“Anger,” “wrath,” and “fear” are very prominent in the short sixteen-line piece and overwhelm you from the start. In this article it will be discussed that "A poisonous tree" is a symbol of the lack of restraint and self-control in man. An argument that Blake, if he refers to himself in the poem, uses himself like the serpent of the Garden of Eden, except as a serpent with a conscience. Say no to plagiarism. Get a tailor-made essay on "Why Violent Video Games Shouldn't Be Banned"? Get an original essayThe first stanza shows In choosing a poem from the English Romanticism era, I found one that particularly stands out among the others. A poem that had a certain depth, in the sense that at first glance I could not understand and feel what the poem expressed. It is a poem that contains a sense of mystery. These characteristics are exceptionally evident in William Blake's poem "A Poison tree". William Blake was a British poet and painter born in 1757 to a sockier father. “Anger,” “wrath,” and “fear” are very prominent in the short sixteen-line piece and overwhelm you from the start. In this article it will be discussed that "A poisonous tree" is a symbol of the lack of restraint and self-control in man. An argument that Blake, if he refers to himself in the poem, uses himself like the serpent of the Garden of Eden, except as a serpent with a conscience. The first verse juxtaposes the idea of friend and foe quite elegantly. The verse goes: "I was angry with my friend/I told my anger, my anger is over./I was angry with my enemy/I didn't tell, my anger grew" (Songs of Experience Pg. 38). The contrast in actions regarding a “friend” versus an “enemy” is the relevant theme in this stanza. Striking are the different ways in which Blake, if he is actually referring to himself in this poem, deals with anger towards a "friend" and vice versa towards an adversary. When angry with a friend, Blake is able to control his anger and contain it in a finite sense. On the other hand, Blake shows little forgiveness for an enemy. Blake's harshness and lack of repentance towards the man in this poem cannot be fully realized until one looks at the last two stanzas and the illustration. The second verse reads: “And I watered it with fears,/ Night and morning with my tears:/ And I exposed it to the sun with smiles./ And with sweet deceitful wiles” (Songs of Experience Pg.39). This verse is completely focused on the tree from which the "enemy" would later steal an apple. Blake is obviously creating a symbol and allegory in reference to the Bible and the Garden of Eden. Now the question is whether Blake's tree symbolizes, according to the Bible, the tree of good and evil or the tree of life. Does it matter which tree was symbolized here? These are questions that need to be answered to fully understand the poem. To achieve this, some knowledge of the Bible is necessary. A tree in the Garden of Eden is the tree of good and evil; this is the tree from which Eve took fruit (not an apple) and shared it with Adam. Satan, in the form of a serpent, tempted Eve by telling her that she would be wise and know the difference between good and evil if she ate the fruit of the tree. The second tree is the tree of life which also contains the fruit, which if eaten will bring eternal life to those who eat it. Because Adam and Eve ate from the tree of good and evil, they were not allowed to eat from the tree of life and were therefore banished from Eden. Only from the second stanza is it impossible to make reference to which tree is being referred to. Interestingly, Blakeyou state: “And I watered it with fears” (Songs of Experience Pg.39). Blake's "anger" was accompanied by "fear." Afraid of what? Could it be the fear of Blake's enemy? Or could it be the fear that the fruit of the tree could be stolen? It can be assumed that Blake's fear comes from his actions in lines 6-9; “Night & morning with my tears:/ And I solarized it with smiles./ And with sweet deceitful wiles” (Songs of Experience Pg.39). Blake was afraid of his actions that would eventually produce a "poisonous tree" that could attract and inflict pain upon his enemy Blake is showing some signs of a consciousness as creating something that was tempting and yet also deadly. However, the only instrumental difference from the Bible is that the serpent never had a conscience that he, referring to the tree, "used it with smiles./And with soft deceitful wiles" (Songs of Experience Pg.39) They are the Blake's "deceitful wiles" that allow him to cultivate this poisonous tree and return the deception Blake received to his own. "enemy." It is important to note that Blake's enemy did not become one by stealing an apple from his tree. Blake was already angry with this man it grew day and night./ Till he gave a shining apple./ And my enemy saw it shine./ And he knew it was mine" (Songs of Experience Pg. 39). Blake's Enemy “he saw it shine.” If his enemy saw the apple, then one must conclude that this man was Blake's adversary before he watered and cultivated the tree. Knowing this is crucial because it helps to