An overview of the era of English Romanticism and the poem Poison Tree by William Blake from the start. In this article there will be an argument that "a poison tree" is a symbol of the lack of restraint and self-control in man. An argument that Blake, if he refers to himself in the poem, is using himself as the serpent in the Garden of Eden, except as a serpent with a conscience. Say no to plagiarism. Get a tailor-made essay on “Why Violent Video Games Should Not Be Banned”? Get an original essayThe first stanza shows In choosing a poem from the era of English Romanticism, I found one that particularly stands out among others. A poem that had some depth, in the sense that I couldn't understand and feel what the poem was expressing at first glance. It's a poem that exudes a kind of mystery. These characteristics are exceptionally evident in William Blake's poem "A Poison Tree". William Blake was a British poet and painter born in 1757 to a father who was a hosier. “Anger,” “wrath,” and “fear” are very present in this short piece of sixteen verses and engulf you from the start. In this article there will be an argument that "a poison tree" is a symbol of the lack of restraint and self-control in man. An argument that Blake, if he refers to himself in the poem, is using himself as the serpent in the Garden of Eden, except as a serpent with a conscience. The first stanza juxtaposes the idea of friend and foe in a rather elegant way. The stanza reads: “I was angry with my friend/I told my anger, my anger ended./I was angry with my enemy/I didn't say it, my anger grew” (Songs of Experience, page 38). The contrast between actions related to a “friend” versus an “enemy” is the relevant theme of this stanza. The different ways in which Blake, if indeed he is referring to himself in this poem, deals with anger towards a "friend" and conversely towards an adversary are striking. When angry with a friend, Blake is able to control his anger and bottle it up in a finite sense. On the other hand, Blake shows little forgiveness toward an enemy. Blake's harshness and lack of repentance towards the man in this poem can only be fully understood by looking at the last two stanzas as well as the illustration. The second stanza reads: "And I watered him with fears,/Night and morning with my tears:/And I sunny him with smiles./And with sweet deceitful wiles" (Songs of Experience , page 39). This stanza focuses entirely on the tree from which the “enemy” would later steal an apple. Blake is obviously making a symbol and an allegory in reference to the Bible and the Garden of Eden. Now the question is whether Blake's tree symbolizes, according to the Bible, the tree of good and evil or the tree of life. Is it important which tree is symbolized here? These are questions that must be answered to fully understand the poem. Some knowledge of the Bible is necessary to achieve this. A tree in the Garden of Eden is the tree of good and evil; this is the tree from which Eve took the fruit (but not an apple) and shared it with Adam. Satan, in the form of a serpent, tempted Eve by telling her that she would be wise and know the difference between good and evil if she ate the fruit of the tree. The second tree is the tree of life which also contains fruit which if eaten will bring eternal life to whoever eats it. Because Adam and Eve ate from the tree of good and evil, they were not allowed to eat from the tree of life and were therefore banished from Eden. From theonly second stanza it is impossible to refer to which tree is being referred to. Interestingly, Blake says, “And I water it with fears” (Songs of Experience, page 39). Blake's "anger" was accompanied by "fear." Fear of what? Could it be the fear of Blake's enemy? Or could it be the fear that the fruit from the tree will be stolen? It can be assumed that Blake's fear stems from his actions in lines 6-9; “Night & morning with my tears:/ And I sunny it with smiles./ And with sweet deceptive wiles” (Songs of Experience, page 39). Blake was afraid his actions would eventually produce a "poison tree" that could attract and inflict pain. on his enemy, Blake shows signs of awareness, such as creating something tempting and yet also deadly. However, the only instrumental difference from the Bible is that the serpent never had consciousness. Blake mentions this, referring to the Bible. tree, “sunned him with smiles./And with sweet deceitful wiles” (Songs of Experience Pg.39). It is Blake's "deceptive wiles" that allow him to feed this poisoned tree and return the deception Blake received. "enemy". It is important to note that Blake's enemy did not become his enemy by stealing an apple from his tree. Blake was already angry with this man. The third stanza reads: “And.” it grew day and night./Until it yielded a shining apple./And my enemy saw it shining./And he knew it was mine” (Songs of Experience, p. 39). Blake's enemy "saw it shine." If his enemy saw the apple, then we must conclude that this man was Blake's adversary before he watered and nourished the tree. is crucial because it helps to fully understand the first stanza For example, if Blake was angry at his enemy only because he stole his tree, then the first stanza would serve as a summary for the next three stanzas. is not a summary but an introduction to the rest of the story of the poem With the third stanza understood, we can now return to my initial question about the tree being a representation of the tree of good and. evil, the tree of life, or neither? Given that both trees in the Garden of Eden contained fruit like Blake's, this only adds to the remarkable similarity of the images that Blake uses in reference to the Garden of Eden. There is still not enough evidence to make a convincing case one way or the other. An instrumental line in