A poison tree

Analysis of the poem

1. A Poison Tree By William Blake

2. William Blake 28 November 1757 – 12 August 1827 an English poet, painter and printmaker Artist of Romantic Age Works received little attention during his lifetime

3. I was angry with my friend; I told my wrath, my wrath did end. I was angry with my foe: I told it not, my wrath did grow. And I water’d it in fears, Night & morning with my tears: And I sunned it with smiles, And with soft deceitful wiles. And it grew both day and night, Till it bore an apple bright. And my foe beheld it shine, And he knew that it was mine. And into my garden stole. When the night had veiled the pole; In the morning glad I see, My foe outstretch’d beneath the tree.

4. Stanza by Stanza analysis 1 ST STANZA I was angry with my friend; I told my wrath, my wrath did end. I was angry with my foe: I told it not, my wrath did grow . The speaker describes how he was angry with his friend and told about his ‘wrath’ and his anger disappeared. Then he was angry with his enemy, he didn’t tell about his ‘wrath’ his anger started to grow inside him.

5. 2 nd stanza And I water’d it in fears, Night & morning with my tears: And I sunned it with smiles, And with soft deceitful wiles. He treats his anger very much like plant . He fed his anger with ‘tears’ and with FAKE ‘smiles’ which make his anger grow more and more inside him. Deceitful wiles - deceitful tricks, traps. The speaker is planning a trap to his enemy.

6. 3 rd stanza And it grew both day and night, Till it bore an apple bright. And my foe beheld it shine, And he knew that it was mine . The speaker’s anger increases to the extent and that Anger, wrath ‘a poison tree ’ which have been watered produces an apple bright “a trap to his enemy” His enemy knows that apple belongs to the Speaker and for this reason he wants to have it.

7. 4 th stanza And into my garden stole. When the night had veiled the pole; In the morning glad I see, My foe outstretch’d beneath the tree. At night foe steals the apple from garden And in the morning the speaker is glad To see his foe outstretched beneath the Tree.

8. Rhyme scheme AA BB CC DD EE FF GG HH “END rhyme” Repetition “ I was angry  with my friend…  I was angry  with my foe” Metaphor Poison tree – anger Apple bright – the product of repressed anger Allusion Reference from the Fall of the Garden Eden

9. Main theme T he suppression of ‘ anger ’ can lead to extreme dangerous consequences. “A PoisonTree ” is a poem of vengeance and death. A gentle attitude is often a mask for anger. Pretending to be friendly and when accepting one is not. “ And I sunned it with smiles ,” “And with soft deceitful wiles .” https://rusdurdy.wixsite.com/website