fully understand the first verse .For example, if Blake was angry at his enemy just because he stole from his tree, the first stanza would serve as a summary of the next three stanzas. The first stanza is not a summary but an introduction to the rest of the story of the poem Once you understand the third verse, you can now return to my initial question about the tree. Is the tree a representation of the tree of good and evil, the tree of life, or neither? of Eden contained fruits like those of Blake, this only increases the remarkable similarity in the images that Blake uses in reference to the Garden of Eden. In any case there is not yet enough evidence to make a convincing case. An instrumental line in the third verse is in line thirteen, which states: "And my enemy saw it shine" (Songs of Experience Pg.39). The proof is that the apple is tempting. Through the application of splendor, the image of a very seductive and breathtaking fruit is constructed. Blake does this to further reinforce the fact that he is playing the part of the snake. Blake was the one who created this eye-catching apple and his aim was to tempt his rival to his downfall. The climax of the poem comes in the fourth and final stanza. It reads: “And in my garden I stole./ When the night had veiled the post./ In the morning I see happily./ My enemy lay beneath the tree” (Songs of Experience Pg. 39). Night covered or veiled Blake's garden and allowed the enemy to steal the tree. One might also conclude, although there is no complete evidence for this, that the night refers directly to Blake's role as serpent or Satan. In the literary world, such as Dante's Inferno, and in more conventional mediums such as the Bible, God is understood to be all. This includes light and abandons everything else. Since evil things are what God is not, the darkness of night would be a logical companion for the serpent to possess as a tool to tempt the enemy towards the tree. The last two lines of the poem capture the entire mood of the poem as a whole. Blake states, “In the morning I am glad to see./ My enemy lay under the tree” (Damrosch 125).Blake's opponent has eaten the apple and now lies "under the tree". Knowing that the man who ate the apple is dead, he settles the dispute over the tree he ate from. As mentioned above, the tree of life, if eaten, will generate eternal life. It is safe to say that Blake's tree was not an allegory for the tree of life. The tree of good and evil allows us to know the differentiation of good from evil. The evidence for Blake's reference to this tree is not indisputable, however Blake was ultimately referring to the tree of good and evil because, as in the first stanza, the poem revolves around good and evil, "friend" and "enemy ". The problem is that death does not result directly from eating the fruit of the tree of good and evil. However, Blake deliberately left room for speculation as to how the man ultimately ended up "lying under the tree". Adam and Eve were eventually banished from the Garden of Eden for eating from the tree of good and evil and were ultimately deprived of eternal life. In a sense, the tree was responsible for their downfall just as Blake's tree could be seen as the reason for his enemy's death. Not only did the apple lead to the fall of man, but also to the lack of restraint which is a symbol of the abandonment of self-control in every man. The illustration that drives the poem is such that it can be considered one of Blake's greatest works. The artwork centers on a man, supine, lying lifeless under the bare branches of a leafless tree. The sky is blue but you can see that with such a beautiful environment, it testifies to the fact that the conditions are such that a tree can flourish; however the tree under which the man lies is dead. Blake represents his poison tree and contrasts it with the real world. Another striking aspect of the illustration is the position of the man under the tree. His arms outstretched. What is strange is, in reference to the poem, that the man who lacked restraint and ate the apple is actually a symbol of the man who died for sins like the one he had just committed in Christ. Blake may have emphasized the ability to take for granted the sacrifice Christ made in dying for our sins. Blake was an avid reader of the Bible and such references were very characteristic of the time. A Poison Tree" is the ideal poem for Blake's Songs of Experience. Blake realizes that innocence is not just purely good or purely evil experience. Although Blake uses "A Poison Tree" to highlight the lack of self-control and restraint in man, also shows the tempter, the serpent, with a conscience, which differs greatly from the Bible. Overall, I believe the poem is one of Blake's best works from Songs of Experience, the symbolism and illustration really set this poem apart. from the others. Choosing a poem from the English Romanticism era, I found one that particularly stands out from the others. A poem that had a certain depth, in that I could not understand and feel what the poem was expressing itself at