CBSE Class 11 English The Laburnum Top Worksheet Set 01

HORNBILL: POETRY

The Laburnum Top — Ted Hughes

About the Poet

Ted Hughes was an English poet, translator, and children’s writer. He was born on 17 August, 1930 in the United Kingdom. Critics frequently rank him as one of the best poets of his generation and one of the twentieth century’s greatest writers. He was appointed Poet Laureate in 1984 and held the office until his death.

Introduction

The poem brings to the reader’s attention the relationship between birds and trees. A laburnum tree stands silent and still. A goldfinch builds a nest and breeds her chicks upon the branches of the tree. The poet highlights the difference in appearance of the tree when the bird sits on its branches and when it flies away. The poet emphasises the dependence of the different elements of nature on each other for their survival, happiness and growth.

THEME

The poem ‘The Laburnum Top’ is a beautiful poem in which the poet has used the laburnum tree and goldfinch as a symbol of life and its fluctuations. The laburnum tree symbolizes the pattern of our life which is usually dull and inanimate. The theme of the poem is the symbiotic or the close and long-term biological interaction between two different biological organisms, in this case the tree and the bird.

Summary

The poet has drawn a beautiful picture of an autumn afternoon. The laburnum tree is silent and still. Its leaves have turned yellow and some seeds have fallen. However, as soon as a goldfinch comes and sits on its branches, the whole tree comes to life. The poet has compared the alert, abrupt and sleek movement of the goldfinch with that of a lizard. After feeding her young ones, the goldfinch flies away towards the infinite sky. The laburnum tree becomes quiet and silent once again.

This is how the cycle of life goes on in nature. It is all instinctive. The mother bird makes her nest amongst the thick leaves of a tree. She brings up her chicks until they are strong enough to fly and find their food on their own. The yellow bird has her shelter on the tree where she feeds her young ones. The dependence of the tree on the bird and the bird on the tree has been depicted with a great deal of sensitivity by the poet.

POETIC DEVICES

• Alliteration: repetition of a consonant sound at the beginning of two or more consecutive words—“September sunlight”, “tree trembles”
• Simile: comparison between two things using ‘like’ or ‘as’—“sleek as a lizard”
• Metaphor: a figure of speech in which a word or phrase denoting one kind of object or action is used in place of another to suggest a likeness or analogy between them
  “a machine starts up” (the family of the goldfinch is a machine)
  “It is the engine of her family” (the chicks in the nest are the engine)
  “Showing her barred face identity mask” (the stripes caused by the shadows of the laburnum on its face is a mask)
• Personification: the attributes of human characteristics to something non-human—“the whole tree trembles and thrills”
• Transferred Epithet: the figure of speech where the adverb is transferred to another noun—“her barred face”, “identity mask”

Explanation of the Poem

1. The Laburnum top is silent, quite still
In the afternoon yellow September sunlight,
A few leaves yellowing, all its seeds fallen.

Exp- The poet was observing a laburnum tree. It stood tall, but was silent and still. It was afternoon, and the yellow hue of the sunlight was shining on the few leaves that were left on the tree. Being September, most of the leaves and seeds had fallen off the tree. All that could be noticed was the silence in the environment. The colour yellow symbolizes happiness, warmth and sunshine in most cultures; these are characteristics of the yellow sun and its effects on every object, animate and inanimate.

2. Till the goldfinch comes, with a twitching chirrup
A suddenness, a startlement, at a branch end.
Then sleek as a lizard, and alert, and abrupt,
She enters the thickness, and a machine starts up
Of chitterings, and a tremor of wings, and trillings —
The whole tree trembles and thrills.

Exp- This silence was all of a sudden broken with the arrival of a beautiful yellow coloured bird. A Goldfinch bird comes suddenly with a twitching chirrup, and startles the branch upon which she has perched. The bird with sleek, rapid, and alert moments like that of a lizard, enters the thickness of the laburnum’s branches in which her young ones live. She has started the engine and her younger ones started chirruping and imitating vibrations with wings, making a sound like a machine. The whole interaction between mother and children comes across as the sound and effect of the starting of a machine and its working. Because of the movement of the bird and her young ones, the tree starts to shake and thrill. The poet has given two opposite scenarios of the tree. The tree first being death-like and still and then giving life and shelter to the bird and her young ones. The birds have given life to an almost dead tree. And alternately, the tree has given a place for the birds to hatch and grow.

