A POISON TREE BY

WILLIAM BLAKE
 A POISON TREE
BY
WILLIAM BLAKE
STANZA 1 SUMMARY
Get out the microscope, because were going through this poem line-by-line.
Lines 1-2
I was angry with my friend:
I told my wrath, my wrath did end.
As the poem opens, the speaker describes how he was angry with his friend. Bad times.
Still, he told his friend he was angry ("I told my wrath"), and presumably why he was angry, and his anger disappeared. Happy days are
here again!
We notice that these lines are linked with end rhyme and a pretty consistent rhythm. We wonder if this form will continue. (Spoiler alert:
Check out "Form and Meter" for more on this.)
Lines 3-4
I was angry with my foe:
I told it not, my wrath did grow.
The speaker describes a different scenario, now. He was once angry with his "foe" (a.k.a. his enemy), but didn't tell him about it.
Since the speaker did not talk about his anger ("I told it not"), his anger got bigger and bigger ("my wrath did grow").
You know how, when you keep something bottled up inside, it tends to make that feeling more intense and overwhelming? We're
guessing that this is what's going on for the speaker here.

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STANZA 2 SUMMARY
Get out the microscope, because were going through this poem line-by-line.
Lines 5-8
And I watered it in fears,
Night and morning with my tears;
And I sunned it with smiles,
And with soft deceitful wiles.
The speaker talks more about how his anger grows. Using figurative language, he treats this anger very much like a plant. A plant needs
water and sun in order to grow, and so apparently does his anger.
He watered it with his "fears" and his "tears" and made sure it got plenty of sunshine.
Now, we know that the speaker didn't give his anger-plant real sunshine. Instead, he gave it "smiles" and "deceitful wiles." These are
more like "fake" sunshine.
They help the plant to growlike real sunshine would for a real plant..
A wile is a "crafty, cunning, or deceitful trick." "Deceitful wiles," then, are super-deceitful tricks (or really, really cunning traps). The
speaker suggests that he is a very deceptive person and that he is planning something very sinister and mischievous. Whatever it is,
though, his anger seems to dig it, since those deceitful schemes are like sunshine to it.
A growing plant is usually a good, positive thing, a symbol of life. It seems ironic that a growing plant is being compared to a growing
anger. Is anger a good thing in the world of this poem?

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STANZA 3 SUMMARY
Get out the microscope, because were going through this poem line-by-line.
Lines 9-12
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,
Because of the speaker's efforts, his plant (anger) eventually bears ("bore") fruit: an "apple bright." Yum!
Wait, is this apple a good thing?
The speaker's enemy sure thinks so. The enemy sees the fruit of the speaker's wrath, and somehow, he's able to recognize that it belongs
to the speaker. It's not clear how, though.
Let's read on to see if that's explained later in the poem

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STANZA 4 SUMMARY
Get out the microscope, because were going through this poem line-by-line.
Lines 13-16
And into my garden stole
When the night had veiled the pole;
In the morning glad I see
My foe outstretched beneath the tree.
Aha! The enemy has seen this anger-apple in the speaker's garden. So, it's safe to say that's how he knows it is the speaker's.
That doesn't stop the enemy from trying to steal it, though. After he has seen the apple, the "foe" sneaks into the speaker's garden at
night.
The word "stole" is a past tense of the verb "steal," which in this context means something like "sneak in secretly." This word also
suggests "steal" (like a thief steals). It seems that the speaker is blaming his foe, or calling him a thief.
This happens when it's super-dark out. In the phrase "night had veiled the pole," pole refers to the top of the earth, as in the "north pole,"
but it can also mean the pole star, also known as the North star, also known as Polaris. It's an important star for navigation, since it's
bright and it stays pretty much fixed in the sky. Tonight, though, the night has "veiled" it, covered it up. This star, used in navigating
folks safely through danger, is not visible. Uh-oh!
To suggest that the night (an abstract time) could actually cover up the star (like a person might) is to use personification.
Apparently, at some point in the super-dark night, the enemy eats the apple, which ends up killing him or making him fall asleep. It's not
clear which, although the speaker is glad to see him laid out in the garden. We're going to go with death for the enemy here, since the
speaker would likely not be too happy if his enemy both ate his apple and used his garden like a cheap hotel.
Still, the word "glad" is a bit ambiguous here (it could have more than one meaning). "Glad" could refer to the morning, as in "the
morning is glad," or it can refer to the speaker's feelings when he sees his "foe" lying "beneath the tree."
Either way, it seems like bad times for the enemy, good times for the speaker. Or is it?