first sight a poem that has a sense of mystery around it. These characteristics are exceptionally evident in William Blake's poem "A Poison tree" William Blake was a British poet and painter born in 1757 to a father who was "Anger", "wrath" and “fear” are very prominent in the short sixteen line piece and overwhelm you from the start. In this article it will be discussed that "A poisonous tree" is a symbol of the lack of restraint and self-control in man. An argument that Blake, if he refers to himself in the poem, uses himself like the serpent of the Garden of Eden, except as a serpent with a conscience. The first verse juxtaposes the idea of friend and foe quite elegantly. The versereads: "I was angry with my friend/I told my anger, my anger is over./I was angry with my enemy/I didn't tell, my anger grew" (Songs of Experience Pg.38) . The contrast in actions regarding a “friend” versus an “enemy” is the relevant theme in this stanza. Striking are the different ways in which Blake, if he is actually referring to himself in this poem, deals with anger towards a "friend" and vice versa towards an adversary. When angry with a friend, Blake is able to control his anger and contain it in a finite sense. On the other hand, Blake shows little forgiveness for an enemy. Blake's harshness and lack of repentance towards the man in this poem cannot be fully realized until one looks at the last two stanzas and the illustration. The second verse reads: “And I watered it with fears,/ Night and morning with my tears:/ And I exposed it to the sun with smiles./ And with sweet deceitful wiles” (Songs of Experience Pg.39). This verse is completely focused on the tree from which the "enemy" would later steal an apple. Blake is obviously creating a symbol and allegory in reference to the Bible and the Garden of Eden. Now the question is whether Blake's tree symbolizes, according to the Bible, the tree of good and evil or the tree of life. Does it matter which tree was symbolized here? These are questions that need to be answered to fully understand the poem. To achieve this, some knowledge of the Bible is necessary. A tree in the Garden of Eden is the tree of good and evil; this is the tree from which Eve took fruit (not an apple) and shared it with Adam. Satan, in the form of a serpent, tempted Eve by telling her that she would be wise and know the difference between good and evil if she ate the fruit of the tree. The second tree is the tree of life which also contains the fruit, which if eaten will bring eternal life to those who eat it. Because Adam and Eve ate from the tree of good and evil, they were not allowed to eat from the tree of life and were therefore banished from Eden. Only from the second stanza is it impossible to make reference to which tree is being referred to. Interestingly, Blake states: "And I watered it with fears" (Songs of Experience Pg.39). Blake's "anger" was accompanied by "fear." Afraid of what? Could it be the fear of Blake's enemy? Or could it be the fear that the fruit of the tree could be stolen? It can be assumed that Blake's fear stems from his actions in lines 6-9; “Night and morning with my tears:/ And I soothed him with smiles./ And with sweet deceitful wiles” (Songs of Experience Pg.39). Blake was afraid his actions would eventually produce a "poisonous tree" that could lure and inflict pain on his enemy. Blake is showing some signs of consciousness, such as creating something that was both enticing and deadly. However, the only major difference from the Bible is that the serpent never had a conscience. Blake states that he, referring to the tree, "took it in the sun with smiles. / And with sweet deceitful wiles" (Songs of Experience Pg.39). It is Blake's "deceitful wiles" that allow him to cultivate this poisonous tree and return the deception Blake received to his "enemy." It is important to note that Blake's enemy did not become one by stealing an apple from his tree. Blake was already angry at this man. Evidence of this can be seen in the third stanza. The third verse reads, “And it grew day and night./ Till it gave a bright apple./ And my enemy saw it shine./ And he knew it was mine” (Songs of Experience Pg. 39). Blake's enemy "saw him shine." If his enemy saw the apple, then it must be concluded that this man was Blake's opponent before watering and cultivatingthe tree. Knowing this is essential because it helps to fully understand the first verse. For example, if Blake was angry at his enemy just because he stole from his tree, the first stanza would serve as a summary of the next three stanzas. The first stanza is not a summary but an introduction to the rest of the story of the poem. Once you understand the third verse, you can now return to my initial question about the tree. Is the tree a representation of the tree of good and evil, the tree of life, or neither? Since both trees in the Garden of Eden contained fruit like Blake's, this only adds to the remarkable similarity in the imagery that Blake uses in reference to the Garden of Eden. In any case there is not yet enough evidence