English Lit: A Poison Tree Flashcards
When was A Poison Tree written?
1794
Who wrote A Poison Tree?
William Blake
What context is provided for A Poison Tree?
1st romantic poet
Wrote during time of social change
Blake considered mad by writing contemporary poems as they were not famous until later in his life
Committed christian but disagreed w/ church of eng
What form is shown?
Simple rhyme scheme made w/ rhyming couplets- creating regular beat + sounds of nursery rhyme (allowing poets meaning to be looked through deeper)
What structure is shown?
1st stanza introduce moral of poem- develops into extended metaphor as tree grows
Last stanza provides climax in poem- implying speakers building anger led to foe’s death
What tone is shown?
Anger- depicting it natural for people to be angry w/ friends and “foes” though metaphors of the tree (natural emotion growing out of control)
Deception- speaker + “foe” act deceivingly, speaker hides foe w/ smile when leading them to garden to kill them
Repression- poem suggests negative emotions can cause more danger when not talked about
What Language is shown?
Personal pronouns in first lines- immediate tension + making poem personal
Representing anger by entwining corruption w/ nature
Religious connotations and imagery w/ “apple”
Anaphora + repetition “and” - adds to narrative + sense of urgency
What is the meaning?
Talking about having a “foe” + having conflict with them, later on killing them in the garden
