Our Casuarina Tree: Toru Dutt

About the poet
Toru Dutt, born on March 4, 1856, in Kolkata, India, was a translator, poet, and essayist. She is the author of Ancient Ballads and Legends of Hindustan (Kegan Paul, Trench & Co., 1882) and Le Journal de Mademoiselle d’Arvers (Didier, 1879), the first novel written by an Indian writer in French. A prolific translator, she published A Sheaf Gleaned in French Fields (C. Kegan Paul & Co., 1877), a book of over three hundred French poems translated into English. She died on August 30, 1877, at the age of twenty-one.
"Our Casuarina Tree" by Toru Dutt is a poignant and introspective poem that explores themes of nostalgia, identity, and the passage of time. Here's a detailed analysis:
*Summary*
The poem revolves around the speaker's childhood memories of a Casuarina tree in their family's garden. The tree serves as a symbol of the speaker's connection to their past, family, and cultural heritage.
Summary
Toru Dutt’s ‘Our Casuarina Tree’ explores the poet’s childhood memories in India. Her description of the tree expresses her pride in the tree for it remains strong despite the creeper winding around like a python. From her description of its appearance, she moves on to describe the activities happening around it in the next stanza. In the third stanza, she ensures that the beauty of the tree is no more than an added gift, for her real connection with the tree lies in the numerous happy memories she shared with it. In the stanza that follows, she tells how the tree manifests itself in the foreign land as she has seen it at her young age. Finally, in the concluding part, she wants to honor the tree, therefore she makes an attempt to write a poem. Also, she seeks Love’s support to preserve the tree from the affliction of time.
*Structure and Style*
Ode: An ode is a type of poem that expresses the writer's feelings about a person, place, event, idea, or natural phenomenon. Odes are usually formal and ceremonial, and are often written to praise the subject. The word "ode" comes from the Greek word aeidein, which means "to sing" or "to chant". 
- 14-line stanzas with a rhyming scheme
- Written in free verse with occasional blank verse
- Rich imagery and symbolism
- Use of metaphors, similes, and personification
*Themes*
1. *Nostalgia*: Longing for a lost past and childhood innocence.
2. *Identity*: Connection to family, culture, and heritage.
3. *Passage of Time*: Reflections on transience and mortality.
4. *Nature*: Symbolizing growth, decay, and renewal.
*Imagery and Symbolism*
- *Casuarina Tree*: Represents family roots, tradition, and nostalgia.
- *Garden*: Symbolizes childhood innocence and happiness.
- *Wind*: Embodies change, movement, and the passage of time.
- *Leaves*: Represent memories, experiences, and the cyclical nature of life.
*Poetic Devices*
- *Metaphor*: Comparing the tree to a "venerable guardian."
- *Simile*: "Like a huge Python" to describe the tree's roots.
- *Personification*: Attributing human qualities to the tree ("watching," "sleeping").
- *Alliteration*: Emphasizing the musical quality of the poem.
*Character Analysis*
- *Speaker*: Introspective and nostalgic, reflecting on their childhood.
- *Family*: Represented through the tree, emphasizing heritage and tradition.
*Critical Interpretations*
- *Colonialism*: Exploring the tension between Indian culture and British influence.
- *Feminism*: Toru Dutt's perspective as a woman writer in a patriarchal society.
- *Romanticism*: Emphasis on nature, emotion, and individual experience.