What is Green? : English-6th - Poem 8 - Tulip Series

What is Green? : English-6th - Poem 8 - Tulip Series

Poem 8: What is Green? (Mary O’Neil)

Green is the grass

And the leaves of trees.

Green is the smell of a country in breeze…

Green is a coolness

You get in shade

Of the tall old woods

Where the moss is made.

Green is a flutter

That comes in Spring

When frost melts out

Of everything

Green is grasshopper,

Green is jade,

Green is hiding

In a shade.

Green is olive

And pickle.

The sound of green

Is a water trickle.

Green is the world

After rain

Bathed and beautiful

Again....

Green is the meadow,

Green is the fuzz

That covers up

Where winter was.

Green is ivy and

Honeysuckle vine.

Green is yours

Green is mine....

-Mary O’Neill

THINKING ABOUT THE POEM

Answer these questions:

Q1. Name a few green things around us mentioned in the poem.

Ans. Few green things around us mentioned in the poem are, grass, leaves of trees, pickle, olive, and grasshopper.

Q2. Name a few things that are not really, green but have been called green by the poet.

Ans. The coolness of the shade, hiding in shade, country breeze, flutter in spring, the sound of water trickle etc are few things that are not really, green but have been called as green by the poet.

Q3. What does the word ‘flutter’ stand for?

Ans. The word ‘flutter’ in the poem stands for the movement of the tiny shoots after the melting of frost in the spring.

Q4. Does the colour green have a sound for the poet? What is it?

Ans. Yes, the colour green has sound for the poet in the poem, and it is the sound of ‘water trickle’.

Q5. What does the world look like after the rain?

Ans. The world looks green, bathed, and beautiful after the rain.

Q6. What does the word ‘fuzz’ refer to in the lines ‘Green is the fuzz/That covers up/Where winter was’?

Ans. The word ‘fuzz’ in the poem refers to the tiny shoots of new seedlings that push their way up after the snow melts.

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Q7. What do you think is the symbol of winter here?

Ans. Here in the poem, the symbol of winter is ‘fuzz’. Winter is the season that fades away all greenery and makes the people idle inside their homes.

Q8. What do you think the word ‘green’ stands for in the poem?

Ans. In the poem, the word ‘green’ stands for the greenery of nature that makes people happy. Green may be referred to as peace of mind.

Q9. What do you think the poet is referring to when she says ‘Green is yours/ Green is mine....’?

Ans. The poet through this poem wants to send a message to people plant more and more trees so that they could live a free, cool, and calm green environment. The poet also wants to bring peace in the world. Green is the symbol of peace of mind. Greenery brings peace and joy. That is why, she says ‘green is yours/green is mine’, because it is we people who can take care of the environment.

Q10. Do you think this world of ours is as ‘green’ as we would want it to be?

Ans. The world of ours is not as green today as we would want to be. We have created pollution throughout the world. We are destroying our greenery by deforestation. Moreover, there are deserts and snow-capped mountains. The world looks deserted due to the activities that we perform daily, for our needs of greed.