3. It is the engine of her family.
She stokes it full, then flirts out to a branch-end
Showing her barred face identity mask

Exp- The chicks in the nest are the engine of her family. She provides food to her young ones and moves to the end of a branch to ensure that there are no predators and that her children are safe. She teaches her children to identify her face that appears to be striped as a result of the shadow of the branches and leaves falling on it. The children learn to identify their mother by looking at her barred face that resembles a mask.

4. Then with eerie delicate whistle-chirrup whisperings
She launches away, towards the infinite
And the laburnum subsides to empty.

Exp- After the completion of her motherly duties, the bird makes delicate whistle-like chirping sounds to her little chicks and flies off into the infinity of the skies. This saddens the laburnum again and it slips into silence and solitude.

Questions

Question. What do you notice about the beginning and the ending of the poem?
Answer: At the beginning and at the end of the poem, the laburnum tree was standing silent and still, with a feeling of emptiness.

 

Question. To what is the bird’s movement compared? What is the basis for the comparison?
Answer: The goldfinch’s movement is compared to that of a lizard because she was as abrupt, sleek and alert as the latter. The poet says that the bird was sleek, alert and abrupt like the lizard, as she enters the thickness that nests her little chicks.

 

Question. Why is the image of the engine evoked by the poet?
Answer: An engine is essential to run a machine. The bird is compared to the engine as she is the feeder of her family. The poet assesses the entire activity that occurred on the laburnum tree and compares the bird to an engine and her family to the machine. She sets off the machine with her presence and her chirping, and enlivens the fledgelings that are still dependent on her for food and life. The image of the engine evokes the beginning of life and activity.

 

Question. What do you like most about the poem?
Answer: The most attractive portion in the poem is the beautiful relationship between the laburnum tree and the goldfinch. The effect the bird has on the tree is incredible.

 

Question. What does the phrase ‘her barred face identity mask’ mean?
Answer: The phrase “her barred face identity mask” means that the bird’s face with the stripes formed by the shadow of the branches and leaves, became her identity and the symbol of recognition for her chicks.

NOTE DOWN

 

Question. 1. the sound words
2. the movement words
3. the dominant colour in the poem
Answer: 1. Twitching, chirrup, chitterings, trillings, whispering
2. Comes, enters, starts up, flirts out, launches away, tremble, subside
3. Yellow

LIST THE FOLLOWING

 

Question. 1. Words which describe ‘sleek’, ‘alert’ and ‘abrupt’.
2. Words with the sound ‘ch’ as in ‘chart’ and ‘tr’ as in ‘trembles’ in the poem.
3. Other sounds that occur frequently in the poem.
Answer: 1. Lizard, machine, and suddenness
2. Goldfinch, branch, chitterings, chirrup, trillings, twitching, tremors
3. ‘ing’ sound in words like twitching, chitterings, wings, trillings, whisperings

Additional Questions

Extract-based Questions 

Read the following extracts carefully and answer the questions that follow.

1. The Laburnum top is silent, quite still
In the afternoon yellow September sunlight,
A few leaves yellowing, all its seeds fallen.

 

Question. What do you understand by the ‘laburnum top’?
Answer: (a) ‘Laburnum top’ means the top part of the laburnum tree.

 

Question. What has happened to the tree?
(a) The tree is being worshipped.
(b) The tree has been cut down.
(c) The leaves of the tree have turned purple and are falling down.
(d) The leaves of the tree have turned yellow and its seeds are falling down.
Answer: (d) The leaves of the tree have turned yellow and its seeds are falling down.

 

Question. Find a word from the stanza which is the antonym of the word ‘noisy’.
Answer: (c) The word ‘silent’ is the antonym of the word ‘noisy’.

 

2. Till the goldfinch comes, with a twitching chirrup
A suddenness, a startlement, at a branch end.
Then sleek as a lizard, and alert, and abrupt,
She enters the thickness, and a machine starts up
Of chitterings, and a tremor of wings, and trillings —
The whole tree trembles and thrills.

