“If a Tree Falls” Theme Analysis

Do you want to live in a world without a forest? Nowadays, deforestation has been a severe problem for people all over the world because most people don’t consider the consequences which could happen in the future. Also, many people ignore their actions after destroying nature. In the song “If a Tree Falls,” Bruce Cockburn presents the idea that indifference makes ordinary people ignore destruction that happens to nature even if it would bring harm to people. The song emphasizes the effect of neglecting the consequences of cutting down trees through three figurative devices which are diction, metaphor, and personification.

            The song contains diction which emphasizes the increasing danger of deforestation caused by forestry corporations. The song describes what they are doing to poison the green space. First, some words describe as healthy and beautiful, such as “rainforest,” and “teeming green.” Then, some words specifically show the terrible outcome of deforestation, such as; “wrinkled,” “dark holes,” and “lobotomy.” Also, the word “cortege” suggests the death of the forest which is implied to Earth because it indicates the consequence of the desert expansion. This diction shows the before and after effects of deforestation. Not only does the diction of a healthy and annihilated forest convey the thematic message, but the metaphor is also enlightening.

Furthermore, the prominent use of metaphor in “If a Tree Falls” clearly suggests that the deforestation and its effects are horrible. First, the word describes as forests are being treated terribly, such as “lobotomy.” It also means forestry industries cut up vast parts of the forest to take advantages. Besides, the metaphor which illustrates how people are destroying the environment, the use of personification also plays an essential role.

The song applies personification which allows the audience to understand the main idea of the song. The personification expresses what people do and make the profit from the rainforest. The phrase “busy monster eat dark holes in the spirit world” refers to machines which have been cutting down the trees, taking wildlife away, and destroying the green land as if they were living monsters. This has effects on the animals that live in the area continuously. Together with diction and metaphor, personification demonstrates indifference of forestry corporations that are destroying the rainforest.

All in all, the song represents the view that The majority of people overlook the annihilation that occurs to the environment, and they treat it poorly without considering the outcome. The song accentuates the drawbacks of damaging the rainforest by using diction, metaphor, and personification to make the severity of the message more easily understood. Ultimately, if no work is done to prevent these circumstances, people do not deserve to live in the world with the beauty of the forest and wildlife.

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