“The Resilient Tree” is a ninety-three-line poem that explores the strength, endurance, and the struggles of women across centuries. Written by the celebrated Ugandan poet, Susan Kiguli, the poem recounts the experiences of African women across generations, the indignities they endure, the tenacity they show in face of a patriarchal system designed to subjugate them and keep them servile. The poet persona describes the strength and endurance of these women using the metaphor of a resilient tree, while taking a U-turn from the path of endurance these foremothers have taken to carve a path from herself, seek a new identity for herself, and break free from the old, restrictive norms.
In her celebration of the women of the old and the portrayal of their resilience and enduring spirit, the poet persona clearly foregrounds the harsh societal expectations and pressures women face, as exemplified by the “numerous blows from the rough winds” and “urgent urge for control.” She highlights these societal restrictions in a way that leaves the readers no option than to show empathy and identify with the women’s pitiable state. She is, however, vociferous in the other part of “The Resilient Tree” where she critiques a societal fabric rigged against women, and she makes clear her intent to depart from these constricting norms and seek her rightful place in the natural scheme of things.
In other words, the first part of the poem pinpoints the intergenerational suppression of women, while the other part makes conscious efforts to undo the traditional roles imposed on women.
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Structural Analysis of “The Resilient Tree”
“The Resilient Tree” is a ninety-three-line poem divided into two parts, each with its thematic focus. The first part of the poem has forty-two lines, segmented into six stanzas while the four stanzas in the second part of the poem have fifty-one lines. Altogether, Kiguli’s poem has ten stanzas.
Part 1 Analysis
Stanza 1 (l. 1-9) begins with the poet persona’s declaration that she “cannot walk the ways of my mother and her mother before her” (l. 1). She explains further that her decision does not come from a place of being weak or less enduring than her foremothers; that it is not because she is not capable of enduring “numerous blows from the rough winds” (l. 3) or lacks endurance required of women in previous generations.
She puts forward what she has learnt from her mother about the societal expectations placed on women to be perfect or to fit into the societal projection of perfection. She portrays a woman as a river “that holds all manner of silt” (l. 7) but is expected “to have pure water” (l. 9) and “flow with dignity and grace” (l. 8). It doesn’t matter the challenges the woman faces; she is judged solely by her outward appearance. Society hurls all kind of things at her and still expects her to carry on as if nothing has happened.
For proper context, “this world” as referenced in line 6 of “The Resilient Tree” is presumably a patriarchal African society, and the metaphoric portrayal of a woman as a river is in tandem with the realities of African women. The forces these women are/have been up against, as exemplified by “rough winds” and “urgent urge for control”, are largely male. For a long time, men have been the dominant force in the power set-up of most African societies. Consequently, they dictate the direction their societies take, which includes how women should conduct themselves.
In stanza 2 (l. 10-16), the poet persona moves from comparing a woman to a river now to a tree. The logic behind the comparison is still the same. Both the river and the tree are subjected to difficulties male-dominant societies have devised for women. The poet persona narrows down her portrayal of women in time and space from the generic woman to the black woman. This specificity further corroborates our presumption that the poet persona is portraying the experiences cum realities of African women. Using the metaphor of a tree, she describes the difficulties and hardships women undergo, from mild challenges to intense struggles. These challenges are represented by showers, storms, and hurricanes. The “black woman” stands firms all through these challenges: “still hold out the roots” (l. 13).
The tree is robbed by the scorching sun of “the little water” “she painfully sucks up from the deepest waterbed”. “Tree” and “sun” symbols in this stanza are not lost on us. They visualise the power dynamics and gender relations in African societies: like “who calls the shot?”, “who is at the receiving end?”, etc. It is not coincidental that the tree is given the “she” pronoun while “the furious sun” takes the “him” pronoun. This goes to show that the women are at the receiving end of a repressive system enabled by men.
Stanza 3 (l. 17-21) is a continuation of the tree symbol the poet persona introduced in the previous stanza. She says the African “woman is a tree” (l. 17) that changes “seasons rather than die” (l. 18); and bends “rather than run away and die” (l. 21). Here, the poet persona instantiates the adaptability of African women to different societal situations. Generation by generation, women have always found a way to conform with what society demands of them. Even when weighed down by an assemblage of life challenges and societal pressures (“the weight of leaves”), they still find a way to persevere through in humility. The poet persona demonstrates the tenacity of the African woman using the analogy of a tree that weathers accompanying elements of different seasons.
In the following stanza, 4 (l. 22-27), the poet persona discloses what her grandmother taught her mother about the personality of the black woman. Her grandmother insinuates that “a black woman is a fruit-bearing tree” (l. 23) that nurtures her fruits to maturity only for men to consume “the choicest of them” (l. 25). This stanza describes the procreation capability of women and how men are always the ones to benefit the most from everything that involves procreation and the parenting that comes afterwards. This stanza also insinuates the exploitation of women by men. The poet persona describes how the woman watches with agony the exploitation of her labour and sacrifices.
