The trees were at peace until construction began on a new mall. They were disturbed by the noise and pollution from the machines. One tree commented that the noise had made them deaf. They watched helplessly as the tall trees were cut down one by one. The trees represent that humans are ungrateful for all that trees and plants provide, like food, oxygen, shelter and medicine. If all the trees disappear, humans will have no way to survive and will face their own doom.

1. The Ungrateful Man
A Conversation between Trees
Swathi Shenoy

2. SUMMARY

3. Swathi Shenoy is a writer and poet whose works tend to focus on
the environment, education and women’s rights. ‘The Ungrateful
Man: A conversation between Trees’ is a short conversation. Though
it is short, it presents a universal truth. Man is indifferent to trees
and plants in the name of development. She expresses her deep
concern for trees and she criticizes man who is cruel to nature and
causing a lot of harm to nature by cutting trees and killing animals.
He is ungrateful to nature. He spoils it for his greed, the more he
gets from nature, the more he wants and there is no end to his
greed.

4. An ungrateful man is like an animal under a tree eating fruits, but never
looking up to see where they come from and he is never thankful to the tree.
The writer has personified the trees in the lesson as living beings who can speak
like humans. Their mood is sad and there is insecurity in their minds. Even the
sky is sad and the forest is quiet. The air is gentle and it is untouched by the sad
moods of the trees in the forest. Some trees are tall and some are short. Some
other trees are thin and some are stout. Though there is difference in their
appearances, their mood is same. It is sad and looked at the vast area in front of
them. There are some huge structures is being built and people call it a ‘mall.’
With the construction of it, the trees have lost their peace. The people who
destroy forests and build concrete jungles feel that it is compulsory for
economic development. They argue that natural resources should be used for
housing. They are in the opinion that they are causing some loss to trees and
animals. But they don’t think that they are cutting down the very branch of the
tree on which they are sitting. They destroy nature to satisfy their greed. The
whole world is not the sole property of man, it also belongs to animals and
trees. If once the last animal dies and the last tree disappears from the earth,
man has to face his own doom. Nothing can save him, there would be no food,
no water and no oxygen. This is totally suicidal and unfulfilled loss.

5. The trees were at peace before the beginning of the construction of
the mall. They were disturbed by the noise of the machines and there
was pollution. One of the trees says that sound pollution has almost
made them deaf. Another tree thinks man is quite ungrateful, he doesn’t
remember the services of trees. He is cruel to plants and trees. The trees
comment with one hand he gets the benefits of the trees and plants,
with another hand he cuts them down. Since the beginning of the
human history, trees have furnished us with two life essentials, food and
oxygen. As we developed, they provided additional necessities such as
shelter, medicine and tools. Today, their value increases and more
benefits of trees are being discovered as their role expands to satisfy the
needs created by our modern lifestyles. Trees are an important part of
every community. They consume carbon dioxide and give us oxygen.
Trees increase our quality of life by bringing natural elements and
wildlife habitats. Many birds live in the trees and old trees serve as
historic landmarks and great sources of town pride. Thus, they have
served all our human beings.

6. The trees were lost in thought by seeing a man coming from the
construction site towards them. They stood still, holding their
breath. He walked up to the tallest tree and started examining it. He
circled it, looking more carefully, and then scribbled something on
its trunk and repeated the same for the next tree. The trees felt
relief as he left the place. But their relief is short-lived. As soon as
the man went into the mall another man came with an axe and
started chopping the tall tree which wriggled with pain. The other
trees watched helplessly as his friend was being murdered. It cried
for the loss of another friend. It could do nothing but stand and
watch, knowing as soon as the man was done with its friend, it
would be its turn. Lastly, the trees say in their silent language,
‘when the last tree falls down the whole human race will be
decimated in the world.’

7. The man with an axe probably thinks that there is no wrong in
cutting the trees required for wood and furniture. Even site is necessary
to build houses and industries. If the place is occupied by trees and
plants, they should be cut down and cleared out and they think that
there is demand for wood, there is no wrong in cutting down the trees.
Planting trees is not a big problem, the plants themselves will grow and
become trees, this kind of thinking is totally wrong. To cut down a tree,
it may take just some hours, but it needs years for a seed to become a
tree. Cutting down trees is very easy but growing them is difficult. I
sympathize with the trees that grow and live for others. They give
shelter and food to many birds and animals. They give shade and, in
that shade, other plants can grow. Trees and plants stop soil erosion
and make the soil fertile. Man is superior in nature, so he has to show
his superiority in protecting nature not in destroying nature.

8. Trees are an important part of our survival on the earth. The
other most important thing is our country economy is dependent
upon trees like match industries, paper industries and rubber
industries. The trees and plants provide us with oxygen and make
our life possible on the earth. Trees consume carbon dioxide and
provide us with oxygen, food, shelter, home, money, medicines and
so on. Trees help in preventing pollution and keep the environment
fresh and green. Life is impossible without trees. They are true
friends of humanity. One should act responsibly and should prevent
the act of deforestation for the sake of the safety of humans.
Therefore, we should save trees and honour them in order to save
the environment and life. But man is ungrateful to the trees and
plants.

9. Human impact on the environment includes changes to biophysical
environments and ecosystems, biodiversity, and natural resources. It is
caused directly or indirectly by humans, including global warming,
environmental degradation, mass extinction and biodiversity loss,
ecological crisis and ecological collapse. Some human activities that
cause damage, either directly or indirectly, to the environment on a
global scale include population growth, overconsumption,
overexploitation, pollution, and deforestation. These problems include
global warming and biodiversity loss an existential risk to the human
race, and human overpopulation is strongly correlated with those
problems. So, humans are portrayed as murderers of trees and plants. If
all the trees and plants disappear from the earth, it will be a mass suicidal
and even God can’t save humans. The entire human race will be wiped
out.

10. Destroying nature or exploiting natural resources for economic
development is destructive. This kind of development is very
harmful in the long run. So, there should be sustainable
development. It should be the organizing principle for economic
development while simultaneously sustaining the ability of natural
systems to provide the natural resources and ecosystem services
on which the economy and society depend. Sustainable
development can be defined as development that meets the needs
of the present without compromising the ability of future
generations to meet their own needs. We can cut the trees which
are very much necessary, but at the same time, there should be
reforestation. Planting and growing trees should become a culture.
School and college curriculum should encompass the importance
of trees and plants.