. The clever manipulation used to enforce subservience
MCQs (Competency Based)
1. (I) The gardener whittles back the branches every day.
(II) The tree remains only nine inches tall.
(a) 1 is a contradiction of 2.
(b) 1 is an explanation of 2.
(c) 1 is an example of 2.
(d) 1 is the cause for 2.
Answer: (d) 1 is the cause for 2.
10. (I) The gardener uses curlers and bindings to shape appearance.
(II) True growth—physical, mental and spiritual—is never permitted.
(a) 1 is a contradiction of 2.
(b) 1 is an explanation of 2.
(c) 1 is an example of 2.
(d) 1 is independent of 2.
Answer: (c) 1 is an example of 2.
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