The Sugar-Plum Tree

1. "To capture the fruit which I sing"

a) Which fruit is being referred to, in the quoted line?
Ans: The fruit being referred to is the 'sugar-plum', the wondrously sweet fruit of the Sugar-Plum Tree.

b) Explain the phrase 'I sing'.
Ans: The phrase 'I sing' means 'which I am praising' or 'which I am describing in this poem'. The poet is singing the praises of this magical fruit.

c) Who will try to capture the fruit?
Ans: The good little children who visit the Garden of Shut-Eye Town will try to capture the fruit.

d) Do you think it would be easy to capture the fruit? Pick out a word from the line that tells you so.
Ans: No, it would not be easy. The line "you would have a hard time" tells us so.

2. "So come, little child, cuddle closer to me
In your dainty white nightcap and gown,"

a) Who is the speaker in the poem?
Ans: The speaker is likely a parent or a loving adult who is telling a bedtime story or singing a lullaby to a child.

b) Why does the speaker ask the child to cuddle closer?
Ans: The speaker asks the child to cuddle closer to create a feeling of warmth, comfort, and intimacy, as if they are about to share a wonderful secret or drift off into the magical world of dreams together.

c) Why does the speaker describe the Sugar-Plum tree to the child?
Ans: The speaker describes the Sugar-Plum tree to lull the child into a pleasant sleep, filling their mind with sweet and happy images of a magical candy land that they can visit in their dreams.

1. In what way are the fruits of the tree different from other trees?
Ans: The fruits are different because they are 'wondrously sweet' and have the magical quality of making the good little children who eat them 'happy next day'.

2. What is a Shut-Eye Town?
Ans: Shut-Eye Town is an imaginary place that represents the world of sleep and dreams. It's where children go when they 'shut their eyes' to sleep.

3. What happens to the children who eat the fruit?
Ans: The children who eat the fruit are sure to be happy the next day.

4. Briefly describe the Sugar-Plum tree.
Ans: The Sugar-Plum Tree is a marvelous, renowned tree that grows in the Garden of Shut-Eye Town. It is so tall that no person can climb its boughs, and it bears an incredibly sweet fruit called the sugar-plum.

5. Where can the Sugar-Plum tree be found?
Ans: The Sugar-Plum tree can be found in the Garden of Shut-Eye Town, on the shore of the Lollipop sea.

1. Do you think the title of the poem is appropriate?
Ans: Yes, the title "The Sugar-Plum Tree" is perfectly appropriate. The entire poem revolves around this central, magical element. The tree is the source of all the wonder and delight in the poem—from its location in Shut-Eye Town to its sweet fruit and the whimsical way the chocolate cat and gingerbread dog help to harvest it. The tree is the heart of this dream-like lullaby.

2. How do the gingerbread dog and the chocolate cat help the children get the fruits of the tree?
Ans: The gingerbread dog and the chocolate cat work together in a playful way to help the children. The gingerbread dog prowls below the tree and barks with great enthusiasm ("terrible zest"). This encourages the chocolate cat, who is in the tree, to play and jump around ("cavorting around"). As the cat tumbles and moves from limb to limb, it shakes the branches, causing the sweet sugar-plums to fall to the ground for the children to collect.

3. Would you like it if you had the chance to eat the fruits of the tree? Why/Why not?
Ans: (This is a personal opinion question. Here is a sample answer.)
Yes, I would absolutely love the chance to eat the fruits of the Sugar-Plum Tree. The poem describes them as "wondrously sweet," which sounds delicious. More importantly, they have the magical power to make a child happy the next day. The idea of eating a magical fruit that guarantees happiness is a wonderful and enchanting thought.