One takeaway from the poet persona’s interaction with her mother and the acknowledgement of her grandmother’s teachings is that she now has an intergenerational understanding of the personalities and roles of the African woman and can distinguish between the natural ones and those imposed by societies.
She continues with her reference to her grandmother’s teachings in stanza 5 (28-37). The black woman is described as “a resilient tree” that watches her fruits drop and rot, while “nurturing other fruits season by season” (l. 32). That she continues with the fruit-bearing activity is enough demonstration of the African woman’s unwavering resilience across generations. The manner “fruit” is used in this stanza is suggestive of a range of interpretations beyond procreation. It could mean her efforts, labour, and/or sacrifices.
The black woman is described as “a gigantic tree” (l. 33) that serves as “a comfortable shade for all kinds of birds” (l. 35). Her role as a caregiver and nurturer for others is illustrated by the tree’s sheltering of various birds and the giving of leeway to the birds to reach their full potential. She offers refuge and comfort to others, even at her own expense.
She is further described in stanza 6 (l. 38-42) as “a bottlebrush” (l. 38) whose attraction to all is her tears; her grace to all is her bending; and her strength to all is her red flowers. In other words, society derives its satisfaction from the struggles of the African woman; it romanticizes her beauty around the rough edges of her challenges, vulnerability, and submissiveness.
Part 2 Analysis of “The Resilient Tree”
There is a shift in part 2 of “The Resilient Tree” from the collective portrayal of African women in part 1 to the poet persona’s personal journey of self-exploration and liberation. The second part of the poem takes an introspective look into the poet persona’s quest for identity. This is premised in stanza 7 (43-50) where the poet persona embarks on a metaphorical journey, “climbing the hills” (l. 45) and “descending the slopes” (l. 45), going through the ups and downs of self-exploration. She examines the “valleys of my soul” (l. 46), a signification of the deeper, more introspective parts of herself that she is now examining. She seeks to understand herself beyond societal expectations; beyond the societal definition of who she is meant to be; beyond the societal projection of her and her kind as resilient trees that must weather every element. She acknowledges that “this lonely path” (l. 49) she is trudging is a clear departure from the “stately highways” (l. 50) defined for others before her.
Then, in stanza 8 (51-78), the poet persona speaks about her discovery in a tongue foreign to her people. Her use of the “language of distant lands” (l. 55) and the ideas it conveys alienates her among her people. Her ideas are “seldom heard” (l. 67) and “not tolerated” (l. 68) because they challenge the authority of “the self-appointed pillars of this world” (l. 69-70) who are unmistakably domineering men, as we have seen thus far. She is “treated like treasonous traveller” (l. 56) first because of her language of self-expression which has made it difficult for people to identify her, and then because of the ideas she espouses, which do not resonate with the affected parties. Her ideas understandably put patriarchal structures that resist change on their toes, and shakes “self-imposed foundations” (l. 73). She battles with the very system that claims it understands the thought process of women and can thus give it a name, an identity, and a definition. The poet persona gallantly challenges this overweening classification and the condescending categorisation of women, in a way allusively characteristic of David’s battle with Goliath. She typically distances herself from stereotypical traditions that sideline and marginalise African women.
Stanza 9 (l. 79-88) presents the yearnings of the poet persona: the things she wants to be and the things she does not want to be, and what she wants and how she does not want society to treat her. In her words, “she yearns to play and yet not to be a plaything” (l. 83). She notes she is tired of being subjugated, given identity, and fettered by restrictive norms: “she wearies of being pinned down / Of being named, caged and watched” (l. 85-86). After generations of “being pinned down”, the poet persona, epitomising the black woman, longs to “fly with her powerful wings” (l. 87), to assert her feminine agency and actualise her liberation from roles and identities imposed on her by largely patriarchal society. She yearns for freedom from the constriction by societal expectations. She discards the notion of being rooted and stationary characteristic of her forebears for being able to fly like birds “and weave freedom in the clouds” (l. 84). She is insistent on staying true to her nature without being objectivised or depersonalised for her self-expression and self-actualisation: “to play and yet not be a plaything” (l. 83). This stanza is a product of her probe into her soul, of her self-exploration, which itself is influenced by her insistence to not be defined by others or by agelong prejudices which have morphed into traditions.
The last stanza, 10 (89-93), the poet persona makes obvious her decision to cut ties from the old path that it may die. She has made peace with herself and has come to terms with the fact that she is tired of being subjugated by patriarchal structures symbolised by “old sun”. She is tired of being stationary, being at the receiving end of indignities hurled by patriarchal society or being a constant victim of biases. She makes a powerful resolve at the end of this stanza to embrace her true self and reject societal constraints, as signified by the statement, “I am breaking free” (l. 93). This resolution marks a transition from merely enduring life’s challenges like the tree or the caged bird to actively seeking freedom and personal fulfillment like the free bird.
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