A Poison Tree

The idea of anger and revenge is a universal emotion that is present in almost all
creatures. This feeling, when given the chance, has the ability to consume and control those who
give it the chance to do so. When this happens, drastic measures can be taken and innocent
individuals can become the target of this unchecked rage. William Blakes poem, A Poison Tree,
explores this very idea by comparing two alternatives to handle anger when it proves its selfpresent, while also enhancing the idea of letting anger and rage grow inside of you. Using
metaphors, allusions and strong imagery, the clarity of the poem and its true meaning creates a
very real and very personal view on the dangers of wrath.
William Blakes A Poison Tree can be said to be a warning for the consequences of hatred
and anger. The first stanza opens up with the persona describing two situations; each situation
involves anger and cold feelings towards another individual. In the first situation, the speaker is
angry with a friend, because of the fact that this individual is indeed his friend; he told this
individual how he is feeling. By confronting this individual and coming to terms with this anger,
the speaker is able to work out these negative feelings; soon the feeling of wrath diminishes. In
the second scenario however, the speaker deals with this wrath in a much different way. Rather
than confronting the individual, who is a foe or enemy in this case, the persona leaves the anger
to grow and morph into something more deadly. The ability of the anger to grow into a deadly
being is the basis of the poem and relates directly back to the title of the poem.
The title of the poem gives the reader a sense of what is to come within the poem itself. A
Poison Tree alerts the reader that a metaphor is going to dominate the poem. This metaphor is a
paradox within its self however. Trees are often symbols of life and purity, this is because trees,
much like other plants, convert the carbon dioxide that we expel from our bodies into the life

sustaining oxygen that humans, as well as other animals require to survive. The idea of a tree
however, is accompanied with the image of poison. Poison is a substance that does the opposite
of trees. Rather than sustaining life poison takes life away, which is contradicting the purpose of
the tree. The metaphor of deadly trees first appears in the second stanza when the persona says I
watered it in fears (Blake, Line 5) as well as when the speaker says, I sunned is with smiles.
(Blake, Line 7). These images of taking care of the tree are discussed after the speaker says in
line four my wrath did grow. Wrath is another word used for anger however, comes from the
complete and utter hatred for another individual or object. Wrath is the product when anger
forms into something more than just simple anger, so this line means that his anger grew. The
anger is given water in the form of fears and also given sun in the form of smiles; both water and
sun are requirements for a plant to grow. Taking this analogy into account, one can infer that the
tree is a metaphor for the growth of anger into wrath.
This poem is written using poetic couplets. The function of the poem being written in this
form is to add fluidity and simplicity to the poem and also gives the impression of being a poem
intended for children. This quality of the poem allows for different interpretations for the poem.
The poem also uses the meter of iambic tetrameter which takes two syllables where the first
syllable is unstressed while the second is. What is interesting though is that Blake uses the
opposite form of iambic tetrameter which involves the first syllable being stressed while the
second is unstressed, called trochee. The poem revolves around a conflict between two
individuals which goes unresolved. The method of using two opposite meters works to
emphasize this idea of conflict between these two individuals. The meters work against each
other, much like the two individuals, the persona and the foe, to create a conflict. Even though
the poem is written to show the conflict between two individuals, it is shown through the

perspective of one person, the individual who is shying away from expressing their feelings. This
is done to show an in-depth look at the growth and change in the individuals inner conflict with
themselves.
Through the form and structure of the poem, the idea of the growth of the tree, now
unveiled as anger, is explored. The poem is written in four stanzas, each stanza serving a purpose
to explain and describe the metamorphosis of the anger. The first stanzas goal is to show the
reason that the anger grew, which makes it the seed for the tree. The persona did not tell his foe
how he felt giving way for the second stanza to take place, which is the maintenance of the tree.
This action requires the persona to take care of the anger night and morning, (Blake, Line 6)
giving it water in the form of fears, meaning that the persona is scared of the foe and the anger
that the foe is inflicting upon it. The third stanza serves to show the result in the growth of the
tree. This is because the tree, which is anger, produced an apple, which is hatred. This
symbolizes that anger can grow so strong and so powerful that it can create a deadly object. The
final stanza wraps the entire poem together and shows the aftermath of the tree. The poem ends
with the foe outstretched beneath the tree. (Blake, line 16) The last stanza leaves readers
with the lesson that if anger can go unchecked for so long, it can have horrible and drastic results
to the point of hurting others around you. Importance?
Poets use allusions to provide images to familiar texts or periods in time in an attempt
to create a deeper understanding or comparison to situations in their own work. William Blake
uses reference to the bible through biblical allusions to strengthen the depth of his poetry. In the
story Adam and Eve and the Garden of Eden, temptation is explored as making individual do
acts that do not feel right at first but the temptation is so great that individuals indulge in these
acts anyways. William Blakes poem explores this biblical illusion in the last two stanzas. The

first reference to the story of Adam and Eve is visualized when the persona says that it grew
[wrath] both day and night, (Blake, Line 9) this thought continues into the 10th line when they
state, till it bore and apple bright. The apple that Blake wrote about directly comes from this
biblical story in which a serpent told Eve to take a fruit from the forbidden tree. The apple that
was produced in this poem is a product of the tree that was being catered to. Just as the tree is a
metaphor for growing anger, the apple is also a metaphor for all the pent up anger or frustration
that the speaker let build up inside of him for so long presenting its self in the form of wrath.
In the Poison Tree, words hold specific meanings in helping to enhance the overall tone
and theme of the poem. What is tricky when understanding this poem nonetheless, is the context
that these words are used in and the kind of feelings that they provoke in the reader. Throughout
the poem the idea of hiding ones inner self is expressed through the connotation that the words
are used. This effect can be seen when the persona states, soft deceitful wiles, (Blake, Line 8)
as well as when the narrator states, sunned it with smiles. (Blake, Line 7) The idea of the
persona not telling their foe that they are angry with them meant that they had to hold these
feelings inside, the words that the speaker uses to describe this feeling of hiding feelings comes
out by using words to hide meanings. When the word sunned is used, it is referring to giving the
tree (anger) sun in order for it to grow. This idea becomes contradicting when the speaker says
they are giving the anger sun in the form of smiles. Smiling is usually attached to happy and
cheery feelings. One does not simply smile when they are angry, unless they are trying to mask
the burning feelings or anger growing inside of them. Precisely, this is what William Blake was
trying to achieve when he wrote this. The persona is using mechanism tools to show his foe that
he does not affect him; only this task proves to be drastic. By acting like nothing is wrong and
showing mercy and kindness in the form of happiness towards his foe, it only makes him hate

him more and more, which adds to the growth of the tree inside his heart. Deception of objects
and ones actions can be referenced back to the idea of the poem using the story of Adam and Eve
as a biblical allusion. The snake deceived Eve and made her take a bite of an apple that she knew
she shouldnt done but had done anyways. This deception is also present in the poem when the
foe held the shiny apple even though he knew that the apple belonged to the persona.
What became a turning point in the poem is when the foe sneaks into the garden and
steals the apple that the persona created out of pure hatred, only to be found outstretched
beneath the tree. (Blake, Line 16). The garden is referencing back the allusion of Adam and
Eve. The garden is the Garden of Eden; however, in this case it is not an actual garden but rather
another metaphor.
Of all the emotions that humans are capable of holding, hate and anger are two of the few
that have the ability to consume and control unlike the others. William Blake explores this idea
of wrath throughout his poem A Poison Tree by showing what hate can do to an individual if it is
not confronted and disposed of as soon as it becomes present. Using imagery, allusions and
metaphors, the poet paints a picture into the human soul that proves that everyone..