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 A POISON TREE SYMBOLISM, IMAGERY, ALLEGORY
PLANTS
Symbol Analysis
The poem is called "A Poison Tree," so, naturally, vegetation plays an important role. Indeed, the speaker's anger grows until it eventually
produces a poisonous apple that, presumably, kills his "foe." Plants, trees, and especially the processes necessary to make them grow (water, sun,
care) are our speaker's primary metaphors for how anger develops from a feeling into a destructive action.
Lines 4: The speaker says his wrath grows because he didn't say anything about it. Of course, anger doesn't literally grow, so growth is
here a metaphor for the process by which one's anger becomes greater and greater.
Lines 5-6: The speaker waters his anger (with tears and fears), but he doesn't literally water it because it's not a real thing. Watering is
here a metaphor for the development and increasing power of one's anger.
Lines 7-8: The speaker gives his anger sunshine, only he doesn't literally give it sunshine. "Sunn[ing]" is here again a metaphor for the
things we do to make our anger grow. Does it sound like a pit of snakes in here? Ah. That repetition of the S sound in the beginning of
"sunned" and "smiles" is called alliteration.
Line 9: The speaker's anger continues to grow. Anger doesn't literally grow, so growth is here a metaphor for the process by which one's
anger becomes greater and greater.
Line 10: The speaker's anger bears an "apple bright." Maybe in Blake's head anger can bear fruit, but we know that the apple is just
a symbol of, or metaphor for, the end result of one's potent rage (in this case, a poisonous fruit that will kill a man). The repetition of the
"b" in "bore" and "bright" gives us another example of alliteration.
Line 13: The speaker tells us that his foe "stole" into his garden. The garden here seems like a metaphor for the place in our mind where
we let our anger fester, grow, develop, and become, essentially, destructive.
Line 16: At last, the speaker's anger has matured in plant terms into a tree. The damage that it causes is also fully developed. The "foe"
lies dead beneath the tree, which comes to stand for the giant, destructive thing that unchecked anger can become.

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NIGHT AND DAY
Symbol Analysis
The speaker is adamant about telling us what time of day it is. He waters his anger both at night and in the morning. He gives it sunshine (in the
daytime). It grows "both day and night." The "foe" eats the apple at night, and the speaker sees him dead in the morning. The speaker suggests
that the growth and development of anger is something that happens all the time, both at night and in the daytime. He implies that it is, in effect,
a long-term thing that takes over our lives.
Lines 5-6: The speaker waters his anger at night and in the morning with fears and tears. He doesn't literally water it because it's not a
real plant, so watering is here a metaphor for the process of cultivating one's anger, for adding fuel to the fire, we might say.
Line 7-8: The speaker gives his anger the sunshine it needs with his "smiles" and "soft deceitful wiles." He doesn't literally give it
sunshine because it's not a plant, so "sunning" is here a metaphor for giving one's anger the nutrients it needs (Vitamin D maybe?).
Line 9: The speaker's anger grows "day and night." There is no time that's it's not developing.
Line 14: The speaker says the "foe" came into his garden when "night had veiled the pole." That's significant, because "the pole" could
refer to the North star, which was used to guide people safely home. Here, though, when his anger is at its height, the pole is invisible to
the speaker, and all is plunged into darkness. This imagery is telling of the speaker's misguided, even ignorant condition, all brought on
by anger.
Line 15: The speaker sees his "foe outstretched" in the morning, when light at last shines down on the scene. It's interesting that the foe's
actual death is hidden from us, the readers. Perhaps the speaker, in his own darkness, is not aware of the consequences that such a tree
might pose.