to make a convincing case. An instrumental line in the third verse is in line thirteen, which states: "And my enemy saw it shine" (Songs of Experience Pg.39). The proof is that the apple is tempting. Through the application of splendor, the image of a very seductive and breathtaking fruit is constructed. Blake does this to further reinforce the fact that he is playing the part of the snake. Blake was the one who created this eye-catching apple and his aim was to tempt his rival to his downfall. The climax of the poem comes in the fourth and final stanza. It reads: “And in my garden I stole./ When the night had veiled the post./ In the morning I see happily./ My enemy lay beneath the tree” (Songs of Experience Pg. 39). Night covered or veiled Blake's garden and allowed the enemy to steal the tree. One might also conclude, although there is no complete evidence for this, that the night refers directly to Blake's role as serpent or Satan. In the literary world, such as Dante's Inferno, and in more conventional mediums such as the Bible, God is understood to be all. This includes light and abandons everything else. Since evil things are what God is not, the darkness of night would be a logical companion for the serpent to possess as a tool to tempt the enemy towards the tree. The last two lines of the poem capture the entire mood of the poem as a whole. Blake states, “In the morning I am glad to see./ My enemy lay under the tree” (Damrosch 125). Blake's opponent has eaten the apple and now lies "under the tree". Knowing that the man who ate the apple is dead, he settles the dispute over the tree he ate from. As mentioned above, the tree of life, if eaten, will generate eternal life. It is safe to say that Blake's tree was not an allegory for the tree of life. The tree of good and evil allows us to know the differentiation of good from evil. The evidence for Blake's reference to this tree is not indisputable, however Blake was ultimately referring to the tree of good and evil because, as in the first stanza, the poem revolves around good and evil, "friend" and "enemy ". The problem is that death does not result directly from eating the fruit of the tree of good and evil. However, Blake deliberately left room for speculation as to how the man ultimately ended up "lying under the tree". Adam and Eve were eventually banished from the Garden of Eden for eating from the tree of good and evil and were ultimately deprived of eternal life. In a sense, the tree was responsible for their downfall just as Blake's tree could be seen as the reason for his enemy's death. Not only did the apple lead to the fall of man, but also to the lack of restraint which is a symbol of the abandonment of self-control in every man. The illustration that drives the poem is such that it can be considered one of Blake's greatest works. The artwork focuses on a man, supine, lying lifeless under the bare branches of a treewithout leaves. The sky is blue but you can see that with such a beautiful environment, it testifies to the fact that the conditions are such that a tree can flourish; however the tree under which the man lies is dead. Blake represents his poison tree and contrasts it with the real world. Another striking aspect of the illustration is the position of the man under the tree. His arms outstretched. What is strange is, in reference to the poem, that the man who lacked restraint and ate the apple is actually a symbol of the man who died for sins like the one he had just committed in Christ. Blake may have emphasized the ability to take for granted the sacrifice Christ made in dying for our sins. Blake was an avid reader of the Bible and such references were very characteristic of the time. A Poison Tree" is the ideal poem for Blake's Songs of Experience. Blake realizes that innocence is not just purely good or purely evil experience. Although Blake uses "A Poison Tree" to highlight the lack of self-control and restraint in man, also shows the tempter, the serpent, with a conscience, which differs greatly from the Bible. Overall, I believe the poem is one of Blake's best works from Songs of Experience, symbolism and illustration really distinguishes this poem from others The idea of friend and enemy in a rather elegant way. The verse goes: "I was angry with my friend/I told my anger, my anger is over./I was angry with my enemy/I didn't say it, my anger has grown." The contrast in actions relating to a "friend" versus an "enemy" is the relevant theme in this stanza. Striking are the different ways in which Blake, if indeed he refers to himself in this poem, deal with anger towards a "friend" and vice versa towards an opponent. When angry with a friend, Blake is able to control his anger and contain it in a finite sense. On the other hand, Blake shows little forgiveness for an enemy. Blake's harshness and lack of repentance towards the man in this poem cannot be fully realized until one looks at the last two stanzas and the illustration. The second verse reads, “And I watered it with fears, / Night and morning with my tears.” :/ And I solarized