the third stanza is line thirteen, which states: “And my enemy saw it shine” (Songs of Experience, page 39). The proof is given that the apple is tempting. Through the brilliant application, the imagery of a very seductive and breathtaking fruit is built. Blake does this to further reinforce the fact that he is playing the role of the snake. It was Blake who created this captivating apple and his goal was to lure his rival to his downfall. The climax of the poem comes in the fourth and final stanza. We can read: “And I entered my garden./ When the night had veiled the post./ In the morning, I am happy to see./ My enemy lay under the tree” (Songs of Experience , page 39). The night covered or veiled Blake's garden and allowed the enemy to steal the tree. One could even conclude, although complete proof of this is not present, that the night directly references Blake's role as the serpent or Satan. In the literary world, such as Dante's Inferno, and in more conventional means such as the Bible, it is understood that God is everything. This includes light and abandons everything else. Since evil things are what God is not, the darkness of night would be alogical companion that the snake could possess as a tool to tempt the enemy towards the tree. The last two lines of the poem capture the whole mood of the poem as a whole. Blake states, “In the morning I am glad to see./My enemy lying under the tree” (Damrosch 125). Blake's opponent has eaten the apple and is now "under the tree." Knowing that the man who ate the apple is dead resolves the dispute over which tree he ate from. As mentioned earlier, the tree of life, if eaten, will bring forth eternal life. It is safe to say that Blake's tree was not an allegory for the tree of life. The tree of good and evil allows us to differentiate between good and evil. The evidence for Blake's reference to this tree is not indisputable, but Blake was ultimately referring to the tree of good and evil because, as in the first stanza, the poem revolves around good and evil, from " friend” and “enemy”. The problem is that death does not come directly from eating from the tree of good and evil. However, Blake deliberately left room for speculation as to how the man ultimately ended up "lying under the tree." Adam and Eve were ultimately banished from the Garden of Eden for eating from the tree of good and evil and were ultimately deprived of eternal life. In a sense, the tree was responsible for their downfall, just as Blake's tree could be seen as the reason for his enemy's demise. Not only did the apple lead to the fall of man, but also to the lack of restraint which is a symbol of the abandonment of self-control in every man. The illustration that guides the poem is such that it can be considered one of Blake's greatest works. The work centers around a man, on his back, lying lifeless under the barren branches of a leafless tree. The sky is blue but we can guess that with such a pleasant environment, it proves that the conditions are such that a tree should thrive; however the tree under which the man is located is dead. Blake depicts his own poison tree and contrasts it with the real world. Another striking aspect of the illustration is the way the man is placed under the tree. His arms outstretched. The strange thing is that, in reference to the poem, the man who lacked restraint and ate the apple is actually a symbol for the man who died for sins such as the one he just committed by Christ. Blake may have been emphasizing the ability to take for granted the sacrifice Christ made in dying for our sins. Blake was an avid reader of the Bible, and such references were very characteristic of the times. “A Poison Tree” is the ideal poem for Blake’s songs of experience. Blake realizes that innocence is not just purely good or a purely bad experience. Although Blake uses "A Poison Tree" to emphasize the lack of self-control and restraint in man. , it also shows the tempter, the serpent, with a conscience, which differs greatly from the Bible. Overall, I believe the poem is one of Blake's best works from Songs of Experience. I think Blake's use of imagery and allegory. , the symbolism and illustration really set this poem apart from others. In choosing a poem from the era of English Romanticism, I found one that particularly stands out among others. A poem that had some depth, in the sense that I couldn't understand and feel what the poem was. expressing at first sight. It is a poem that had a feeling of mystery. These characteristics are exceptionally evident in William Blake's poem "A Poison Tree". William Blake was a British poet and painter born in 1757 to a father who was. “Anger”, “wrath” and “fear” arevery present in this short piece of sixteen verses and engulf you from the start. In this article there will be an argument that "a poison tree" is a symbol of the lack of restraint and self-control in man. An argument that Blake, if he refers to himself in the poem, is using himself as the serpent in the Garden of Eden, except as a serpent with a conscience. The first stanza juxtaposes the idea of friend and foe in a rather elegant way. The stanza reads: “I was angry with my friend/I told my anger, my anger ended./I was angry with my enemy/I didn't say it, my anger grew” (Songs of Experience, page 38). The contrast between actions related to a “friend” versus an “enemy” is the relevant theme of this stanza. The different ways in which Blake, if indeed he is referring to himself in this poem, deals with anger towards a "friend" and conversely towards an adversary are striking. When angry with a friend, Blake is able to control his anger and bottle it up in a finite sense. On the other hand, Blake shows little forgiveness toward an enemy. Blake's harshness and lack of repentance towards the