"A Poison Tree"

A Poison Tree

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.

And I watered it in fears,

Night and morning with my tears;

And I sunned it with smiles,

And with soft deceitful wiles.

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,

And into my garden stole

When the night had veiled the pole;

In the morning glad I see

My foe outstretched beneath the tree.

William Blake

Questions on “A Poison Tree”

• 1. Read through the poem and notice the rhymes in the poem. Describe the pattern of rhymes in the poem. Mark the rhyme scheme on the poem

  2. Count the number of syllables in each line of the poem. Describe the meter. How does the meter contribute to the meaning of the poem?

  3. Describe what happens to the speaker’s anger during the poem.

  4. What does the speaker do at the end of the poem?

  5. Mention a few things that apples symbolize in our society.

  6. What is the extended metaphor of the poem?

  7. Explain why or why not this is an effective metaphor. Does this poem still have meaning today?