 

Question. How is the goldfinch described in the given stanza?
Answer: (a) The goldfinch is described as sleek, alert and abrupt in the given stanza.

 

Question. How did the bird arrive on the branch of the tree?
(a) With a chirping sound
(b) With a twitching chirrup
(c) Without making any sound
(d) Circling above the tree for a while
Answer: (b) With a twitching chirrup

 

Question. What does ‘machine’ refer to in the given stanza?
Answer: (c) It refers to the nest of the goldfinch where its young ones are staying.

 

3. It is the engine of her family.
She stokes it full, then flirts out to a branch-end
Showing her barred face identity mask
Then with eerie delicate whistle-chirrup whisperings
She launches away, towards the infinite
And the laburnum subsides to empty.

 

Question. What does the poet mean by ‘the engine of her family’?
Answer: (a) By ‘the engine of her family’ the poet means the bird’s nest.

 

Question. What happened to the bird?
(a) She completed her motherly duties and flew away.
(b) She flew to the other side of the branch.
(c) She stayed there and stared into the sky.
(d) She took some rest in the nest and then flew away.
Answer: (a) She completed her motherly duties and flew away.

 

Question. How does the poet use imagery to create an effect in the extract? Explain with examples.
Answer: (c) The poet uses ‘imagery’ to create an effect of vividness and contrast in the extract. He uses words and phrases that appeal to the senses of sight, sound, and touch to describe the bird and the tree.

Short Answer Questions 

 

Question. How does the laburnum tree appear in September? Does the arrival of the goldfinch bring about a change in it?
Answer: It is autumn, and the laburnum tree has hardly any leaves and seeds left on it. Therefore, it stands silent and quiet in the afternoon, under the yellow September sunlight. However as soon as the goldfinch comes and perches on its branch, it bursts into activity and life. There is plenty of sound and movement in its branches.

 

Question. Why is the poem named ‘The Laburnum Top’?
Answer: The poem has been named ‘The Laburnum Top’ because the top of the laburnum tree has been described in detail in the poem. It is on the top of the laburnum tree, in the thickness of its branches, that the nest of the goldfinch is located.

 

Question. What is the significance of ‘yellow’ in the poem?
Answer: The flowers of the laburnum tree and its leaves both are yellow in colour. The feathers of the goldfinch are also yellow in colour. The sun is spreading its yellow hue on everything it surveys. The poem signifies the efforts that the bird takes to ensure the safety of her babies and the colour yellow all around helps in camouflaging from predators. It also establishes a unity in everything around – the environment, the tree and the bird.

 

Question. How is the tree transformed during the bird’s visit?
Answer: As soon as the goldfinch sits on the tree, the silent and still laburnum tree suddenly starts trembling and moving with joy. The whole tree comes to life, the branches shake, and there is a lot of noise as the chicks of the goldfinch begin to chirrup and trill on seeing their mother.

 

Question. Why is the image of the engine evoked by the poet in ‘The Laburnum Top’?
Answer: The image of the engine has been evoked by the poet in ‘The Laburnum Top’ to establish the loud sound and activities that begin as soon as the mother bird begins her routine. She chitters, tremors and trills, just as an engine is started, and enlivens the chicks. It is a process of setting them on to activities that they have to follow every day to become young independent birds. The stirrings and the sounds and energy that can be seen when the goldfinch enters the thickness of the tree, sets alive the dead and silent laburnum tree too. The engine begins to whirr and the entire surrounding is set into motion. Life begins!

 

Question. What is the engine of the machine? What is its fuel?
Answer: The chicks in the nest have been called the engine of the machine. The fuel of the engine is the food that the goldfinch brings for her chicks. When goldfinch feeds them, the engine starts working and naturally the machine too.

 

Question. How does the laburnum ensure security for the nestlings?
Answer: The bark and the seeds of the laburnum tree are believed to be poisonous. So, predators generally stay away from the tree. Besides this, the paling leaves in the autumn season, and the yellow sunlight, complemented by the yellow-coloured feathers of the goldfinch, provide a perfect camouflage for the bird and her nestlings. Additionally, she flirts along the branches before she reaches her nest, to ensure that everything is safe before she approaches the nest.

