A Poison Tree - William Blake

​A Poison Tree - William Blake

​William Blake (1757-1827) was an 18th century British artist and poet known in part for his richly illustrated poetry collections Songs of Innocence and Songs of Experience. As the two titles suggest, Blake viewed the world in contrasts. The poems in Songs of Innocence focus on the naivety and simplicity of youth, while the poems from the later Experience volume explore the darker, corrupted side of human nature. “A Poison Tree” is from Songs of Experience.

​Behold (verb) - to see or observe something or someone remarkable

Deceitful (adjective) - dishonest, with the aim of tricking others

Shine (verb) - to give off light

Wile (noun) - a trick used to outwit someone

Wrath (noun) - Strong anger

Multiple Choice

The best definition for BEHOLD is:

• dishonest, with the aim of tricking others

• to see or observe something or someone remarkable

• to give off light

• strong anger

​Sample sentence for BEHOLD:

I stand in awe as I behold the Statue of Liberty for the first time.

Open Ended

You try! Write a sentence for BEHOLD!

Drag and Drop

The best SYNONYM for BEHOLD is:​

Placeholder

Drag these tiles and drop them in the correct blank above

observe

ignore 

overlook

miss

​​Behold (verb) - to see or observe something or someone remarkable

Deceitful (adjective) - dishonest, with the aim of tricking others

Shine (verb) - to give off light

Wile (noun) - a trick used to outwit someone

Wrath (noun) - Strong anger

Multiple Choice

The correct sentence using DECEITFUL is:

• The flowers looked deceitful as they swayed in the breeze.

• She was feeling deceitful after finishing the marathon.

• His handwriting is so deceitful it’s hard to read.

• The salesman’s deceitful tactics tricked customers into buying faulty products.

​SAMPLE SENTENCE for DECEITFUL:

Monkeys can be deceitful just like humans, and will trick other monkeys in order to get food.

Open Ended

YOU TRY! Write a sentence using DECEITFUL.

Draw

Draw a picture to help you remember the word DECEITFUL!

​TIME TO STRETCH!

Shine (verb) - to give off light

Wrath (noun) - Strong anger

Open Ended

Type a sentence using the verb SHINE:

Multiple Choice

The correct sentence for the word shine is:

• She shine her shoes every morning before work.

• The sun began to shine brightly through the clouds.

• They were shine the flashlight into the dark cave.

• The painting shine beautifully under the dim light.

​WILE - a trick used to outwit someone

Multiple Choice

Which sentence is INCORRECT for "wile?"

• I need to wile the clothes before hanging them out to dry.

• The fox’s wile allowed it to escape from the hunter’s trap.

• His charm and wile were enough to win over the skeptical audience.

• She used her wiles to convince the merchant to lower the price of the fabric.

Multiple Choice

Which is the best SYNONYM for "wrath?"

• calmness

• fury

• peace

• forgiveness

Multiple Choice

The INCORRECT sentence for "wrath" is:

• The king’s wrath was swift and merciless toward those who betrayed him.

• Her wrath was evident in the sharp tone of her voice.

• The storm unleashed its wrath upon the small coastal town.

• He expressed his wrath by sending flowers to apologize.

Open Ended

Write a short paragraph using wrath, deceitful, wile, behold and shine!