Tall Trees — Important Questions

They are sent to rest

The second stanza states 'When the dusk sends quickly / The birds to rest'. Here, dusk is personified as actively sending the birds to rest. This creates an image of evening time when birds naturally return to their nests for the night. The other options are not mentioned in this context in the poem.

The moon

The last stanza clearly mentions 'The moon shines down / On a world that's sleeping'. The moon provides gentle light during the night when the world sleeps. The sun shines during the day, not when the world is sleeping. While stars also shine at night, the poem specifically mentions the moon. The tall trees watch over the world but don't shine down on it.

Personification

Personification is the literary device where non-human things are given human qualities. In this poem, trees are described as having feet, heads, and the ability to watch and shelter, which are human characteristics. A simile compares using 'like' or 'as', a metaphor makes direct comparisons, and alliteration is the repetition of initial sounds. The poem clearly uses personification throughout.

Peeping

The word 'peeping' means looking quickly and secretly into something. This is explained in the glossary as 'a quick and secret looking into something; here it means looking, watching'. The poem uses this word in the context of trees peeping at night. Watching is more open and direct, sheltering means protecting, and sleeping means resting.