Laburnum tree, also known as the golden chain tree is a central character of the poem. Ted Hughes, in this poem, portrays a sweet and nurturing bond between a lonely tree and a Goldfinch bird.
Class 11 English poem The Laburnum Top, is a description of nature and its selflessness who enjoys companionship. This yellow leaf tree remains silent and dead like a Goldfinch bird perch on its branch.
Here the poet personifies the tree with the expression ‘of chitterlings, and tremor of wings and trillings, The whole tree trembles and thrills.’ Ted Hughes uses yellow to portray the tree leaves and sunlight, which further symbolises death, silence and beauty.
Laburnum trees become active with vibration of bird wings and chirping of chicks. NCERT solutions for Class 11 English Hornbill Poem The Laburnum Top available here are prepared in a way which explores this relationship.
1. Why Does Ted Hugh Compare Laburnum Trees to a Machine?
Ted Hughes compares a laburnum tree to a machine due to the influence of industrial revolution. Advent of machines has slowed down the exchange of energy between elements of nature, making the world mechanical and dull.
Trees are being uprooted and replaced with concrete buildings and giant towers, leaving no space for agriculture. Poet gives the impression of machines as he finds himself trapped in a world of devices with no room to interact with mother nature.
2. What is the Significance of Yellow in the Poem The Laburnum Top?
In this poem, colour yellow finds a dominant spot as the poet tries to set an atmosphere of death and silence. The Laburnum tree stands tall with its beautiful yellow flowers brightening the visuals. Goldfinch bird perches along the tree fluttering with its yellow feathers further symbolising activeness.
At the same time, in the first stanza, yellow portrays death and silence with the image of fallen leaves. Ted Huges by using this simple colour forms a melancholic atmosphere where a sad tree tries to survive by interacting with nature and surroundings.
3. Why do you Like the Poem The Laburnum Top?
This poem gives an outlook on the sweet interaction between elements of nature. Ted Huges, also known as an animal poet, personifies the movements of the tree and bird. Energy exchange becomes the central theme of this poem. Here a small bird depends on a tree for survival; on the other hand, the tree becomes livelier at the presence of a bird even during the dull September.
While laburnum tree portrays the hardship of human life, which is described as pictorially. Moreover, the poet compares the movement of lizards with the Goldfinch bird who is sleek and active.
4. Which is the main figure in the Laburnum Top poem of Class 11 English?
The golden chain tree, commonly known as the laburnum tree, is a major figure in the poem. Ted Hughes depicts a beautiful and caring relationship between a lonely tree and a Goldfinch bird in this poem. It is about the Laburnum tree and the Goldfinch bird having a mutually beneficial relationship. The bird and her babies provide life to the tree, which is yellow, quiet, and death-like. The yellow bird builds her nest in the tree and feeds her young.
5. What did Ted personify in the Laburnum Top poem of Class 11 English?
With the words "of chitterlings, and trembling of wings and trillings, the whole tree trembles and thrills," the poet personifies the tree. Ted Hughes depicts tree leaves and sunlight in yellow, further symbolizing death, stillness, and beauty. The entrance of the Goldfinch bird brings life to the lifeless tree. She came to nurse her smaller children, who are perched on the branch's thicket. Her safe haven is the tree. With a tweeting sound, she approaches the edge of the tree.
6. How to study a poem effectively?
Every poem has its own style, including a line break, rhyming scheme, rhythm, and sound patterns, as a creative literary genre. Reading poetry is the very first element in any evaluation. However, you can't merely read it and finish it. Spend some time reading like a poet. Consider the choice of words as well as the meaning of the words in the poem. As a result, a learner must comprehend both the literal and metaphorical meanings of a poem.
7. What are the chapters and poems in Class 11 English?
The chapters and poems are given below.
Class 11 English Hornbill
Class 11 English Hornbill Poem
Chapter 3 Poem - The Laburnum Top
8. How many questions are there in ‘The Laburnum Top ’ Class 11 English?
There are a total of seven questions in this poem. It is an interesting chapter, which students will be able to grasp easily. Each question is based on this chapter that will test your understanding of the chapter. CoolGyan provides the solutions of all these questions and all the study materials available on CoolGyan are free of cost.