A Poison Tree by William Blake

From stanza 1, who is the speaker angry with at first?

• a friend

• a foe

• a tree

• himself

In stanza 1, what does line 3 through 4 tell the reader?

• The speaker has a difficult time speaking with people.

• The speaker’s unwillingness to share their frustration with their enemy causes their anger to increase.

• The speaker wishes he could share with his friend how irritated he is.

• The speaker has an increasing amount of furry towards their friend and enemy.

  HIDE ANSWER

The second stanza shows that the speaker

• does not want to stay mad at his foe.

• cannot help becoming angrier.

• gets pleasure from hating his foe.

• has a forgiving nature.

Why did the speaker’s anger grow?

• He refused to name his enemy.

• He didn’t tell his enemy why he was angry.

• He realized that his friend had become his foe.

• He refused to face his enemy.

And I sunned it with smiles,

And with soft deceitful wiles.

These two lines convey to the reader

• The speaker’s way of pretending to be friendly in order to bring their enemy closer.

• How the sun makes the speaker smile.

• The speaker’s explanation for his rage.

• Why the speaker seeks revenge against his friends.

What happen when the speaker does not tell his anger to his foe?

• The anger disappear.

• Happier

• Angrier

• Slower

the symbol of anger

• lemon tree
• apple tree
• mangosteen garden
• secret garden

In the end of the poem, what happens to the speaker's foe?

• The speaker and the foe become friends.

• The speaker finds his foe dead on the ground.

• The speaker continues to grow apple trees.

• The speaker finds his foe taking a nap beneath the apple tree.

Which of the following is the best theme for "A Poison Tree"?

• Deceitful people are always punished by their own trickery.

• Envy and greed can permanently damage a relationship.

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

• A healthy friendship is built on trust and communication.

How does the conclusion of the poem impact the poem’s theme?

• The foe did not know the apple was poison because of the speakers "deceitful wiles"

• The foe, stole and ate the apple and died. So the bottled up anger did lead to violence.

• The foe took a nap in the shade of the poison tree.

• The foe was trespassing.