A Poison Tree by William Blake

Which line indicates that the speaker’s wrath increased over time?

• "Night & morning with my tears"
• "Till it bore an apple bright"
• "I was angry with my foe"
• "And it grew both day and night"

Reread the last two lines: "In the morning glad I see; My foe outstretched beneath the tree."
Which statement is the best interpretation of these lines?

• The speaker and the foe become friends.
• The speaker finds his foe dead on the ground.
• The speaker gets over his anger in a healthy manner.
• The speakers finds his foe taking a nap beneath the apple tree. 

"And I sunned it with smiles,
And with soft deceitful wiles."
What do these lines convey to the reader?

• The speaker’s way of pretending to be friendly in order to bring the 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 is the poem’s theme?

• Lashing out at someone is an acceptable way to deal with anger.
• Patience and tolerance are important to solve problems. 
• It is important to express your anger or it will intensify. 
• Allowing anger to grow is healthy.

Re-read lines 9 and 10: "And it grew both day and night, Till it bore an apple bright."  
What does the apple most likely symbolize? 

• displeasure
• lies
• confusion
• hatred

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. 

In the third stanza, the word beheld means 

• caused to.
• imagined.
• noticed.
• stole.

What impact does the title, "A Poison Tree," have on the poem?

• It conveys the idea of a garden.
• It conveys the toxic personality of the speaker.
• It's a symbol for the speaker's foe.
• It's an extended metaphor that conveys the author's attitude.

Which of the following best describes the speaker's attitude towards his wrath?

• anxious
• bitter
• admiring
• supportive

Which of the following sets of words contribute to the extended metaphor?

• grow, watered, sunned
• knew, veiled, garden
• bright, beheld, beneath
• apple, night, wiles