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A Poison Tree Q&A
A Poison Tree Q&A
Exercise
8. How could the foe possibly know that the 'apple bright'
belongs to the persona?
Perhaps/Maybe the persona told the foe in some way
about it. Perhaps the object of envy (apple bright)
clearly belongs to the persona because it is in the
personas territory.
Messages
- Do not suppress negative feelings
- We must resolve the issue if we have negative feelings
like anger.
- Remaining silent about our anger only makes us
bitter and even evil.
- Suppressed anger is dangerous as it can have a
destructive effect on society.
Moral Values
Truthfulness / Honesty
Forgiveness
Rationality
Moderation
Themes
Suppressing anger
Anger should be addressed because it can lead to destructive consequences for both the angry
person and his victim.
Importance of communication
Communication is important in any relationship, more so if one cannot get along with someone or
has a grudge.
Meaning
Stanza 1
The persona is angry at his friend and talks it out. His anger dissipated and they continue
the friendship.
However, when he is angry with his enemy, he keeps quiet. Then, his anger grows even
more within him.
Stanza 2
He lets his anger grows day and night. He acts in deceitful ways toward his enemy.
Stanza 3
The poison tree of anger eventually bears fruit which is an 'apple bright'.
The enemy knows it belongs to the persona.
The apple is very attractive to the enemy.
Stanza 4
The apple is attractive and lures the enemy who sneaks into the persona's garden at night.
At night, the 'pole star' is hidden and cannot protect the enemy from the danger of the
'apple bright'.
The 'pole star' is the North Star or Polaris, a bright star permanently in the sky still used by
navigators to avoid dangers while travelling.
The enemy eats the apple and is poisoned.
The persona is satisfied.
A Poison Tree Poem by William Blake