Sunday, March 20, 2011
Poetry Blog 10
"A Poison Tree" by William Blake describes how anger can be different, depending on who it is directed towards. The first stanza gives a synopsis of what the rest will describe: When angry with a friend, one usually talks it out with the friend, and the feelings go away. However, with a "foe," this is not at all the case. Here, Blake begins an extended metaphor of the wrath felt for an enemy; it grows and becomes like a tree. In the next stanza, Blake uses the same metaphor to explain that the tree is "watered" and "sunned" by brooding over the bad feelings and plotting against the foe. When I got to the third stanza, the mention of the apple brought me to the realization that the metaphor of the tree was very similar to the Tree of Knowledge from Genesis, and the apple like the tree's forbidden fruit. However the apple also made me think of Snow White, because the tree is referred to as "Poison" and the apple eventually kills the foe. But, the poison apple idea in Snow White could have also come from the Genesis allusion. I think the overall message of the poem is interesting, and quite true: When you allow rage to grow, it often causes people to do a lot more harm than originally intended. But, when anger is worked through and talked out, it does not grow into a poison tree, but rather just "end[s]."
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After reading the comment you left on my blog, I decided to read yours because I was interested on what your interpretation was... I think you are right, both of our interpretations could make sense...I really liked yours though, about the poison apple and hatred going too far. I guess our only difference was that I interpreted the "foe outstretched underneath the tree" was the foe who won because he was still alive and "under the shade" and you interpreted it as him being dead.
ReplyDeleteCool thoughts, it was nice t see it from a different perspective.(:
I really liked this poem as well. I could really relate to the poem mself because i used to have anger issues and it is so true that if you just talk out the problems they dont look like problems anymore they just look like obstacles that can be overcome. I like that you talked about the apple and the tree of knowledge in the book of genesis because that is what i immediately thought of as well and how we werent meant to eat that and we arent meant to live in anger or want a foe to fall. But we are supposed to love our foe. This was a great interpretation or analysis whatever you want to call it! haha but it was good!
ReplyDeleteNice comments. I don't feel like I have anything more to add! :)
ReplyDelete