Question

How does the imagery of (i) the fish (ii) the tree, used almost poetically by the author, emphasise the idea of stillness of living, breathing thought?

Answer 1

The narrator looks at the life of the tree, while the fish emphasizes the stillness of life and the breath of thought. She says, "Wood is a pleasant thing to think about. It comes from a tree, and trees grow, and we don't know how they grow". Trees grow independently without any external factors affecting them, which describes how nature works soundlessly without disturbing the world around them. Further, she explains it using the imagery of a fish, saying, "I like to think of the fish balanced against the stream like flags blown out", describing the still life present in a current world that is often left undiscovered.