A Poison Tree

 A POISON TREE TREE : LITERATURE LITERATURE : FORM FORM 5 POEM POISON TREE DISCUSSION Compliments to owner of 1) enotes.com and ) leelac!a"ra#art$ leelac!a"ra#art$.word .wordpress.com press.com  for t!e %se of t!eir notes .  &opef%ll$ t!is entr$ will add more to st%dents' %nderstandin(. !ttp**www.enotes.com*!omewor"-!elp*topic*poison-tree !ttps**leelac!a"ra#art$.wor !ttps**leelac!a"ra#art$ .wordpress.com*+1,*+*1 dpress.com*+1,*+*1*t!e-poem-a-poison-tree* *t!e-poem-a-poison-tree*

/ disc%ssion on t!e poem '/ POISON TREE' #$ 0illiam la"e A Poison Tree I was an(r$ wit! m$ friend I told m$ wrath wrath22 m$ wrat! did end. I was an(r$ wit! m$ foe foe I told it not2 m$ wrath wrath did  did (row. /nd I watered it in fears fears22 Ni(!t and mornin( wit! m$ tears3 /nd I sunned sunned it  it wit! smiles2 /nd wit! soft deceitful wiles. wiles . /nd it (rew #ot! da$ and ni(!t2 Till it bore bore an  an apple #ri(!t. /nd m$ foe beheld beheld it  it s!ine. /nd !e "new t!at it was mine2

/nd into m$ (arden stole 0!en t!e ni(!t !ad veiled veiled t!e  t!e pole pole33 In t!e mornin( (lad I see 4$ foe outstretched outstretched #eneat!  #eneat! t!e tree.

Wiles

A trick to deceive A wile is a cunning trick. Here, it suggests that he may be planning some sort of a devious scheme for his enemy

Wrath

Extreme anger

Foe

An enemy

Outstretch

Stretch out/ extend/ spread out

Veiled

hen the night veiled the pole A concealing cover

pole

!orth pole/ South pole

Watered it he "waters" and "suns" his anger, much like one would water in fears and provide sunlight for a tree. and As the poem puts it, he "waters" the anger with his tears, and sunned it then "suns" it with the false smiles he o#ers his enemy. with  $he poet means for us to see ourselves in the persona who smiles nurtured his anger at his enemy by watering it with his "tears" and sunning it with his deceitful "smiles." %f we stu# down our anger, pretend we&re happy, and don&t resolve our con'icts, our anger will grow and grow until it becomes like a poisonous plant that will hurt other people.  $ill it bore an apple bright. And my foe beheld it shine.

(ore ) to produce or yield *ast tense of bear + bear fruits (eheld it shine ) see it shining  $he narrator explains that the plant +his anger grew "both day and night" until it produced fruit. $he narrator says that it is an apple, but it&s simply a metaphor for a lure. $he speaker uses that apple to lure his enemy into the garden and be poisoned.  $hen he grows angry at an enemy. -ather than communicate with his enemy and hash the problem out, he holds the anger inside. As the poem puts it, he "waters" the anger with his tears, and then "suns" it with the false smiles he o#ers his enemy. Eventually, this anger grows and grows until it becomes a tree that bears a shiny, poisonous apple. $he enemy eats the apple and dies.

Metaphor-/ (rowin( apple tree is an e5tended metap!or for t!e (rowin( an(er and it s!ows !ow destr%cti6e an(er can #e. T!e title 7/ Poison Tree8 is t!e central metap!or. T!e apple has become poisonous as it has been nurtured with anger. In ot!er words2 the tree grew with negative emotions. When we stay angry for a long time, we may become “A Poison Tree !a person full of negative emotions".  #etting-T!e persona9s (arden. T!e (arden w!ere t!e apple tree (rows. T!e apple tree t!at feat%res t!e apple w!ic! l%res t!e enem$.

#ymbolism-T!e apple represents anger. T!e apple (rows lar(e till it ripens. Similarl$2 an(er (rows till it #ecomes vengeance.

Themes$ Managing Anger$ It is not totall$ wron( to #e an(r$. &owe6er2 it is rat!er important for %s to %now how to deal with anger. If we n%rt%re o%r an(er2 it mi(!t (row and #e !armf%l to %s. In t!is poem2 two ways of handling anger were shown wit! different o%tcomes. In t!e first scenario2 t!e an(er disappeared #%t in t!e second t!e an(er grew into something aggressive and negative.  &mportance of 'ommunication$ /s s!own in t!e poem2 if t!e persona !ad comm%nicated wit! !is enem$2 !is an(er wo%ld !a6e #een controlled. &owe6er2 !is ref%sal to comm%nicate !as allowed an(er to #ecome somet!in( t!at is 6er$ destr%cti6e. T!erefore it is oftenbetter if we can communicate with people on the issues that is bugging us. T!e poet indirectl$ is tr$in( to pers%ade !is readers to tal" a#o%t t!eir an(er. 0e can tal" a#o%t it not onl$ wit! o%r friends #%t wit! o%r enemies too. If we tal"2 t!e an(er mi(!t :%st red%ce and it mi(!t :%st ease o%r tro%#les. In t%rn2 it will pre6ent %s from ca%sin( !%rt %nto ot!ers.  Moral (alue

T!e poem tells %s a#o%t t!e disastrous conse)uences of one*s own failure to communicate with another person. 'ompliments to leelacha%rabarty for these info $

https$++leelacha%rabarty.wordpress.com+/+0+1+the-poem-apoison-tree+ What is the poem about$ ;/ Poison Tree; e5amines t!e effects of %nresol6ed an(er. In t!e poem2 t!e narrator or persona first (ets an(r$ at a friend. &e tal"s to !is friend and t!at dialo(%e resol6es !is pro#lem so t!at !e can for(i6e !is friend. T!en !e (rows an(r$ at an enem$. Rat!er t!an comm%nicate wit! !is enem$ and !as! t!e pro#lem o%t2 !e !olds t!e an(er inside. /s t!e poem p%ts it2 !e ;waters; t!e an(er wit! !is tears2 and t!en ;s%ns; it wit! t!e false smiles !e offers !is enem$. E6ent%all$2 t!is an(er (rows and (rows %ntil it #ecomes a tree t!at #ears a s!in$2 poisono%s apple. T!e enem$ eats t!e apple and dies. 2ur personal connection to poem$ T!e poet means for %s to see o%rsel6es in t!e persona w!o n%rt%red !is an(er at !is enem$ #$ waterin( it wit! !is ;tears; and s%nnin( it wit! !is deceitf%l ;smiles.; If we st%ff down o%r an(er2 pretend we're !app$2 and don't resol6e o%r conflicts2 o%r an(er will (row and (row %ntil it #ecomes li"e a poisono%s plant t!at will !%rt ot!er people. T!e poet s!ows %s a different and !ealt!ier pat! in t!e first stan