1. Alice's aunt ate apples.

2. Ketan's cat clawed his couch, creating chaos. (Note: 'c' and 'k' have the same starting sound).

3. Frank's friends fried Fritos for Friday's food.

4. Kim's kids kept kitting.

5. Larry's lizard likes leaping leopards.

1. I scream, you scream, we all scream for ice cream.

2. She sells sea-shells on the sea-shore.

3. Peter Piper picked a Peck of pickled peppers.

4. Three short swords sheath'd silently.

5. Luke Luck likes lakes.

1. What is the title of the poem?
Ans: The title is "The Sugar-Plum Tree."

2. Who is the poet?
Ans: The poet is Eugene Field.

3. What is the first line of the poem?
Ans: "Have you ever heard of the Sugar-Plum Tree?"

4. How is the fruit of the tree described?
Ans: It is described as "wondrously sweet."

5. What kind of children get to eat the fruit?
Ans: Good little children get to eat the fruit.

6. Is it easy to get the fruit?
Ans: No, you would have a hard time.

7. What two animals are found near the tree?
Ans: A chocolate cat and a gingerbread dog are found there.

8. What is the gingerbread dog doing?
Ans: It prowls below the tree.

9. Where is the chocolate cat?
Ans: It sits up in the tree.

10. How does the gingerbread dog help?
Ans: It helps by barking with "terrible zest."

11. What is the chocolate cat doing in the tree?
Ans: It is "cavorting around."

12. What falls from the "leafy limb"?
Ans: The chocolate cat tumbles from the limb.

13. Name one other sweet mentioned in the poem.
Ans: Marshmallows (or gumdrops, or peppermint canes).

14. How can the children collect the falling treasure?
Ans: They can collect it in their apron.

15. What is the child wearing in the last stanza?
Ans: The child is wearing a dainty white nightcap and gown.

1. Describe the location of the Sugar-Plum Tree in detail.
Ans: The Sugar-Plum Tree is located in a magical, dream-like place. It "blooms on the shore of the Lollipop sea" and is found within the "garden of Shut-Eye Town." This imagery suggests that the tree is not real but can only be visited in the sweet dreams of a sleeping child.

2. Why is it impossible for a person to climb the tree?
Ans: It is impossible because the tree is described as being "so tall." The branches, or "boughs," where the sugar-plums swing are too high for any person to reach by climbing, making the fruit seem unattainable through normal means.

3. What does the poet mean by "the treasure that rains"?
Ans: "The treasure that rains" refers to the shower of delicious sweets falling from the tree. This includes the sugar-plums shaken loose by the cat, as well as marshmallows, gumdrops, and peppermint canes. The word "treasure" emphasizes how valuable and wonderful these sweets are to the children.

4. The poem describes the gingerbread dog and chocolate cat. What makes them fantastical creatures?
Ans: They are fantastical because they are not real animals but are made of sweets. A dog made of gingerbread and a cat made of chocolate are things that could only exist in a child's imagination or a dream. Their actions—the dog's purposeful bark and the cat's playful tumbling—also give them life-like qualities, blending the world of toys and animals.

5. Explain the line "And this is the way you contrive to get at / Those sugar-plums tempting you so".
Ans: This line explains the clever method or "scheme" (contrive) used to get the fruit. Since climbing is impossible, the children rely on the interaction between the gingerbread dog and the chocolate cat. It's a playful, indirect way of harvesting the tempting sugar-plums.

6. What is the overall mood or feeling of the poem?
Ans: The overall mood of the poem is whimsical, comforting, and dream-like. It's gentle and sweet, designed to be soothing like a lullaby. The imagery of a candy-filled land and the playful antics of the sweet creatures create a feeling of joy, wonder, and innocent happiness.

7. Who is the intended audience for this poem? How can you tell?
Ans: The intended audience is young children. We can tell this from the simple, song-like rhyme scheme, the subject matter (a magical tree of sweets), and the final stanza where the speaker directly addresses a "little child" in a "nightcap and gown," inviting them to "cuddle closer" and dream of the tree.

8. What does "all agog" mean, and why is the gingerbread dog described this way?
Ans: "All agog" means to be very excited, eager, and full of enthusiasm. The gingerbread dog is described this way because it is very excited to bark at the chocolate cat. Its enthusiastic barking is the key that starts the chain reaction to make the sugar-plums fall.

9. How does the poem connect the ideas of sleep and happiness?
Ans: The poem connects sleep and happiness by presenting the magical Sugar-Plum Tree as a destination in "Shut-Eye Town" (the land of sleep). The reward for visiting this happy, sweet place in your dreams is that you are "sure to be happy next day." It suggests that happy dreams lead to a happy waking life.

10. What is the significance of the speaker's invitation in the final stanza?
Ans: The final stanza transforms the poem from a simple description into a personal lullaby. The speaker's invitation, "So come, little child, cuddle closer to me / And I'll rock you away to that Sugar-Plum Tree," is a loving gesture to comfort the child and guide them into a sweet, imaginative dream world, reinforcing the poem's role as a bedtime story.

