A Poison Tree (Poem)

Unit 2: Poem – A Poison Tree

William Blake

Warm Up

A. Choose the option that suits your own behavior in the given situations.

Compare your answers with your partner’s answers.

1. You overhear a friend talking badly about you.
   How angry does that make you feel?
   - I don’t feel angry at all.
   - I feel a little angry.
   - I feel moderately angry.
   - I feel slightly annoyed.
   - I feel very angry.
   - I feel furious.

2. Your friend persuades you to take help to prepare for the Maths board examination from a close friend. That person does not turn up at all, as agreed.
   How angry does that make you feel?
   - I don’t feel angry at all.
   - I feel moderately angry.
   - I feel slightly annoyed.
   - I feel very angry.
   - I feel a little angry.
   - I feel furious.

3. You have agreed to pick up some friends at the train station. They are coming to stay with you for a few days. You’ve arranged with your elder brother/sister to drive the car for the day. You are about to leave the house when you realise the car is outside but your brother/sister has gone to work, taking the keys!
   How angry does that make you feel?
   - I don’t feel angry at all.
   - I feel moderately angry.
   - I feel slightly annoyed.
   - I feel very angry.
   - I feel a little angry.
   - I feel furious.

4. During a get-together, your friend makes fun of your singing in front of your friends. You thought your singing was fine, but your friend thinks you really need to practise much more.
   How angry does that make you feel?
   - I don’t feel angry at all.
   - I feel moderately angry.
   - I feel slightly annoyed.
   - I feel very angry.
   - I feel a little angry.
   - I feel furious.

B. Answer the following questions. Share your views with the class.

• Do you argue often with your classmates?
• Do you forgive them or choose to remain enemies forever?
• How long does your anger last?

A Poison Tree

William Blake

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 water’d 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. 

About the Author

William Blake (1757 – 1827) was an English poet, painter, and print-maker. Blake is now considered a seminal figure in the history of English poetry. He was born in London. He was a boldly imaginative rebel in both his thought and his art. Some of his famous poems are “The Lamb” and “The Tiger”.

Glossary

• wrath (n.) – anger
• foe (n.) – enemy
• deceitful (adj.) – cunning, treacherous
• wiles (n.) – tricks
• veiled (v.) – covered

A. Answer the following questions in a sentence or two.

1. I was angry with my friend
   I told my wrath, my wrath did end.
   a) Whom does ‘I’ refer to?
   b) How did the anger of the poet come to an end?

2. And I watered it in fears
   Night and morning with my tears;
   a) What does ‘it’ refer to?
   b) How is ‘it’ watered?

3. In the morning glad I see
   My foe outstretched beneath the tree
   a) How did the poet feel in the morning?
   b) Who is the ‘foe’ referred to here?
   c) Why was the ‘foe’ found lying outstretched beneath the tree?

4. And it grew both day and night,
   Till it bore an apple bright.
   a) What does ‘it’ refer to?
   b) What does ‘apple’ signify?
   c) What grew both day and night?

B. Complete the summary by filling in the given spaces with suitable words.

Once the poet was angry with his friend. He expressed his (i) anger and it ended. They became friends. But when he grew angry with his foe, he (ii) suppressed it and allowed his anger to grow. Day and night he watered it with his tears and allowed it to grow. He (iii) deceived his foe with false smiles and cunning tricks. The tree kept growing and yielded a bright apple which (iv) tempted his foe to eat it stealthily during the night. The next morning the poet was happy to see his foe lying (v) dead under the tree.

C. Answer the following questions in about 80–100 words.

1. How did the poet’s anger with his friend end?
2. Describe how his anger kept growing.
3. Describe the effect of the poisonous fruit on the ‘enemy’.

D. Figures of Speech

There is alliteration in the line:
And I sunned it with smiles.
The sound /s/ is repeated in the words ‘sunned’ and ‘smiles’.

Pick out at least two instances of alliteration from the poem.

E. Read the following lines and answer the questions that follow.

1. 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.
   i. Pick out the rhyming words.
   ii. What is the rhyme scheme of the stanza?
   iii. Identify the figure of speech in the title of the poem.

2. And I water’d it in fears
   Night and morning with my tears;
   i. What figure of speech is used in ‘watered it in fears’?

Listening

F. Listen to the passage on ‘anger management’ and match the sentence parts by drawing a line.

(The recording can be played more than once if needed.)

a) who will take care of the reason why you got angry?
b) to know how to handle it is a virtue.
c) to calm your inner self.
d) speak to your self and calm yourself.
e) who always tells you how to act.

G. Answer the following in about 80–100 words. Take ideas from the poem and also use your own ideas.

1. Recall a recent situation when you became angry. What were the consequences of your anger? After listening to the guidelines on anger management, find out how well you could have handled the situation. Write your findings.
2. What might have caused the conflict which led to the poet becoming angry with his enemy? Think of one such situation that you have experienced. Describe how you felt and how the enmity grew and things became worse.

H. Discuss and Write

1. Identify five to six qualities which make an ordinary person loved and respected by all. Work in groups of five or six. Each group has to take up one quality and discuss the methods for imbibing that quality and identify the challenges that need to be faced.

2. Adolescents are often distracted by feelings like anger, disappointment, and general helplessness when they face challenges at school or at home. Suggest ways to turn such feelings into positive ones.

Different Types of Laughter

• Smirk
• Grin
• Giggle
• Chortle
• Laugh
• Guffaw
• Shriek
• Chuckle
• Smile
• Snicker
• Howl
• Convulse
• Cackle
• Die laughing

Read and Enjoy

The Power of a Smile
– Tupac Shakur

The power of a sun can kill And the power of foe can burn The power of wind can chill And the power of mind can learn The power of anger can rage Inside until it tears you apart But the power of a smile Especially yours can heal a frozen heart 

Practice Practice Exercises

a). Whom does ‘I’ refer to?

b). How did the anger of the poet come to an end?

a). What does ‘it’ refer to?

b). How is ‘it’ watered?

a). How did the poet feel in the morning?

b). Who is the ‘foe’ referred to here?

c). Why was the ‘foe’ found lying outstretched beneath the tree?

b). What does ‘apple’ signify?

c). What grew both day and night?

Once the poet was angry with his friend. He expressed his (i) and it ended. They became friends. But when he grew angry with his foe, he (ii) it and allowed his anger to grow. Day and night he watered it with his tears and allowed it to grow. He (iii) his foe with false smiles and cunning tricks. The tree kept growing and yielded a bright apple which (iv) his foe to eat it stealthily during the night. The next morning the poet was happy to see his foe lying (5) under the tree.

1. How did the poet’s anger with his friend end?

2. Describe how his anger kept growing.

3. Describe the effect of the poisonous fruit on the ‘enemy’.

Pick out at least two instances of alliteration from the poem.

i. Pick out the rhyming words.

ii. What is the rhyme scheme of the stanza?

iii. Identify the figure of speech in the title of the poem.

i. What figure of speech is used in ‘watered it in fears’?

1. Recall a recent situation when you became angry. What were the consequences of your anger? After listening to the guidelines on anger management, find out how well you could have handled the situation. Write your findings.

2. What might have caused the conflict which led to the poet becoming angry with his enemy? Think of one such situation that you have experienced. Describe how you felt and how the enmity grew and things became worse.

1. Identify five to six qualities which make an ordinary person, loved and respected by all. Work in groups of five or six. Each group has to take up one quality and discuss the methods for imbibing that quality and identify the challenges that need to be faced.

2. Adolescents are often distracted by feelings like anger, disappointment and general helplessness when they face challenges at school or at home. Suggest way to turn such feelings into positive ones.