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LIQUID IMAGERY
Symbol Analysis
The speaker talks about cultivating anger as if it were a plant. So, naturally he must "water" it. Only, he doesn't water it with water, but rather
with his tears. Sadness, anger, and other negative feelings become the life-giving liquid that causes the anger to grow. It is arguable that, because
the speaker waters his anger with negative things like tears and fears, it eventually bears a poisonous apple.
Line 5: The speaker waters his anger with "fears." He doesn't literally water it because it is not a plant, so "watered" is here
a metaphor for the cultivation of anger, for adding fuel to the fire as we might say
Line 6: The speaker also waters his anger with "tears." While you could probably water your plants with your tears (they do have water
in them, after all!), it seems more likely that the speaker is again speaking metaphorically about the cultivation of anger. It seems that
pain and sadness is an important element in the cultivation of anger. Do you see them related in this way, too?

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THE ENEMY
Symbol Analysis
Blake's poem is about being angry with an enemy and getting even with him. The speaker does a lot of things to make his "foe" really seem like
an enemy. For example, he tells how he (the "foe") "stole" into his garden, which implies that the enemy has a proclivity (i.e., a tendency
toward) for thievery. Ultimately, though, the enemy is the victim of the speaker's anger-apple. While he may admit that he was glad to see his
foe laid low, we're left feeling far more conflicted, and more sensitive to the damage our own anger might cause others.
Lines 3-4: The speaker refuses to tell his "foe" about his anger. Something about this person stops him from communicating with him in
the same way as he is able to communicate with his friend.
Line 11: The "foe" sees the apple shining. The apple is a symbol for the harmful outcome of hoarding and cultivating negative emotions
like anger.
Line 13: The enemy sneaks into the speaker's garden at night. The implication is that he is a thief of some kind. As readers, we're rooting
against him.
Line 16: The enemy lies dead beneath the tree. Harsh! The tree is here a symbol of, or metaphor for, the dangerous consequences of
festering anger. Although the speaker is high-fiving the world, we're left to take a sober lesson from his ultimately disturbing example.

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 THEMES
A POISON TREE THEME OF ANGER
"A Poison Tree" is a poem about anger, and, more importantly, some of the destructive consequences that can result when we cultivate our
anger, rather than try a more productive outlet for this potentially dangerous emotion (like stamp collecting!). The fact that Blake refers to anger
as "wrath" suggests that the poem is about a more serious type of anger, a vengeful or spiteful feeling of biblical magnitude ("wrath" is
commonly used in the Bible to refer to the anger of Old Testament God). In other words, this is seriously powerful stuff that must be carefully
guarded against.
Questions About Anger
1. We know from the poem that anger is bad (mkay?). But does the poem offer any advice about how to deal with people who make us
angry, upset, frustrated, etc.? If so, what? If not, why not?
2. How does the speaker feel about his anger? Does he regret it in the end? How do you know?
3. How does the sing-songy rhyme scheme of this poem impact the way you understand the speaker's anger?
Chew on This
Try on an opinion or two, start a debate, or play the devils advocate.
While Blake's poem illustrates some of the destructive consequences of anger, it also suggests that it is a normal emotion that needs to be dealt
with properly. Talk it out, folks.
"A Poison Tree" tells us that anger is never just anger by itself. It needs fear and sorrow to develop. Worst recipe ever.

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A POISON TREE THEME OF LANGUAGE AND COMMUNICATION
In the first stanza of "A Poison Tree," the speaker says, "I told my wrath, my wrath did end" (2) and "I told it not, my wrath did grow" (4). The
poem suggests that talking about emotions is an important part of dealing with them. It also suggests that not talking about our emotions, instead
harbouring and cultivating them, will lead to poisonous "fruit"the poem's metaphor for the dire consequences of anger that's not dealt with
properly. Trust usthat is one bad apple. The good news is, though, that we can avoid the speaker's grim fate. We've just got to get the bad stuff
off our chest on a regular basis.
Questions About Language and Communication
1. Why might the speaker discuss his anger with his friend but not his "foe"?
2. How does the enemy recognize that the anger-apple is the speaker's, if there is no communication happening?
3. Might the speaker have communicated his anger to the speaker in ways that weren't necessarily expressed in speech (i.e., non-verbal
communication)? How would we know if he did?
4. Is it possible to keep negative emotions bottled up and not become unhappy and miserable?
Chew on This
Try on an opinion or two, start a debate, or play the devils advocate.
That's it. Let it all out. "A Poison Tree" suggests that angerand perhaps other negative emotionscan be eliminated or contained by talking
about them.
"A Poison Tree" shows us how anger begets more anger, attracting others' hate to our own. It's like a bad vibes magnet.

