The Laburnum Top
Introduction to the poet:
dward James Hughes.was an English poet and a children's writer. He served as Poet
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Laureate from 1984 until his death in 1998. Hughes was married to American poet Sylvia
Plathtillhersuicideattheageof30.SomefeministsandAmericanadmirersofPlathblame
himforherdeathaftertherevelationofletterswrittenbyPlathwhichclaimthatHughesbeat
Plath two days before she had a miscarriage and wished her dead. His last poetic work,
Birthday Letters(1998), explored their complex relationship.
Introduction to the poem:
heLaburnumToppresentsareciprocatingrelationshipbetweenthepoisonouslaburnumtree
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andtheyellow-featheredgoldfinch.Thesmallbirdcomestohernest,cleverlybuiltontopof
the laburnum tree, to feed her young ones and her presence makes the sleepy tree come alive.
Synopsis the poem:
ritten in free verse (a literary device that can be defined as poetry that is free from the
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limitations of regular meter or rhythm, and one that does not rhymewithfixedforms),the
poem begins with the description of the laburnum top. The poet talks of a September
afternoon when the top of the tree stands silent and still. The leaves have started turning
yellow and the seeds have already fallen, thus signifying autumn (Fall).
he silence of the treeissuddenlybrokenbythegoldfinch’sarrival.Thebirdarrivesatthe
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end of the branch with a chirrup. Her entry intothethicknessofthebranchesissleek,alert
andabruptlikethatofalizard.Herarrivalhasbeencomparedtothestartingupofamachine
that hadbeensilentforsolong.Theyoungonesofthegoldfinchareexcitedtorealisetheir
mother’s presence and they too start making a noise. They sing, chirp, twitter,and createa
commotion. Their chirrupings and movements make the whole tree come alive and it
‘tremblesandthrills’.Itbecomestheengineofherfamily.Themotherbirdfeedstheyoung
ones and flies to a branch-end, showing her dark-coloured striped face.
Finally, her job done, she flies off leaving the tree silent and empty once more.
Theme the poem:
hroughthelaburnumandthegoldfinch,thepoetportrayslife,itsfluctuationsandhardships.
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The bird builds its nest in this poisonous tree in order to protect its young ones from
predators. The tree, with its yellow flowers, provides a perfect camouflage to the
yellow-feathered bird and her chicks. It is hard for the mother bird to leave her fledglings
alone and unprotected while she goeslookingforfood.Butshehastoacceptthishardship.
Hughes also points out that lifeisaprocessofexchangeandtransformation.Thegoldfinch
and her chicks transform the ‘silent’ tree and make it come alive.
Title the poem:
hepoemtalksaboutatree-top.Itappearstobejustanothertreefromtheoutside,onethat
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hasstartedsheddingitsleavesinautumn.Allittakesforthislaburnumtreetostandoutfrom
therestisthepresenceofagoldfinch.Theso-farsilenttreespringsintolifecompletewitha
flurryofactivityasthemother-birdgetsbusyfeedingherchicks.Alltheactioncentresround
this laburnum tree. Hence, the title ‘The Laburnum Top’.
MEANINGS:
Laburnum:a short tree with hanging branches, yellowflowers and poisonous seeds
oldfinch:a small singing bird with yellow featherson its wings
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Twitch:movement of a small body part
Chirrup:sound made by birds
Startlement:Amazement
Sleek:Smooth
Abrupt:Sudden
Chittering:Singing sound of a bird
Tremor:Shiver
Trillings:Singing repeatedly
Stokes:Add fuel to engine
Flirts:Moves briskly
Eerie:Strange
Infinite:Here it means the sky
Launches:Flies away
Subsides:Returns
LITERARY DEVICES
Alliteration:September sunlight
Asyndeton:
A suddenness, a startlement, at a branch end
Simile:
sleek as a lizard (comparison between the bird and a lizard)
Metaphor:
1 .A machine…of chitterings,
2. It is the engine of her family.(The goldfinch's family is compared to a machine/engine).
3. Her barred face identity mask.(The shadow on the bird's faceiscomparedtoanidentity
mask)
Transferred Epithet:
Barred face
Personification:
The whole tree trembles and thrills
Metonymy:
Infinite
Onomatopoeia:
1 .Chirrup
[Link]
3. Whistle-chirrup whisperings
Polysyndeton
1 . And alert, and abrupt
2. and a machine starts up
Of chitterings, and a tremor of wings, and trillings -
Reference to the Context:
Extract A:
he Laburnum top is silent, quite still
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In the afternoon yellow September sunlight,
A few leaves yellowing, all its seeds fallen.
1 . Why is the laburnum top silent?
Answer:Thelaburnumtopissilentastheyoungonesofthegoldfinchareanxiouslyand
eagerly waiting for the mother-bird to come back with food for them.
2 .What is the significance of yellow in the poem?
Answer: Both the laburnum tree and the bird are yellow. They provide a perfect
camouflage for the young ones from predators. The tree, with its yellow blossoms,
provides a safe haven for the yellow-coloured birds.
3 . Identify the option which has the same literary device as the following - ‘The
Laburnum top is silent, quite still’
a .All the little corn flakes were so excited
They were getting to come out andplay.
b. Some say the world will end in fire,
Some say in ice.
c. And I for five centuries right gladly would be
Such an odd such a kind happy creature as he.
d.There will be time, there will be time
To prepare a face to meet the faces that you meet;
Answer: a. All the little corn flakes were so excited
They were getting to come out and play.
4 . How is the first line of this extract similar to the last line of the poem?
