Introduction to “A Poison Tree”
”A Poison Tree” is a poem by William Blake that belongs to his collection “Songs of Experience”. The poem was published in 1794. It explores the effects of repressed rage and how the stifled emotions lead to disaster. Many of Blake’s works are focused on the intricacy of human nature and social conventions, out of them, “A Poison Tree” is a best example. The poem consists of four quatrains and has an AABB rhyme scheme. It is characterized by a clear and simple language, which communicates the psychological truths.
In “A Poison Tree”, Blake has presented a story where the man fails to deal with his anger and let it grow into a tree that eventually kills him. The poem contrasts two scenarios: In the first one, the speaker addresses anger by communication while in the second one the speaker conceal anger, which leads him to deceive and harm. Blake by portraying the vivid imagery depicts how unexpressed anger and other emotions lead to disastrous consequences and how it is necessary to confront one’s negative sentiments.
Themes in “A Poison Tree”
Theme#1
The Consequences of Suppressed Anger
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.
From the very beginning, the poem explores directly how the speaker is angry and how it is regulated depending on the partner. The speaker expresses the anger to promote the resolution of the situation. However, when he is angry with an enemy, he thus suppresses the anger and keeps festering it.
This has clearly demonstrated that the anger, which is not expressed is very dangerous. Thus, the failure to expound on the negative emotion-characteristic paradox conveys its development in the speaker’s life and illustrates the poem’s focus on the fact that unaddressed anger results in greater damage.
Theme#2
Deception and Hypocrisy
And I watered it in fears,
Night and morning with my tears;
And I sunned it with smiles,
And with soft deceitful wiles.
The lines reflect that how the speaker brings up the wrath through deception and hypocrisy. The behavior of the speaker has been shown in the role of being deceitful, while on the outward, it is depicted by smiling and soft deceitful wiles.
This fosterage of anger and by deception does not only aid the process of growth of anger but also is an indicator of the moral decay of the speaker. The theme of ‘deception and hypocrisy’ is also evident in the act that the speaker is polite and welcoming, yet has sinister motives, thus showing how hidden emotions can lead to the duplicate actions.
See also: The Negro Speaks of Rivers (Themes & Poetic Devices)
Theme#3
The Destructive Power of Hatred
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 image of growing apple manifests the accumulated rage and hatred in the speaker’s soul. The apple that is beautiful and shiny is similar to the nurtured wrath which is beautiful and attractive but dangerous.
As soon as the foe sets eyes on the apple, he is aware that the speaker is related to it; thus, hatred ‘turns things into something sanguinary and destructive’. This theme is an implication of harbored anger indicating that it is dangerous to the one who bears it as well as the target on the receiving end.
See also: Themes in “How Do I Love Thee”
Theme#4
The Fatal Outcome of Unresolved Conflict
And into my garden stole
When the night had veiled the pole;
In the morning glad I see
My foe outstretched beneath the tree.
The last four lines of the poem convey the bitter reality of the fact that the hatred remains unsolved to its extremes that brought death. The enemy is tempted by the attractive looking apple, sneaks into the garden at night, eats it, and dies.
Thus, the joy experienced by the speaker while seeing the foe “outstretched beneath the tree” reflects the extreme adverse effect of fostered anger.
This outcome can be seen a clear indication about the dangers of unresolved conflict and the potential for restrained emotions, which lead to deadly outcomes. The theme also stresses that the anger needs to be dealt with and can only be acted on before it becomes damaging.
Theme#5
Nature as a Reflection of Human Emotions
And it grew both day and night,
Till it bore an apple bright;
Blake employs nature images that are associated with the process of human development. Thus, the anger describes as a tree indeed, grows continuously, and its fruit reflects the destructive result. This reflection of internal state of the speaker through natural features underlines how people’s emotions are very much connected to the nature.
The growth of apple on the tree reflects that how anger can develop from a small feeling of resentment into a dangerous outcome. This theme supports the notion that the emotions felt by man are as natural as is death and thus if not controlled they will happen in equal measure.
Theme#6
The Dichotomy of Innocence and Experience
And I sunned it with smiles,
And with soft deceitful wiles.
The contradiction between the innocence and experience is a reiterating theme in Blake’s work, which is reflects in “A Poison Tree”. The initial rage in this poem was anger, which could be seen as an innocent feeling, but the way it is dealt with, transforms it into something much more threatening.
The aspect of nurturing the anger shows a shift from innocence to experience, where the speaker starts to notice and take part in deceitful and harmful actions. This duality prove the experience’s ability to transform simple emotion into a more deep and possibly destructive sentiment.
Poetic Devices in “A Poison Tree”
1- Metaphor
The main idea of the poem “A Poison Tree” is the anger developing into the tree, which is a central metaphor. The tree stands for the fostered anger and the emotions of hate and revenge.
This analogy of anger to a tree, growing underneath the ground represents how anger, when suppressed, can build up inside of a person. This imagery prevails throughout the entire poem up to the apple of death, which symbolizes the overall embodiment of the speaker’s anger.
2- Symbolism
A rich use of symbolism is found in “A Poison Tree;” the apple plays the role of a symbol in this poem. The apple symbolically implies the qualitative aspect of the anger nurtured and deceit, the speaker has cultivated.
It is aesthetically pleasing and seems to be a light; however, it is poisonous, which underlines the concept of the contrast between the beautiful exterior and a lethal core.
Such symbolism also refers to the story of the biblical myth concerning the Forbidden Fruit in the Garden of Eden, thus adding depths of meaning to the themes, such as sin, temptation and punishment.
3- Imagery
The imagery that Blake employs here, is to depict the cultivation of the speaker’s anger. The connected phrases of the poem like “watered it in fears” and “sunned it with smiles” give a sound picture as to how the speaker cultivates the growing wrath.
This imagery enables the audience to have some form of mental picture of how the anger intensifies by the day and therefore stressing the issue of anger build-up as an emotion to be reckoned with.
4- Rhyme Scheme
‘A Poison Tree’ employs standard AABB rhyming pattern in all its stanzas; which enhances the poem’s rhythmical flow. Every two lines rhyme form a sense of continuity and emphasizes the impression of a progression of the feelings of the speaker.
The rhyme scheme also gives a nursery rhythm, which is in fact very misleading given the rather complex themes of the death, that are portrayed in the poem; thus, making it even more effective.
summary of “a poison tree”
The poem “A Poison Tree” explores the theme of harboring wrath and it’s dangerous results.
The poem contrasts two scenarios: In the first, the speaker addresses wrath with a friend, which leads to its resolution. In the second case, the speaker buries the feeling of anger towards an enemy, which intensifies its growth and fester.
The hidden anger is nurtured by deceitful behavior and the speaker waters it with fears and tears, and feeds it with smiles and deceitful wiles.
Eventually, this suppressed anger grows into a tree that has a shiny, tempting apple growing on it. The enemy gets tempted by the appearance of the apple and enters the speaker’s garden at night, eats the fruit and dies.
In the morning, the speaker experiences the satisfaction of the grimness of the dead enemy under the tree. Thus, the poem describes the negative consequences of the suppressed anger, the possibility of deceit, and the destructive results of uncontrolled negative emotions.
Blake is able to paint the picture of anger and its effects on an individual and others around him. He illustrates the need to deal with the anger in order not to hurt oneself or others.
