11th class Poem "Good Timber," (KPK Board)
Written by
Douglas Malloch
Original stanza 1:
The tree that never had to fight
For sun and sky and air and light,
But stood out in the open plain.
And always got its share of rain,
Never became a forest king
But lived and died a scrubby thing
Line-by-line paraphrasing of stanza 1:
The tree that never had to fight
The tree that never had to struggle or work hard
For sun and sky and air and light,
To get sunlight, space, fresh air, or brightness,
But stood out in the open plain.
Because it grew in an open, easy place,
And always got its share of rain,
And always received enough rain without effort,
Never became a forest king
It never grew strong or tall like the best trees in the forest
But lived and died a scrubby thing
Instead, it stayed small and weak its whole life and died that way.
Paraphrasing of stanza 1 in a paragraph:
The tree that never had to struggle for sunlight, air, or space, and always stood alone in an open field where it easily received enough rain, never grew tall, strong, or impressive. Instead of becoming a mighty and admired tree in the forest, it remained small, weak, and unimportant throughout its life.
Original stanza 2:
The man who never had to toil
To gain and farm his patch of soil,
Who never had to win his share
Of sun and sky and light and air,
Never became a manly man
But lived and died as he began.
Line-by-line paraphrasing of stanza 2:
The man who never had to toil
The person who never had to work hard
To gain and farm his patch of soil,
To earn and take care of his own land,
Who never had to win his share
Who never had to fight for what he needed,
Of sun and sky and light and air,
Like sunlight, space, freedom, and opportunity,
Never became a manly man
Never grew strong, brave, or wise,
But lived and died as he began.
And stayed the same his whole life, without growing or improving.
Paraphrasing of stanza 2 in a paragraph:
A man who never had to work hard to earn his living or take care of his land, and who never had to struggle to get his fair share of opportunities, never grew into a strong and mature person. Instead, he stayed the same weak and inexperienced person throughout his life and died without achieving anything great.
Original stanza 3:
Good timber does not grow with ease,
The stronger wind, the stronger trees,
The further sky, the greater length,
The more the storm, the more the strength.
By sun and cold, by rain and snow,
In trees and men good timbers grow.
Paraphrasing of stanza 3 in a paragraph:
Strong, high-quality trees don’t grow easily,
The stronger wind, the stronger trees,
The tougher the wind, the tougher the trees become,
The further sky, the greater length,
The higher the sky, the taller the tree tries to grow,
The more the storm, the more the strength.
The more storms it faces, the stronger it gets.
By sun and cold, by rain and snow,
Through sunshine and cold, rain and snow,
In trees and men good timbers grow.
Both trees and people grow stronger through challenges.
Paraphrasing of stanza 3 in a paragraph:
Trees don't grow strong and tall without going through difficulties. The more powerful the wind they face, the stronger they become. When trees have to reach far for the sky, they grow longer. The more storms they go through, the tougher they get. Just like trees, people grow stronger by facing both good times and hardships like sun, cold, rain, and snow.
Original stanza 4:
Where thickest lies the forest growth,
We find the patriarchs of both.
And they hold counsel with the stars
Whose broken branches show the scars
Of many winds and much of strife—
This is the common law of life.
Paraphrasing of stanza 4 in a paragraph:
Where thickest lies the forest growth,In the deepest parts of the forest,
We find the patriarchs of both.
We find the strongest, oldest trees and people there,
And they hold counsel with the stars
They stand tall and wise, almost as if speaking with the stars,
Whose broken branches show the scars
Their damaged branches show the marks
Of many winds and much of strife—
Of all the strong winds and hard times they've faced,
This is the common law of life.
This is the natural truth about life for everyone.
Paraphrasing of stanza 4 in a paragraph:
In the deepest parts of the forest, where trees grow closest together, we find the oldest and strongest ones. These trees, like wise old people, seem to connect with the stars above. Their broken branches show the scars from many storms and struggles. These marks are proof of the challenges they've faced. This teaches us that going through hardships is a natural and necessary part of life for both trees and people.
The Central idea of the poem "Good Timber" by Douglas Malloch:
The central idea of the poem "Good Timber" is that strength, greatness, and true character are built through struggle and hard work. Just as trees that grow in tough conditions become strong and tall, people who face hardships and overcome difficulties become wiser, braver, and more successful. Without challenges, neither trees nor humans can reach their full potential. The poet reminds us that difficulties are a natural and necessary part of life that help us grow and become stronger.
2. The Central idea of the poem "Good Timber" by Douglas Malloch, is that real strength and greatness come from facing challenges. Just like trees grow strong by struggling with storms and fighting for sunlight, people also become wiser, braver, and more successful through hard times. Without difficulties, we remain weak and never reach our full potential. Ultimately, the poem reminds us that hardships are a natural part of life, and they are essential for our personal development and success.
The summary of the poem "Good Timber" by Douglas Malloch:
In "Good Timber," Douglas Malloch compares the growth of trees to the challenges that people face in life. The poem explains that trees which grow in open spaces, without facing any struggles, never become strong or impressive. On the other hand, trees that face harsh winds and difficult conditions grow taller, stronger, and more resilient. The poet suggests that, like trees, people become wiser and stronger by overcoming hardships. The poem teaches us that difficulties and challenges are necessary for growth, and they help us reach our full potential in life.
2.
The poem uses the growth of trees as a metaphor for human development. It shows that trees growing in open, easy places stay small and weak, while those exposed to wind, storms, and rough weather become tall, strong, and majestic. Likewise, people who face challenges and hardships grow stronger, wiser, and more resilient. Ultimately, Malloch reminds us that overcoming difficulties is not only natural but essential for us to reach our full potential.
Short speech format for the central idea of the poem "Good Timber" by Douglas Malloch:
Speech:
In "Good Timber," Douglas Malloch reminds us that true strength and growth come from facing challenges. Just as trees grow tall and strong by fighting through storms and reaching for sunlight, people too become stronger, wiser, and more capable by going through tough times. If we never faced any struggles, we would never grow or reach our full potential. The poem teaches us that hardships are a natural part of life, and they are essential for our personal development and success. So, we should embrace the difficulties we encounter, knowing that they help us become the best versions of ourselves.
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