Answer: In the beginning the laburnum is silent and still. In the end too, the tree
subsides to silence.
5 . What is the significance of the ‘leaves yellowing, all its seeds fallen’?
Answer: The yellowing of the leaves and the falling of theseedssuggeststhatitisthe
season of autumn.
Short Answer Questions
1 . To what is the bird’s movement compared? What is the basis for the comparison?
Answer: The movement of the goldfinch has been compared to that of a lizard. The
bird’s movement is sleek, abrupt and alert like that of the reptile.
2 . Why is the image of the engine evoked by the poet?
Answer:Itistheenginethatrunsamachine.Anengineprovidesenergytothemachine
tofunctionproperly.Similarly,thebirdisthesourceofenergyforherfamily.Without
the mother-bird her family can’t survive.
3 .What does the phrase “her barred face identitymask” suggest?
Answer: The words “barred face identity mask” suggest the use of a Metaphor to
compare the bird’s barred or covered face to a mask. It becomes her identity mask,
concealing it from predators while revealing it to her little ones in the nest..
4 . What happens to the laburnum when the goldfinch arrives?
Answer:Initially,thelaburnumtreeissilentandstill.Theminutethegoldfincharrives,
the tree springs into [Link] their mother, the young ones start chirruping and
fluttering their wings.
5 . Why is the goldfinch stealing into her nest?
Answer:Sleekasalizard,alertandabruptthegoldfinchentersintothethicknessofthe
tree so that no predator can spot her chicks housed in the safety of the leaves.Sheis
quick in her movements.
6 . What is the machine that starts up with the arrival of the bird?
Answer: When the mother-bird returns to the treetofeedherchicks,theygetexcited
and welcome her bytheirchirrupingandflutteringofwings.Itseemsasifamachine,
that has been silent for so long, has started up.
7 . What is the engine of her family?
Answer:Themotherbirdandherfledglingsinthenestfunctionlikeanengineasthey
come together to create a burst of life, activity, and [Link] she arrives,thenest
"startsup"withchirping,fluttering,and[Link]goldfinch,astheprovider,’stokes’
the engine when she feeds her babies.
8 . The bird flirts out to a branch-end and shows her barred face identity mask. Why?
Answer:Themother-birdiscautiousaboutthesafetyofheryoungones.Sherevealsher
identity to the young onesbyshowingherbarredface.Ithelpsthechickstorecognize
their mother.
Additional questions -
1. Where does the bird fly away and how?
he mother goldfinch keeps flying to find food for her young ones. She feeds her
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fledglingsandmovesawaytootherbranches.Assoonasshefliesbackintothesky,the
Laburnum tree once again becomes silent.
2. She stokes it full…
ho does she refer to? What does she stoke?
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In this phrase from Ted Hughes' poem 'The Laburnum Top', 'she' refers to the
goldfinch .She keeps the engine of her family functioning by ‘stoking’orfeedingher
children which keeps them active and energetic.
3 . How does the tree spring into life?
Thegoldfinchtransformsthetreeandmakesitcomealiveasthechicksofthegoldfinch
start chirping on seeing the mother bird. After she returnstothetree,thelaburnum
treewhichwassilentandstillallthiswhile,suddenlyseemsto cometolife.Asthechicks
of the goldfinch chitter and trill l, the tree seems to be equally [Link] eagerly
partakes in the happiness created from this joyful union of the mother and the
fledglings.
4. What kind of relationship does the tree and the bird have?
In The Laburnum Top the relationship between the tree and the bird is symbiotic.
he tree provides shelter and sustenance tothebirdandher[Link]laburnum
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tree offers a safe haven for the goldfinch to build her nest and raise her young.
he bird,on the other hand, brings life and vitality to the tree. The arrival of the
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goldfinch and her chicks transforms the otherwise still and silent tree into a vibrant,
bustling life force. Their presence fills the tree with movement, sound, and a senseof
purpose.
his interdependence between the two creates adelicatebalance,whereeachrelieson
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the other for survival and enrichment. It is a beautiful portrayal of nature's
interconnectedness.
5. Why did the bird build its nest in the laburnum tree?
he tree offers a safe, elevated platform for the bird to build her nest, away from
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potential ground predators.
oreover,the goldfinch's yellow feathers blend well with the racemes,the yellow
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blossoms of the laburnum, providing natural camouflage for boththeadultbirdand
her chicks, thus protecting them from predators.
[Link] is the significance of yellow in the poem The Laburnum Top?
he colour yellow, in Ted Hughes' "The Laburnum Top," is imbued with multiple
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layers of meaning.
he yellow leaves of the laburnum in autumn symbolise decay and the approach of
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winter, often associated with death or stillness.
owever,theyellowfeathersofthegoldfinchcontrastthis,representinglife,energy,and
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[Link]yellowofthegoldfinchblendsseamlesslywiththeyellowingleaves,helping
the bird to camouflage herself and her chicks, ensuring their survival.
he yellow of the autumnal laburnum is associated with silence and stillness. The
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suddenburstoflifeintroducedbytheyellowgoldfinchbreaksthissilence,transforming
thescenewithsoundandmovement. This,despitetheconnotationsofdeath,theyellow
of the autumn leaves also evokes a sense of beautyandtranquillity,aquietudethatis
disturbed yet enriched by the presence of the goldfinch.
I nessence,the yellowin"TheLaburnumTop''isacomplexandmultifacetedsymbol,
representing both thecyclesofnatureandthedelicatebalancebetweenlifeanddeath,
stillness and movement, beauty and survival.