The Trees Are Down - Charlotte Mew

CONTEXT (Author): Who was Charlotte Mew, and what characterised her life and work?

1920s British poet. Her life was tragic, marked by loss (parents and siblings died or institutionalised). She committed suicide, and her poem was published posthumously.

CONTEXT (Influences): What scientific interest influenced Mew's writing?

She was friends with scientists and was very interested in ecology, writing an essay on the importance of trees to humans.

CONTEXT (Historical Era): What historical event provides the backdrop to the poem?

Written during the Second Industrial Revolution, which caused pollution, crowding in cities, and urbanisation.

TITLE: What two things does the title "The Trees Are Down" suggest?

It is a matter-of-fact tone about the arboricide (tree-felling). 2. It suggests a sense of finality and loss, conveying the inevitability of destruction.

SUMMARY: What is the central action, and how is it viewed?

The poem is about the felling of Plane trees in Euston Square Gardens. It is viewed as an act of cruel, mechanical destruction by men who have no care for nature.

SUMMARY (Structure): How does the poem begin and end?

It begins with an epigraph and ends with a quotation from the Book of Revelations (the Apocalypse), suggesting the men's actions are against God's wishes.

AUTHORIAL INTENT: What is Mew's main purpose or tone in the poem?

Lament / Mournful. To Pay tribute to the trees, be Critical of human actions, and Reflective about the loss.

KEY QUOTATION (Spirituality/Intervention): Which line describes the moment the speaker feels a desperate urge to stop the destruction?

"I heard an angel crying: 'Hurt not the trees!'"

KEY QUOTATION (Harsh Sound/Action): Which phrase uses onomatopoeia to convey the brutal sound of the felling?

"The grate of the saw, the swish of the branches"

KEY QUOTATION (The Destroyers): Which phrase describes the men who carried out the act?

"The men with the 'Whoops' and the 'Whoas'"

KEY QUOTATION (Time/Nature's Cycle): Which lines list the natural cycles that have been violently interrupted?

"In the sun, in the rains, in the March wind, the May breeze"

KEY QUOTATION (Lament/Finality): Which quotation from the Bible is referenced to mark the tragic end of the natural cycle?

"‘Spring is unmade today’"

KEY CONCEPT: Loss

The poem conveys the speaker's profound grief over the destruction, symbolising a greater loss to the natural world and their personal sense of harmony.

KEY CONCEPT: Humans vs Nature

It highlights the contrast between humanity's cruel and destructive actions and nature's gentle and nurturing qualities.

KEY CONCEPT: Personal Connection

Through the first-person narrative, the poem reveals the speaker's intimate and emotional bond with the trees, making their loss deeply poignant.

KEY CONCEPT: Seasons Reinforce Time

The imagery of seasons subtly reminds the reader of the passage of time and the natural cycle of life, which is disrupted by human intervention.

KEY CONCEPT: Death (Arboricide)

The felling of the trees serves as a metaphor for mortality, symbolising the end of life and the finality of destruction.

LANGUAGE (Semantic Fields): What is the main semantic field used?

Death, loss, beauty—to emphasise the speaker's grief at the cruelty of the men's actions.

LANGUAGE (Simple Lexis): What does the use of Simple Lexis (plain language) achieve?

It allows the reader to focus on the poet's feelings and helps to create the raw grief of the conversational tone.

LANGUAGE (Pathetic Fallacy): How are weather and seasons used?

Pathetic fallacy is used to remind the reader of how long the trees have been there and how significant they have been to the poet and creatures who have called it home.

LANGUAGE (Personification): How are the trees personified?

The trees are seen as sacrificial and hold great majesty and power.

SOUND (Onomatopoeia): What is the function of Onomatopoeia?

It creates the contrast between the beauty of the trees and the men's cruelty. The harsh sound reinforces the trauma of the trees being cut down.

SOUND (Alliteration): How is Alliteration used?

It is used to magnify Nature's power, particularly using weather. The mixture of harsh plosive and sinister sibilance shows how the speaker is conflicted.

FORM + STRUCTURE (Form): Why is the poem written in Free Verse?

Free verse with apparently no structure to line lengths represents the depth of the poet's feelings but also the branches and roots of the trees.

FORM + STRUCTURE (Rhyme): How is rhyme used in the poem?

Occasional rhyme draws our attention—particularly at the end—to the semantic field of grief and the death of Nature at the hands of Man.

FORM + STRUCTURE (Repetition): What does the repetition of phrases (e.g., about the rat) achieve?

Select phrases are repeated to embed the humans' lack of care for Nature. The rat creates the sense that all God's creatures are important, and the angel's exhortation suggests that Man is acting against the natural order.

THEMES: List the main themes.

Destruction, Spirituality, Nature's beauty and importance, Greed, and Ignorance.

ATTITUDES: List the main attitudes and feelings.

Reflective, Anger, Sombre, Confusion, and Nostalgia.