 The poem was criticized by Cleanth Brooks and Robert Penn Warren in their textbook Understanding Poetry first published in 1938 . Brooks and Warren were two of the major contributors to the New Criticism movement , where its supporters opposed using literature as a surrogate for religion . New Criticism proponents analyzed poetry on its aesthetic formulae and excluded reader 's response , the author 's intention , historical and cultural contexts , and moralistic bias from their analysis . They attributed the popularity of Trees largely to its religious appeal and believed it was a " stock response that has nothing to do , as such , with poetry , " adding : 
 The poem was criticized by Cleanth Brooks and Robert Penn Warren in their textbook Understanding Poetry first published in 1938 . Brooks and Warren <a href='uninflect' title='1'><mark>were</mark></a> two of the major contributors to the New Criticism movement , where its supporters opposed using literature as a surrogate for religion . New Criticism proponents analyzed poetry on its aesthetic formulae and excluded reader <a href='null_genetive' title='2'><mark>'s</mark></a>response , the author <a href='null_genetive' title='3'><mark>'s</mark></a>intention , historical and cultural contexts , and moralistic bias from their analysis . They attributed the popularity of Trees largely to its religious appeal and believed it was a " stock response <a href='null_relcl' title='4'><mark>that</mark></a><a href='got' title='5'><mark>has</mark></a> nothing to do , as such , with poetry , " adding : 
Da poem was criticized by Cleanth Brooks and Robert Penn Warren in their textbook Understanding Poetry first published in 1938 . Brooks and Warren was two of the major contributors to the New Criticism movement , where its supporters opposed using literature as a surrogate for religion . New Criticism proponents analyzed poetry on its aesthetic formulae and excluded reader  response , tdaauthor  intention , historical and cultural contexts , and moralistic bias from their analysis . They attributed thdaopularity of Trees largely to its religious appeal and believed it was a " stock response got nothing to do , as such , with poetry , " adding :