1. The poem creates a fantasy world. Describe this world in detail, including its location, inhabitants, and the magical things that happen there.
Ans: The poem paints a vivid picture of a fantasy world created entirely for a child's delight. This world, called the "Garden of Shut-Eye Town," is a magical dreamscape. Its location is on the shore of the "Lollipop sea," immediately establishing a candy-land theme. The central feature is the marvelous Sugar-Plum Tree, which is so tall it can't be climbed and bears "wondrously sweet" fruit that guarantees happiness.

The inhabitants of this world are just as magical. Instead of real animals, there is a "chocolate cat" and a "gingerbread dog." These sweet creatures are alive and interact playfully; the dog's bark makes the cat cavort in the tree. Magical things happen here: the cat's tumbling causes a "rain" of treasure, including not just sugar-plums but also marshmallows, gumdrops, and peppermint canes. It is a world where everything is sweet, playful, and exists for the joy of good little children.

2. Explain the chain of events that leads to the children getting the sugar-plums. How does this process add to the poem's whimsical tone?
Ans: The process of getting the sugar-plums is a clever and playful chain of events, which is key to the poem's whimsical tone. It goes like this:

1. The children want the fruit, but the tree is too tall to climb.
2. A gingerbread dog below the tree starts barking with great excitement ("terrible zest").
3. This barking excites the chocolate cat sitting in the tree's branches.
4. The excited cat begins to "cavort" or play around, eventually tumbling from a "leafy limb."
5. As the cat moves and tumbles through the branches, it shakes them.
6. This shaking causes the ripe sugar-plums to fall down to the ground.
7. The children can then happily collect the fallen "treasure" in their aprons.

This indirect and playful method, relying on the antics of two creatures made of sweets, is far more magical and imaginative than simply picking the fruit. It adds a layer of fun and fantasy, perfectly suiting the dream-like atmosphere of the poem.

3. The poem uses the literary device of alliteration. Find three examples of alliteration in the poem and explain the effect they create.
Ans: Alliteration is the repetition of the same initial consonant sound in a series of words. Eugene Field uses it effectively to make the poem more musical and memorable. Three examples are:

1. "Shore of the Lollipop sea": The repetition of the 's' sound in "shore" and "sea" creates a soft, soothing, and slightly hissing sound, much like the gentle sound of waves on a shore.
2. "Cuddle closer": The repetition of the hard 'c' sound is noticeable and creates a cozy, intimate feeling. It emphasizes the speaker's gentle invitation to the child.
3. "Gingerbread dog prowls below": While not a direct repetition of the same letter, the 'g' and 'p' sounds are both strong plosives that give this line a playful, bouncing rhythm, fitting the image of a dog.

The effect of this alliteration is to make the poem more song-like and enchanting, enhancing its quality as a lullaby for children.

4. "The Sugar-Plum Tree" can be interpreted as a metaphor for the joys of childhood imagination. Discuss this idea.
Ans: The poem works beautifully as a metaphor for the boundless and sweet world of a child's imagination. "Shut-Eye Town" is not a real place on a map but the state of sleep, where the mind is free to dream. The "Lollipop sea" and the "Sugar-Plum Tree" represent the wonderful, delightful, and often food-related fantasies that children create.

The impossibility of climbing the tree represents how the greatest joys in our imagination aren't achieved through straightforward effort but through playful and creative means—represented by the interaction of the gingerbread dog and chocolate cat. The promise that eating the fruit makes one "happy next day" symbolizes how a rich and happy inner life of imagination can positively affect our waking mood. The entire poem celebrates the magical, sweet, and illogical nature of a child's dream world, a place only accessible through imagination.

5. The poem ends with a direct address to a "little child." How does this final stanza change the poem and create a connection with the reader?
Ans: The final stanza is crucial as it reframes the entire poem. For the first five stanzas, the poet is a storyteller, describing a magical place. But in the final stanza, the speaker becomes a loving narrator—likely a parent—speaking directly to a child who is ready for bed. The lines, "So come, little child, cuddle closer to me / In your dainty white nightcap and gown," create a personal, intimate, and comforting connection.

This shift makes the poem a functional lullaby. The magical world of the Sugar-Plum Tree is no longer just a story; it becomes a direct invitation into a dream. The promise, "And I'll rock you away to that Sugar-Plum Tree," connects the physical act of rocking a child to sleep with the magical journey into this sweet dreamscape. It makes the reader (or listener) feel cared for and gently guided into the world the poem has so beautifully described.