it with smiles./ And with sweet deceitful wiles." This stanza is completely centered on the tree from which the "enemy" would later steal an apple. Blake is obviously creating a symbol and allegory in reference to the Bible and the Garden of Eden. Now the question is whether Blake's tree symbolizes, according to the Bible, the tree of good and evil or the tree of life you need to answer to fully understand the poem. To achieve this requires some knowledge of the Bible. A tree in the Garden of Eden is the tree of good and evil; this is the tree from which Eve took the fruit ( not an apple) and shared it with Adam. Satan, in the form of a serpent, tempted Eve by telling her that she would be wise and know the difference between good and evil if she ate the fruit of the tree. tree of life which also contains the fruit, which if eaten will bring eternal life to those who eat it. Because Adam and Eve ate from the tree of good and evil, they were not allowed to eat from the tree of life and were therefore banished from Eden. Only from the second stanza is it impossible to make reference to which tree is being referred to. Interestingly, Blake states: "And I watered it with fears." Blake's "anger" was accompanied by "fear." Afraid of what? Could it be the fear of Blake's enemy? Or could it be the fear that the fruit of the tree could be stolen? It can be assumed that Blake's fear stems from his actions in thelines 6-9; “Night and morning with my tears:/ And I took him in the sun with smiles./ And with soft deceitful wiles” Blake was afraid of his actions that would eventually produce a “poisonous tree” that could attract and inflict pain to his enemy. Blake is showing some signs of awareness, such as creating something that was both enticing and deadly. However, the only major difference from the Bible is that the serpent never had a conscience. Blake states that he, referring to the tree, "has sunned it with smiles./ And with soft deceitful wiles." It is Blake's "deceitful wiles" that allow him to cultivate this poisonous tree and return the deception Blake received to his "enemy." It is important to note that Blake's enemy did not become one by stealing an apple from his tree. Blake was already angry at this man. Evidence of this can be seen in the third stanza. The third verse reads, “And it grew day and night./ Till it gave a shining apple./ And my enemy saw it shine./ And he knew it was mine.” Blake's enemy "saw him shine." If his enemy saw the apple, then it must be concluded that this man was Blake's opponent before he watered and cultivated the tree. Knowing this is essential because it helps to fully understand the first verse. For example, if Blake was angry at his enemy just because he stole from his tree, the first stanza would serve as a summary of the next three stanzas. The first stanza is not a summary but an introduction to the rest of the story of the poem. Once you understand the third verse, you can now go back to my initial question about the tree. Is the tree a representation of the tree of good and evil, the tree of life, or neither? Since both trees in the Garden of Eden contained fruit like Blake's, this only adds to the remarkable similarity in the imagery that Blake uses in reference to the Garden of Eden. In any case there is not yet enough evidence to make a convincing case. An instrumental line in the third stanza is in verse thirteen, which states, "And my enemy saw it shining." The proof is that the apple is tempting. Through the application of splendor, the image of a very seductive and breathtaking fruit is constructed. Blake does this to further reinforce the fact that he is playing the part of the snake. Blake was the one who created this eye-catching apple and his aim was to tempt his rival to his downfall. The climax of the poem comes in the fourth and final stanza. It reads: “And in my garden I stole./ When the night had veiled the post./ In the morning I am happy to see./ My enemy stretched under the tree.” Night covered or veiled Blake's garden and allowed the enemy to steal the tree. One might also conclude, although there is no complete evidence for this, that the night refers directly to Blake's role as serpent or Satan. In the literary world, such as Dante's Inferno, and in more conventional mediums such as the Bible, God is understood to be all. This includes light and abandons everything else. Since evil things are what God is not, the darkness of night would be a logical companion for the serpent to possess as a tool to tempt the enemy towards the tree. The last two lines of the poem capture the entire mood of the poem as a whole. Blake states, “In the morning I am glad to see./ My enemy lay under the tree” (Damrosch 125). Blake's opponent has eaten the apple and now lies "under the tree". Knowing that the man who ate the apple is dead, he settles the dispute over the tree he ate from. As mentioned above, the tree of life, if eaten, will generate eternal life. It is safe to say that Blake's tree was not an allegory.
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