A Poison Tree

Read the stanza and answer the multiple choice questions that follow.

Stanza 1

I was angry with my friend;

I told my wrath, my wrath did end.

I was angry with my foe;

I told it not, my wrath did grow.

 

The speaker deals with their anger by

• A. Not telling their friend that they are angry, and by telling their enemy instead.

• B. Telling their friend that they are angry, but not telling their enemy.

• C. Not telling either friend or their enemy that they are angry.

• D. Telling both their friend and their enemy that they are angry.

Read the stanza and answer the multiple choice questions that follow.

Stanza 1

I was angry with my friend;

I told my wrath, my wrath did end.

I was angry with my foe;

I told it not, my wrath did grow.

 

How do the speaker’s actions in the first stanza provoke action in the poem?

• A. The speaker expresses their anger to their friend but withholds this anger from their foe, creating some tension between the friend and the foe.

• B. The speaker tricks the foe into trusting them by hiding their anger in the first stanza and offering the foe a poisoned apple later on in the poem.

• C. The speaker does not express their anger to their foe, and because of this, their anger worsens until it eventually grows into a poisonous tree.

• D. The speaker acts differently towards their friend than their foe, which makes the foe jealous and pushes them to steal from the speaker.

Read the stanza and answer the multiple choice questions that follow.

Stanza 1

I was angry with my friend;

I told my wrath, my wrath did end.

I was angry with my foe;

I told it not, my wrath did grow.

What does the word “wrath” mean in the poem?

• A. Calm

• B. Happiness

• C. Anger

• D. Unhappiness

Read the stanza and answer the multiple choice questions that follow.

Stanza 2

And I watered it in fears,

Night & morning with my tears;

And I sunned it with smiles, 

And with soft deceitful wiles.

What impact does the figurative language in lines 5-8 have on the poem’s meaning?

• A. The speaker’s wrath ripens like a piece of fruit that, like the foe, is outwardly beautiful but inwardly rotten.

• B. The speaker tends to their wrath like a pant, implying that the speaker actually does care for the foe because of all the attention they pay to them.

• C. The speaker’s wrath grows every time their foe smiles at or acts kindly toward the speaker, which suggests that nothing can overcome hatred.

• D. The speaker tends to their wrath like a plant that later produces a poised fruit, implying that anger can feel satisfying but is toxic to let grow.

Read the stanza and answer the multiple choice questions that follow.

Stanza 2

And I watered it in fears,

Night & morning with my tears;

And I sunned it with smiles, 

And with soft deceitful wiles.

 

In stanza two, what do the speaker’s tears signify? 

• A. The speaker’s tears symbolize happiness.

• B. The speaker's tears symbolize water.

• C. The speaker’s tears symbolize excitement in his voice

• D. The speaker’s tears symbolize eagerness for revenge.

Read the stanza and answer the multiple choice questions that follow.

Stanza 3 

And it grew both day and night.

Till it bore an apple bright.

And my foe beheld it shine,

And he knew that it was mine.

What happens to the speaker's anger towards their enemy, or foe?

• A. It decreases as time goes on.

• B. It dies from being watered too much.

• C. It worsens as the speaker becomes more afraid.

• D. It grows just like a plant does.

Read the stanza and answer the multiple choice questions that follow.

Stanza 4

And into my garden stole,

When the night had veiled the pole;

In the morning glad to see;

My foe outstretched beneath the tree. 

What happens to the speaker's enemy at the end of the poem?

• A. The speaker’s enemy eats the poison apple and is found dead under the tree.

• B. The speaker catches their enemy stealing and confronts them.

• C. The speaker’s enemy greets the morning happily and lies down beneath the tree.

• D. The speaker’s enemy rests against a pole and calmly eats an apple.

A Poison Tree 1794 

By William Blake

William Blake (1757-1827) was an English poet during the British Romantic literary period. As you read, take notes on Blake's use of symbolism throughout the poem.

1

I was angry with my friend;

I told my wrath, my wrath did end.

I was angry with my foe;

I told it not, my wrath did grow.

2

And I watered it in fears,

Night & morning with my tears;

And I sunned it with smiles, 

And with soft deceitful wiles.

3

And it grew both day and night.

Till it bore an apple bright.

And my foe beheld it shine,

And he knew that it was mine.

4

And into my garden stole,

When the night had veiled the pole;

In the morning glad to see;

My foe outstretched beneath the tree. 

Wrath (noun): extreme or violent anger

Wiles: clever strategies designed to manipulate or persuade someone to do what one wants

past tense of the word "bear," meaning to produce

 

 

 

Analyze stanzas 1-4 and answer the following multiple choice questions.

Part A: What is the theme of the poem?

• A. Deceitful people are always punished by their own trickery.

• B. Envy and greed can permanently damage a relationship.

• C. Bottling up one's feelings leads to resentment and even violence.

• D. A healthy friendship is built on trust and communication.

A Poison Tree 1794 

By William Blake

William Blake (1757-1827) was an English poet during the British Romantic literary period. As you read, take notes on Blake's use of symbolism throughout the poem.

1

I was angry with my friend;

I told my wrath, my wrath did end.

I was angry with my foe;

I told it not, my wrath did grow.

2

And I watered it in fears,

Night & morning with my tears;

And I sunned it with smiles, 

And with soft deceitful wiles.

3

And it grew both day and night.

Till it bore an apple bright.

And my foe beheld it shine,

And he knew that it was mine.

4

And into my garden stole,

When the night had veiled the pole;

In the morning glad to see;

My foe outstretched beneath the tree. 

Wrath (noun): extreme or violent anger

Wiles: clever strategies designed to manipulate or persuade someone to do what one wants

past tense of the word "bear," meaning to produce

 

 

Which of the following quotes best supports the answer to Part A?

• A. “ I was angry with my friend;/ I told my wrath, my wrath did end” (line 1-2)

• B. “I was angry with my foe;/ I told it not, my wrath did grow.” (line 3-4)

• C. “ And I sunned it with smiles,/And with soft deceitful wile.” (lines 7-8)

• D. “ And my foe beheld it shine,/ And he knew that it was mine.” (lines 11-12)

A Poison Tree 1794 

By William Blake

William Blake (1757-1827) was an English poet during the British Romantic literary period. As you read, take notes on Blake's use of symbolism throughout the poem.

1

I was angry with my friend;

I told my wrath, my wrath did end.

I was angry with my foe;

I told it not, my wrath did grow.

2

And I watered it in fears,

Night & morning with my tears;

And I sunned it with smiles, 

And with soft deceitful wiles.

3

And it grew both day and night.

Till it bore an apple bright.

And my foe beheld it shine,

And he knew that it was mine.

4

And into my garden stole,

When the night had veiled the pole;

In the morning glad to see;

My foe outstretched beneath the tree. 

Wrath (noun): extreme or violent anger

Wiles: clever strategies designed to manipulate or persuade someone to do what one wants

past tense of the word "bear," meaning to produce

 

 

 

What is the speaker’s perspective in the poem?

• A. The speaker's perspective is when you are angry with a friend, you convince yourself to forgive them and resolve the conflict. When angry with an enemy it takes much longer to forgive and the anger grows.

• B. The speaker's perspective is when you are angry with a friend, you convince yourself to not forgive them and not resolve the conflict.

• C. The speaker's perspective is when you are happy with a friend, you convince yourself to avoid conflict. When angry with an enemy it takes less time to forgive.

• D. The speaker's perspective is when you are happy with a friend, you convince yourself to create conflict. When angry with an enemy it takes more time to forgive.