Grandma Climbs a Tree By Ruskin Bond Summary, Analysis, and Questions & Answers. 2023. Can’t your grandma climb a tree?

In this post, I am sharing Grandma Climbs a Tree By Ruskin Bond Summary, Analysis, and Questions & Answers.

Grandma Climbs a Tree By Ruskin Bond

My grandmother was a genius. You’d like to know why?

Because she could climb trees. Spreading or high,

She’d be up their branches in a trice. And mind you,

When last she climbed a tree, she was sixty-two.

Ever since childhood, she had this gift

For being happier in a tree than in a lift;

And though, as years went by, she would be told

That climbing trees should stop when one grew old-

And that growing old should be gone about gracefully—

She’d laugh and say, ‘Well, I’ll grow old disgracefully,

I can do it better. And we had to agree;

For in all the garden there wasn’t a tree

She hadn’t been up, at one time or another

(Having learned to climb from a loving brother

When she was six)—but it was feared by all

That one day she’d have a terrible fall.

The outcome was different-while we were in town

She climbed a tree and couldn’t come down!

After the rescue,

The doctor took Granny’s temperature and said,

‘I strongly recommended a quiet week in bed.

We sighed with relief and tucked her up well.

Poor granny! For her, it was like a season in hell.

Confined to her bedroom while every breeze

Whispered of summer and dancing leaves.

But she held her peace till she felt stronger.

Then sat up and said, ‘I’ll lie here no longer!’

And she called for my father and told him undaunted

That a house in a treetop was what she wanted.

My Dad knew his duties. He said, “That’s all right—

You’ll have what you want, dear, I’ll start work tonight!

With my expert assistance, he soon finished the chore:

Made her a tree-house with windows and a door.

So Granny moved up, and now every day

I climb to her room with glasses and a tray.

She sits there in state and drinks sherry with me,

Upholding her right to reside in a tree.

Composed By Ruskin Bond

Word-Meaning

in a trice: very quickly

should be gone about: should be done

outcome: here, what actually happened

held her peace: kept quiet

undaunted: here, without hesitation

chore: task

Sherry: a strong yellow or brown wine

upholding: here, making clear to the world

About the Poet:

Ruskin Bond (1934-) was born in Kasauli, Himachal Pradesh. He has been awarded the Sahitya Akademi Award in 1992, the Padma Shri in 1999 and the Padma Bhushan in 2014. He has written more than thirty books for children. ‘Grandma Climbs a Tree’ shows Bond’s great ability to find and describe unusual persons and events with warmth and humour.

Summary of Grandma Climbs a Tree By Ruskin Bond:

“Grandma Climbs a Tree” by Ruskin Bond is a poem that celebrates the spirit of adventure and the determination to live life on one’s own terms, regardless of age. The speaker’s grandmother is introduced as a “genius” because of her ability to climb trees with ease. Despite being advised to give up this activity as she grew older, Grandma continued to climb trees well into her sixties. One day, she climbed a tree and couldn’t come down, leading to a doctor’s recommendation for rest and recovery. But even while confined to her bedroom, Grandma was determined to continue living her life as she pleased. She asked her son to build her a treehouse, and with his help, she moved up into the treetops. The poem ends with the speaker climbing up to visit his grandmother in her new abode, where she drinks sherry and upholds her right to reside in a tree.

The poem highlights the importance of pursuing one’s passions and living life to the fullest, even when society dictates otherwise. Grandma’s love for tree climbing and her refusal to give it up due to her age showcase her independent and adventurous spirit. The simple rhyme scheme and language of the poem add to the overall warmth and charm of the narrative, making it an enjoyable and uplifting read. Top of Form

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*Reading Grandma Climbs a Tree By Ruskin Bond

A. Answer these questions. Grandma Climbs a Tree By Ruskin Bond

1. Why does the speaker call his grandmother a genius?

2. How old was Grandma when she first climbed a tree? Who taught her tree-climbing?

3. Which words indicate that Grandma was a fast climber?

4. What was everyone worried about? What was Grandma’s response

when her family advised her to stop climbing trees?

5. What was the outcome of Grandma’s tree-climbing? Why was the outcome

different and unexpected?

Answers: Grandma Climbs a Tree By Ruskin Bond

1. The speaker calls his grandmother a genius because she had the ability to climb trees even at an older age and was able to make a tree-house for herself.
2. According to the poem, Grandma first climbed a tree when she was six years old, and she learned to climb trees from her loving brother.
3. The word “trice” indicates that Grandma was a fast climber. The word means very quickly, and it suggests that she was able to climb a tree quickly and easily.
4. Everyone was worried that Grandma would have a terrible fall while climbing trees, and they advised her to stop climbing trees as she grew older. However, Grandma responded by saying that she would grow old disgracefully and that she could do it better.
5. The outcome of Grandma’s tree-climbing was unexpected. While the family was in town, she climbed a tree and couldn’t come down. The doctor recommended that she rest in bed for a week, but Grandma found it difficult to stay confined to her room. She then asked her father to build her a tree-house, and he did so with expert assistance. So, the outcome was different from what everyone had feared, and Grandma was able to reside in a tree-house, which she had always wanted.

B. Think and answer.Grandma Climbs a Tree By Ruskin Bond

1. Do you think that tree-climbing was an unusual act by Grandma? Was it also unusual in how she felt about it? What kind of person do you think she was?

Answers:

1. Yes, tree-climbing was an unusual act by Grandma, especially because she continued to do it even as she grew older. It was also unusual how much she loved climbing trees, as it made her happier than being in a lift. From the poem, it can be inferred that Grandma was a fun-loving, adventurous person who was not afraid to try new things, even if they were unconventional or unexpected. She was determined to live life on her own terms and not let age or societal expectations limit her.

C. Appreciating the PoemGrandma Climbs a Tree By Ruskin Bond

1. List out the words that indicate that Grandma enjoyed living in the tree-house.

has a very simple rhyme scheme. Identify the rhyming words.

2. The poem has a very simple rhyme scheme. Identify the rhyming word.

Answers:

1. The words that indicate that Grandma enjoyed living in the tree-house are: “drinks sherry with me”, “upholding her right to reside in a tree”, “calls for my father and told him undaunted / That a house in a treetop was what she wanted”, “she felt stronger / Then sat up and said, ‘I’ll lie here no longer!'”
2. The poem has an AABB rhyme scheme. The rhyming words are: why/high, you/trice, told/old, gracefully/disgracefully, another/brother, town/down, well/hell, stronger/longer, undaunted/wanted, chore/door, and me/tree.

D. Going FurtherGrandma Climbs a Tree By Ruskin Bond

1. Describe what makes Grandma an unusual and interesting person in

your own words.

Answers’;

1. Grandma is an unusual and interesting person because of her passion for climbing trees, which is not a typical activity for an elderly woman. She did not let society’s expectations of her age limit her enjoyment of tree-climbing, and even when advised to stop, she refused to give up this activity that brought her happiness. Her determination to continue doing what she loved, even in the face of societal norms, makes her a unique and admirable person.

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