 

Question. Explain the line, ‘And the laburnum subsides to empty’.
Answer: This is the last line of the poem. It describes that with the departure of the goldfinch from the laburnum tree, it falls silent. The tree was noisy and lively when the goldfinch came to feed its chicks, but it reverts to its earlier self after her departure from the tree.

 

Question. Explain the expression: “barred face identity mask”.
Answer: There is an obvious black colour on the face of the goldfinch bird. So, wherever its face remains bared or hidden behind the yellow leaves and flowers of the tree, it becomes difficult to find it. As a result, its identity remains masked, meaning hidden.

 

Question. What effect does the entrance of the mother goldfinch bird to the inner part of the branch produce?
Answer: Due to the arrival of the mother goldfinch bird to the inner part of the branch, the baby goldfinch birds twitter with delight and shake their wings. Later on, they produce sounds of high notes. As a result, the tree shakes and produces a sound of its own.

Long Answer Questions 

 

Question. What values do you learn from the goldfinch in the poem ‘The Laburnum Top’?
Answer: The goldfinch has its nest on the top of the laburnum tree in the poem ‘The Laburnum Top’. Her chicks stay in the nest while she (the mother goldfinch) keeps going out at regular intervals to get food to feed her chicks. This shows her caring nature and highlights the values of motherly care and affection of a mother towards her offspring. The other aspect of the goldfinch that is captured in the poem is its movement. She arrives at the laburnum top in a sudden manner and is very much alert to her surroundings. The poet had compared her movement with the sleek movement of a lizard. However, there is a reason for her moving like this (in an alert and sudden manner). She is moving in this manner so as to avoid getting noticed by any predator. She does not want any predator to know that her chicks are resting in her nest on the laburnum top as then the predators may kill them or harm them. The values of safety and security for her offsprings are highlighted in this act of the goldfinch.

 

Question. The arrival of the goldfinch on the laburnum top brings about a change in the poem. How do you interpret the change? Is change good or bad in life? 
Answer: At the beginning of the poem, the top of the laburnum tree in the poem is silent and still. There is hardly any activity on it as the sunlight falls on it on a September afternoon. However, with the arrival of the goldfinch, it suddenly becomes a place of feverish activity. The silence of the place is broken by the twittering and chirruping of the chicks and the goldfinch. I think that the change brought about by the arrival of the goldfinch on the laburnum top is good, as it breaks the monotony. The tree becomes alive and lively with the movement of the goldfinch and the twittering and chirrupings of the chicks.

 

Extract-based Questions

Read the following extracts carefully and answer the questions that follow.

She enters the thickness, and a machine starts up
Of chitterings, and a tremor of wings, and trillings —
The whole tree trembles and thrills.

 

Question. Why does the whole tree tremble and thrill?
Answer: The whole tree trembles and thrills because of the sudden activity and movement of the goldfinch bird and her young ones. Their chitterings and the vibration of their wings bring the silent tree to life.

 

Question. Where are the young ones of the goldfinch bird?
(a) In the thickness of the branch
(b) On the top of the tree
(c) On the edge of the branches
(d) They had fallen off with the leaves.
Answer: (a) In the thickness of the branch

 

Question. Who is she? Where does she enter?
Answer: ‘She’ refers to the mother goldfinch bird. She enters the ‘thickness’ of the laburnum tree, which refers to the dense area of branches and leaves where her nest is hidden.

 

Then with eerie delicate whistle-chirrup whisperings
She launches away, towards the infinite
And the laburnum subsides to empty.

 

Question. What does ‘eerie delicate whistle-chirrup whisperings’ mean?
Answer: This phrase refers to the soft, gentle, and somewhat mysterious sounds the goldfinch makes just before she flies away, signaling her departure to her young ones.

 

Question. Where does the bird vanish away?
Answer: The bird vanishes away into the ‘infinite’, which represents the vast and endless sky.

 

Question. What effect does the last line of the given stanza create? 
(a) It creates the contrast between the change of seasons.
(b) It creates the contrast between the liveliness of the tree and its silence.
(c) It creates an opportunity to plant more laburnum trees.
(d) It creates the scene of the arrival of new bird species on the tree.
Answer: (b) It creates the contrast between the liveliness of the tree and its silence.

