‭A Poison Tree‬

‭ he poem "A Poison Tree" by‬‭William Blake‬‭is a short‬‭and deceptively‬

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‭simple poem about‬‭the damaging consequences of harboring‬‭anger and‬
‭resentment‬‭. The speaker tells the readers how they‬‭fail to communicate their‬
‭wrath to their foe and how this continues to grow until it develops into poisonous‬
‭hatred.‬

I‭ n the first stanza,‬‭the poet says that he‬‭was angry‬‭with‬‭his‬‭friend‬‭and he‬

‭told him about it‬‭which subsequently went away.‬‭He‬‭also says that he once got‬
‭angry with his enemy and couldn’t tell him about it. The anger not only‬
‭remained in his mind but also‬‭did grow.‬‭He‬‭implies‬‭that talking about anger is a‬
‭healthy and effective way of dealing with it while suppressing anger is a harmful‬
‭and dangerous way of nurturing it‬‭.‬

I‭ n the second stanza, The speaker cultivates this anger as if it were‬

‭something planted in a garden, metaphorically nourishing it with fears and tears,‬
‭spending hours together,‬‭both day and night. The speaker's‬‭smiles and other‬
‭gentle deceptions hid the anger, which only fed the anger further.‬

I‭ n the third stanza, the poet‬‭continues the extended‬‭metaphor of the‬

‭speaker’s anger as a tree that bears a poisonous apple. The speaker describes‬
‭how his enemy saw the apple shining in the speaker’s garden, and knew that it‬
‭belonged to the speaker. The enemy then sneaked into the garden at night, when‬
‭it was dark, and stole the apple. He‬‭implies that‬‭the apple tempted his enemy,‬
‭and also wanted to take something away from him out of spite or envy‬‭. He‬‭also‬
‭suggests that he planned this trap for his enemy, and waited for him to fall for it‬‭.‬

I‭ n the final stanza, t‬‭he poem with the speaker’s satisfaction‬‭at seeing his‬
‭enemy dead under the tree that grew from his anger. He reveals that he was glad‬
‭to see his foe outstretched beneath the tree in the morning, implying that he had‬
‭planned this outcome all along. He also suggests that he has no remorse or guilt‬
‭for his actions, as he does not express any regret or sorrow for his enemy’s fate.‬

‭ A Poison Tree" has a simple form, consisting of‬‭four quatrains‬‭with‬‭two‬

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‭rhyming couplets AABB‬‭in each.‬‭The poem has a consistent‬‭metre of four‬
‭stressed syllables per line, which gives it a rhythmic and musical quality‬‭. The‬
‭speaker in the poem is not specified. It could be a man, a woman, or even a child.‬
‭The speaker shows him or herself to be fearful, even sorrowful, and entirely gives‬
‭into suppressed anger, and is controlled by that anger.‬
 ‭ he poet has used a‬‭metaphoric‬‭style‬‭. For instance,‬‭the apple depicts his‬
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‭vengeance; the tree depicts his loss of patience, underneath which he kills his‬
‭enemy, etc. Besides, Blake also uses end rhyme to drive the message home. As in‬
‭the first, second, third, and fourth lines of the poem’s first paragraph, the‬
‭readers can see ‘friend’ and ‘end’, both at the end of their respective lines,‬‭rhyme‬
‭and likewise do ‘foe’ and ‘grow’.‬

‭ he poem also explores the themes of anger, lust, deception, and the nature‬
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‭of evil. The speaker shows how anger can be resolved by communication and‬
‭honesty, or grow into hatred and resentment by suppression and secrecy. He also‬
‭reveals his lust for his enemy, as he smiles and uses “soft deceitful wiles” to lure‬
‭him to his death. His actions are not motivated by justice or revenge, but by a‬
‭perverse pleasure in seeing his enemy suffer and die.‬‭The poem suggests that evil‬
‭is not something external or inherent, but something that is created by human‬
‭emotions and choices‬‭.‬