Summary of “My Own True Family” | Bliss Class 10

About the Author

Edward James ‘Ted’ Hughes (1930-1998) was a distinguished English poet who served as the Poet Laureate of Great Britain from 1984 until his passing. His notable works encompass “Birthday Letters,” “The Hawk in the Rain,” and “Tales from Ovid.” Hughes’ poetry often celebrates the interconnectedness of humans and nature, advocating for the preservation of the environment for the benefit of humanity

(60 Words)

Introduction of the Poem

The poem is about a person who dreams of walking into an oak forest, where they meet an old woman who shows them a hidden truth. The dream teaches the person to care for oak trees and the environment. After the dream, the person feels a deep connection to nature.

(50 Words)

Explanation of the Poem Stanza wise

Line 1 – 3

Once I crept in an oakwood—I was looking for a stag.
I met an old woman there—all knobbly stick and rag.
She said: ‘I have your secret here inside my little bag.’

Explanation

The poem begins with the narrator, a young child, walking into an oakwood (a forest of oak trees) in search of a stag (a male deer). In the woods, the child encounters an old woman who appears mysterious and strange, described as “knobbly stick and rag,” which means she looks old and worn out. The woman tells the child that she has a secret inside her small bag, which suggests that something unexpected or magical is about to happen.

Line 4 – 6

Then she began to cackle and I began to quake.
She opened up her little bag and I came twice awake—
Surrounded by a staring tribe and me tied to a stake.

Explanation

The old woman cackles (laughs wickedly), and the child becomes frightened (“began to quake”). As she opens her bag, the child experiences a sudden realization (“I came twice awake”), meaning the child sees something that makes them deeply aware. The scene changes, and the child finds themselves surrounded by a group of staring figures (“a staring tribe”) and tied to a stake, as if being punished or judged. This sudden transformation suggests a dream-like or magical experience where the child is being confronted by something powerful.

Line 7 – 9

They said: ‘We are the oak-trees and your own true family.
We are chopped down, we are torn up, you do not blink an eye.
Unless you make a promise now—now you are going to die.’

Explanation

The mysterious tribe reveals that they are oak trees—the very trees the child had wandered among. They claim to be the child’s “own true family,” meaning that humans and nature are deeply connected. The trees accuse the child and, by extension, all humans, of being indifferent to their suffering. They say that people cut them down and destroy them without concern (“you do not blink an eye”). They demand that the child make a promise to protect them; otherwise, the child will suffer the same fate as the trees. This moment highlights the environmental message of the poem—humans are destroying trees and must take responsibility.

Line 10 – 12

“Whenever you see an oak-tree felled, swear now you will plant two.
Unless you swear the black oak bark will wrinkle over you
And root you among the oaks where you were born but never grew!”

Explanation

The trees give the child a warning and a task—if the child sees a tree being cut down, they must promise to plant two new ones to replace it. This is a message about reforestation and environmental protection. If the child does not take this oath, they will suffer a transformation—their skin will wrinkle like black oak bark, and they will become rooted like a tree. This represents the idea that if humans continue to destroy nature, they will lose their own connection to life and the world.

Line 13-16

This was my dream beneath the boughs, the dream that altered me.
When I came out of the oakwood, back to human company,
My walk was the walk of a human child, but my heart was a tree.

Explanation

The child realizes that the experience in the oakwood was a dream or a vision, but it changed them deeply (“the dream that altered me”). When they leave the forest and return to normal life, they may look like a regular human child, but their heart now belongs to nature (“my heart was a tree”). This means the child has developed a new understanding of the importance of trees and the need to protect them.

Summary of the Poem Full

The poem tells the story of a person who dreams of walking into an oak forest, searching for a deer. In the dream, the person meets an old woman who carries a secret in her bag. When she reveals the secret, the person finds themselves surrounded by oak trees, tied to a stake. The trees speak to the person, telling them they are the person’s true family. They warn that if the person does not promise to plant two trees for every oak that is cut down, the person will be turned into a tree. The dream has a strong impact on the person, making them realize the importance of protecting nature. When they wake up, they feel like a human child, but their heart is deeply connected to the trees. The poem highlights the deep bond between humans and nature and the need to protect the environment.

(150 Words)

The Characters of the Poem

• The Speaker: The narrator is a person who experiences a vivid and transformative dream in an oak forest. They are initially searching for a stag but encounter an old woman who reveals a crucial truth about their connection to nature. The dream changes their perspective, making them feel deeply connected to trees.
• The Old Woman: The old woman in the dream is mysterious and carries a bag with a secret. She looks old and ragged. Her role is to teach the narrator about the importance of protecting oak trees. Her actions and strange behavior help convey a crucial message.
• The Oak Trees: The oak trees in the dream act as a group that represents the narrator’s true family. They scold the narrator for not caring about trees and demand a promise to plant two new trees for every oak cut down. They symbolize nature’s importance and the need to protect it.

The theme of the Poem

The theme of the poem revolves around the deep connection between humans and nature. It emphasizes the responsibility of preserving the natural world. The encounter with the oak trees in the oakwood transforms the speaker, highlighting the need to protect and nurture the environment, with a heart now tied to the trees.

(50 Words)