Root cellar by Theodore Roethke summary BBS 2nd year

This poem describes a detailed scenario of an underground cellar where some plants and microorganisms are germinated even in the hostile environment. The poet goes into the depth of their survival existence and he appreciates their tough persistent life. He appreciates the strength and stamina of plant life which grows even in such unfriendly underground storehouse. By the way, the poet was grown up observing the large greenhouse farm of his father. He noticed closely how the plants germinate and the insects produce their progeny. He realizes that all of them have their lives and they want to survive at any cost. So the theme of the poem is that this world is a living entity where life of the plants and animals begin with such a strong force to survive and generate progeny even in so tough environment. In this sense, this is an ecological poem.

Summary of the poem root cellar by Theodore Roethke BBS 2nd year

The poet talks about the fruits and vegetables kept in the underground cellar where some of them are sprouting even in such tough environment. He says that nothing would sleep in that cellar which is damp and fungi. There is no sunlight but their bulbs break out of their seeds looking for some light in the darkness. Some shoots have grown longer hanging down or lolling secretly from the fungi crates. They are hanging down in yellow color like the heads of the snakes.

Then he describes the environment of the underground cellar and he says that there is a congress of stinks, which means that there is the mixture of all types of bad smell stinking a lot. The seeds and their roots are fully ripe and decayed from which soft pulpy stems are grown. There is the hard rank smell of the granary, the storage of the fruits, vegetables and grains. Some of them are decayed into manure, sour smell, and soft material. 

All those different types of seeds of the plants are sprouting and trying to grow. In fact, they would need different type of care, protection and different environment for better growth. They would need sunlight and protection in the farm. But the poet finds that they are growing up even in the common hostile environment of the underground cellar because they do not like to give up their lives. He finds that nothing would give up there. Even the dirt keeps breathing a small breath. The last two lines of the poem are especially significant because it gives the theme that everything has so strong force of survival and growth of their progeny.