 

Till the goldfinch comes, with a twitching chirrup
A suddenness, a startlement, at a branch end.
Then sleek as a lizard, and alert, and abrupt,
She enters the thickness, and a machine starts up

 

Question. Identify the poetic device used in the second line of the stanza.
Answer: The second line uses alliteration in the words ‘suddenness’ and ‘startlement’ (repetition of the ‘s’ sound).

 

Question. Why has the bird been compared to a lizard?
Answer: The bird has been compared to a lizard because her movements are sleek, rapid, and very alert, similar to how a lizard moves quickly and cautiously to avoid being noticed.

 

Question. What happens when the goldfinch comes to the branch of the tree?
(a) The tree becomes very happy and noisy.
(b) The tree becomes still and angry.
(c) The tree becomes silent and still.
(d) The tree becomes silent, still and angry.
Answer: (a) The tree becomes very happy and noisy.

Short Answer Questions 

 

Question. What do you like the most about the poem? 
Answer: I like the vivid imagery of the poem, especially how the poet contrasts the silence of the laburnum tree with the lively energy of the goldfinch. The comparison of the family to a 'machine' and the bird to an 'engine' beautifully captures the vitality of nature.

 

Question. Describe the scene depicted in the poem ‘The Laburnum Top’. 
Answer: The poem depicts a quiet, yellow September afternoon where a laburnum tree stands silent. This stillness is broken by the arrival of a goldfinch, which brings the tree to life with chitterings and movement, before flying away and leaving the tree silent again.

 

Question. Describe the activities of the laburnum tree.
Answer: The laburnum tree acts as a host and a sanctuary. It stands silent and death-like until the goldfinch arrives. During the bird's visit, it 'trembles and thrills' with the noise and movement of the chicks. Once the bird departs, it returns to its state of emptiness and silence.

 

Question. What happened when the goldfinch came to the laburnum tree?
Answer: With the arrival of the goldfinch, the silent tree was suddenly transformed. A 'machine' of chitterings and vibrations started as the chicks reacted to their mother’s presence. The entire tree was filled with life, movement, and sound, shaking off its previous stillness.

 

Question. Write an account of the wonders of nature in the context of ‘The Laburnum Top’.
Answer: Nature's wonders are shown through the symbiotic relationship between the tree and the bird. The tree provides protection with its poisonous seeds and dense leaves, while the bird provides life. The perfect camouflage of the yellow bird in the yellow September sunlight is another marvel of nature's design.

Long Answer Questions 

 

Question. As the goldfinch, express your gratitude to the laburnum tree for allowing you to make a nest on its top. 
Answer: Dear Laburnum Tree, I am writing to express my deepest gratitude for the safe haven you provide. In a world full of predators, your height and dense thickness offer the perfect protection for my precious young ones. Your yellow leaves and flowers allow me to blend in perfectly, keeping my family hidden from prying eyes. Even your poisonous seeds serve as a natural defense, ensuring that others keep their distance. Thank you for standing strong through the autumn winds and for being the silent partner in my children’s growth. Though I bring noise and movement that disturbs your peace, I hope my presence enlivens you as much as your strength supports us. You are more than just a tree; you are our home and our guardian.

 

Question. What would have happened to the tree if the goldfinch had not been there to enliven it? 
Answer: Without the goldfinch, the laburnum tree would have remained in a state of desolate silence and inanimate stillness. The poet describes the tree as 'silent' and 'quite still' at the beginning and end of the poem, suggesting a death-like existence. The bird acts as the 'engine' that starts the life of the tree. If the goldfinch had not been there, the tree would have simply withered away in the autumn afternoon without ever experiencing the 'tremble and thrill' of life. There would be no chitterings, no tremor of wings, and no 'machine' of activity to break the monotony of the September sunlight. The bird brings a purpose to the tree, transforming it from a mere plant into a vibrant nursery. Without this interaction, the tree’s existence would be hollow and empty, lacking the vital spark of life that defines the natural world.

 

 

 

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