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William Blakes's "A Poison Tree"
William Blake's poem, "A Poison Tree" illustrates the two options we encounter when we face anger. By focusing on the two options we encounter with anger, Blake is also illustrating two sides of the human soul. The theme of the poem is the devastating effects of anger when it is allowed to fester.
The poem is written in rhymed couplets, which might often be associated with nursery rhymes instead of poems dealing with hate. It is also very easy to read and is structured in a couplet quatrain form.
The first two lines of the poem represent our first option and dealing with anger. The poet expresses the best treatment for dealing with anger, which is voicing how he feels. There are two critical aspects to these lines. The first is that the poet is angry with a friend, therefore it is easier for him to forgive. The second is that this is clearly the healthiest alternative, for both parties....
By telling us, "I told my wrath, my wrath did end" (2), the poet is suggesting the best outcome for both parties is talking things out. This is significant because it leads to forgiveness.
The rest of the poem deals with the negative way we can deal with anger and its damaging results. The poet explains that by expressing his anger, "it did grow" (4). This indicates that anger does not generally remain the same, but increases over time. The tree is a metaphor for the wrath, which the poet waters in "fears" (5) and "tears" (6). In addition, the anger is sunned "with smiles/And with sift deceitful wiles" (7-8). In other words, the most negative of human emotions nurture the tree. The poet is even aware of his own deceitfulness when he keeps his anger alive with "wiles" (8). It is important to note that the poet makes a conscious decision to do these things.
The wrath grows "both day and night" (9) until it bears fruit. This…
Works Cited
Blake, William. "A Poison Tree." The Norton Anthology of English Literature. New York W.W. Norton and Company. 1986.
The speaker also addresses himself. The conflict does not come from outside the speaker; it is all within him. This makes the conflict that much more difficult to bear and this motivates him to write the poem, if for nothing else than to ease his spirit. The speaker resolves the conflict through admission. It is a painful admission because the speaker must admit to his own humanity while doing so.
In our humanity, we tend to feed such emotions, just as the speaker of the poems suns his tree with "smiles" (7). The wrath does not end but feeds on negativity. "A Poison Tree" is a mental exercise. The scene of this poem is more significant than anything else because it never leaves the speaker's mind. This poem is about murder. However, it is not the kind of murder we
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