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POISON TREE LANGUAGE AND COMMUNICATION QUOTES
How we cite our quotes: (Line)
Quote #1
I was angry with my friend;
I told my wrath, my wrath did end. (1-2)
The poem's first two lines show how anger can be literally contained or curbed: by talking about it! They enact this theme formally as well. In
line 2, the words "my wrath, my wrath" appear sandwiched (this figure is called chiasmus) between "I told" and "did end" in such a way that
suggests talking is a way of containing anger and making it go away.
Quote #2
And I watered it in fears,
Night and morning with my tears;
And I sunned it with smiles,
And with soft deceitful wiles. (5-8)
The repetition of "and" three times in this stanza illustrates how closely linked the development of anger and a lack of communication are. It is
as if the poem is saying "I didn't speak about my anger and then x happened and then y happened and then z happened."
Quote #3
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 (9-12)
Neither the speaker nor the "foe" speak to each other. The communication here is entirely non-verbal, and it leads to tragic consequences (for the
enemy, at least). The speaker and his foe employ other senses and physical gestures (in this stanza it's sight; in the previous stanza it's tears,
fears, and smiles), rather than communicating directly, and death results. The poem champions speaking and listening over seeing.

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A POISON TREE THEME OF LIES AND DECEIT
"A Poison Tree" is all about lies and deception. The speaker suns his anger with "soft deceitful wiles," and this anger eventually produces an
apple that is deceptively bright and shiny (deceptively because the apple turns out to be poisonous, not made of wax). The speaker isn't the only
guilty party, however. In the last stanza, the "foe" "steals" into the garden, presumably in order to steal the apple whose bright, shiny peel must
be irresistible. Anger isn't just anger all by itself, then. The poem suggests that its good buddies lies and deceit also accompany it.
Questions About Lies and Deceit
1. Whom do you see as the victim in this poem? Do you sympathize more with the speaker (who is deceitful) or the speaker's "foe" (who
steals the apple)?
2. How are anger and deceit related to each other in this poem?
3. How does the speaker deceive himself in the poem?
4. Does the speaker attempt to deceive the reader at any point in the poem? If so, when?
Chew on This
Try on an opinion or two, start a debate, or play the devils advocate.
"A Poison Tree" implies that negative emotions somehow generate each other. In other words, anger leads to lies, deceit, revenge, and, even in
some instances, death. It's a vicious cycle (and not a Harley-Davidson).
Although the enemy essentially breaks into the speaker's garden, we still think that he is the victim. The speaker's deceit and anger seem much
worse than just stealing an apple. One point for the dead guy.

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A POISON TREE LIES AND DECEIT QUOTES
How we cite our quotes: (Line)
Quote #1
And I sunned it with smiles,
And with soft deceitful wiles. (7-8)
The rhyme on "smiles" and "wiles" emphasizes the speaker's deception; "smiles" are supposed to indicate happiness, or pleasure, or friendship
in short, any number of positive things. The fact that "smiles" is paired with "wiles" illustrates the lack of any genuine emotion on the speaker's
part.
Quote #2
And it grew both day and night,
Till it bore an apple bright.
And my foe beheld it shine. (9-11)
The apple is deceptively "bright" and "shiny." We know it is poisonous and that nothing good can come from it. The poem suggests that anger
can make things appear to be what they are not. In a sense, anger releases a silent killer, something that is in reality incredibly dangerous, not the
least because it is so alluring.

Quote #3
And into my garden stole
When the night had veiled the pole; (13-14)
It appears the "foe" is deceitful as well, as he sneaks into the speaker's garden at night. Of course, for his part, the foe is deceived by the allure of
the apple. Deception seems to infect, and affect, everyone in the poem.

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 A POISON TREE QUESTIONS
Bring on the tough stuff - theres not just one right answer.
1. Why do you think Blake chose an apple rather than, say, a pomegranate, or an orange, or a kumquat?
2. Would you teach Blake's poem to your children in order to teach them about anger? Why or why not?
3. Why does the enemy want to eat the speaker's apple? Why is it so attractive?
4. Who is to blame for the enemy's death (if you agree that he's died in the poem)?

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