man in this poem can only be fully understood by looking at the last two stanzas as well as the illustration. The second stanza reads: "And I watered him with fears,/Night and morning with my tears:/And I sunny him with smiles./And with sweet deceitful wiles" (Songs of Experience , page 39). This stanza focuses entirely on the tree from which the “enemy” would later steal an apple. Blake is obviously making a symbol and an allegory in reference to the Bible and the Garden of Eden. Now the question is whether Blake's tree symbolizes, according to the Bible, the tree of good and evil or the tree of life. Is it important which tree is symbolized here? These are questions that must be answered to fully understand the poem. Some knowledge of the Bible is necessary to achieve this. A tree in the Garden of Eden is the tree of good and evil; this is the tree from which Eve took the fruit (but not an apple) and shared it with Adam. Satan, in the form of a serpent, tempted Eve by telling her that she would be wise and know the difference between good and evil if she ate the fruit of the tree. The second tree is the tree of life which also contains fruit which if eaten will bring eternal life to whoever eats it. Because Adam and Eve ate from the tree of good and evil, they were not allowed to eat from the tree of life and were therefore banished from Eden. From the second stanza alone it is impossible to refer to which tree is being referred to. Interestingly, Blake says, “And I water it with fears” (Songs of Experience, page 39). Blake's "anger" was accompanied by "fear." Fear of what? Could it be the fear of Blake's enemy? Or could it be the fear that the fruit from the tree will be stolen? It can be assumed that Blake's fear stems from his actions in lines 6-9; “Night and morning with my tears:/And I sunny it with smiles./And with sweet deceitful wiles” (Songs of Experience, page 39). Blake feared his actions would eventually produce a "poison tree" that could attract and inflict pain on his enemy. Blake shows signs of awareness, such as creating something tempting and yet also deadly. However, the only essential difference from the Bible is that the serpent never had a conscience. Blake mentions that he, referring to the tree, "sunlit it with smiles./And with sweet deceitful wiles" (Songs of Experience, page 39). It is Blake's "deceptive wiles" that allow him to feed this poison tree and return the deception Blake received to his "enemy." He isIt is important to note that Blake's enemy did not become one by stealing an apple from his tree. Blake was already angry with this man. The proof of this can be seen in the third stanza. The third stanza reads: “And it grew day and night./Till it bore a shining apple./And my enemy saw it shining./And he knew it was mine” (Songs of experience, page 39). Blake's enemy "saw him shine." If his enemy saw the apple, then we must conclude that this man was Blake's adversary before he watered and fed the tree. Knowing this is crucial because it helps to fully understand the first stanza. For example, if Blake was angry at his enemy only because he stole his tree, then the first stanza would serve as a summary for the next three stanzas. The first stanza is not a summary but an introduction to the rest of the story in the poem. With the third stanza understood, we can now return to my initial question about the tree. Is the tree a representation of the tree of good and evil, the tree of life, or neither? Since both trees in the Garden of Eden contained fruit like Blake's, this only adds to the remarkable similarity of the imagery Blake uses in reference to the Garden of Eden. There is still not enough evidence to make a convincing case one way or the other. An instrumental line in the third stanza is line thirteen, which states: “And my enemy saw it shine” (Songs of Experience, page 39). The proof is given that the apple is tempting. Through the brilliant application, the imagery of a very seductive and breathtaking fruit is built. Blake does this to further reinforce the fact that he is playing the role of the snake. It was Blake who created this captivating apple and his goal was to lure his rival to his downfall. The climax of the poem comes in the fourth and final stanza. We can read: “And I entered my garden./ When the night had veiled the post./ In the morning, I am happy to see./ My enemy lay under the tree” (Songs of Experience , page 39). The night covered or veiled Blake's garden and allowed the enemy to steal the tree. One could even conclude, although complete proof of this is not present, that the night directly references Blake's role as the serpent or Satan. In the literary world, such as Dante's Inferno, and in more conventional means such as the Bible, it is understood that God is everything. This includes light and abandons everything else. Since evil things are what God is not, the darkness of night would be a logical companion for the serpent to possess as a tool to tempt the enemy to the tree. The last two lines of the poem capture the whole mood of the poem as a whole. Blake states, “In the morning I am glad to see./My enemy lying under the tree” (Damrosch 125). Blake's opponent has eaten the apple and is now "under the tree." Knowing that the man who ate the apple is dead resolves the dispute over which tree he ate from. As mentioned earlier, the tree of life, if eaten, will bring forth eternal life. It is safe to say that Blake's tree was not an allegory for the tree of life. The tree of good and evil allows us to differentiate between good and evil. The evidence for Blake's reference to this tree is not indisputable, but Blake was ultimately referring to the tree of good and evil because, as in the first stanza, the poem revolves around good and evil, of " friend” and “enemy”. The problem is that death does not come directly from eating from the tree of good and evil. However, Blake deliberately left room for speculation as to how the man ultimately ended up "lying under the tree." Adam and Eve haveultimately banished from the Garden of Eden for eating from the tree of good and evil and were ultimately deprived of eternal life. In a sense, the tree was responsible for their downfall, just as Blake's tree could be seen as the reason for his enemy's demise. Not only did the apple lead to the fall of man, but also to the lack of restraint which is a symbol of the abandonment of self-control in every man. The illustration that guides the poem is such that it can be considered one of Blake's greatest works. The work centers around a man, on his back, lying lifeless under the barren branches of a leafless tree. The sky is blue but we can guess that with such a pleasant environment, it proves that the conditions are such that a tree should thrive; however the tree under which the man is located is dead. Blake depicts his own poison tree and contrasts it with the real world. Another striking aspect of the illustration is the way the man is placed under the tree. His arms outstretched. The strange thing is that, in reference to the poem, the man who lacked restraint and ate the apple is actually a symbol for the man who died for sins such as the one he just committed by Christ. Blake may have been emphasizing the ability to take for granted the sacrifice Christ made in dying for our sins. Blake was an avid reader of the Bible, and such references were very characteristic of the times. “A Poison Tree” is the ideal poem for Blake’s songs of experience. Blake realizes that innocence is not just purely good or a purely bad experience. Although Blake uses "A Poison Tree" to emphasize the lack of self-control and restraint in man. , it also shows the tempter, the serpent, with a conscience, which differs greatly from the Bible. Overall, I believe the poem is one of Blake's best works from Songs of Experience. I think Blake's use of imagery and allegory. , the symbolism and illustration really sets this poem apart from others. the idea of friend and foe in a rather elegant way. The stanza reads: "I was angry with my friend/I spoke my anger, my anger ended./I was angry with my enemy/I didn't say it, my anger grew up.” The contrast between actions related to a “friend” versus an “enemy” is the relevant theme of this stanza. The different ways in which Blake, if indeed he is referring to himself in this poem, deals with anger towards a "friend" and conversely towards an adversary are striking. When angry with a friend, Blake is able to control his anger and bottle it up in a finite sense. On the other hand, Blake shows little forgiveness toward an enemy. Blake's harshness and lack of repentance towards the man in this poem can only be fully understood by looking at the last two stanzas as well as the illustration. The second stanza reads: “And I water it with fears, / Night and morning with my tears.” :/ And I sunny it with smiles./ And with sweet deceptive wiles". This stanza is entirely centered on the tree from which the "enemy" would later steal an apple. Blake is obviously making a symbol and an allegory in reference to the Bible and the Garden of Eden Now the question is whether Blake's tree symbolizes, according to the Bible, the tree of good and evil or the tree of life. It is important to know which tree is symbolized here? These are questions that must be answered to fully understand the poem. A certain knowledge of the Bible is necessary to achieve this. of evil; it is the tree from which Eve took the fruit (but not an apple) and shared it with Adam, Satan, in the form of a serpent, tempted.Eve telling her that she would be wise and know the difference between good and evil if she ate the fruit of the tree. The second tree is the tree of life which also contains fruit which if eaten will bring eternal life to whoever eats it. Because Adam and Eve ate from the tree of good and evil, they were not allowed to eat from the tree of life and were therefore banished from Eden. From the second stanza alone it is impossible to refer to which tree is being referred to. Interestingly, Blake says, “And I showered him with fears.” Blake's "anger" was accompanied by "fear." Fear of what? Could it be the fear of Blake's enemy? Or could it be the fear that the fruit from the tree will be stolen? It can be assumed that Blake's fear stems from his actions in lines 6-9; “Night and morning with my tears:/And I sunny it with smiles./And with sweet deceitful wiles” Blake feared his actions would eventually produce a “poisoned tree” that could attract and inflict pain to his enemy. Blake shows signs of awareness, such as creating something tempting and yet also deadly. However, the only essential difference from the Bible is that the serpent never had a conscience. Blake mentions that he, referring to the tree, "sunned it with smiles./And with sweet deceitful wiles." It is Blake's "deceptive wiles" that allow him to feed this poison tree and return the deception Blake received to his "enemy." It is important to note that Blake's enemy did not become one by stealing an apple from his tree. Blake was already angry with this man. Evidence of this can be seen in the third stanza. The third stanza reads: “And she grew day and night./Until she bore a shining apple./And my enemy saw her shining./And he knew it was mine.” Blake's enemy "saw him shine." If his enemy saw the apple, then we must conclude that this man was Blake's adversary before he watered and fed the tree. Knowing this is crucial because it helps to fully understand the first stanza. For example, if Blake was angry at his enemy only because he stole his tree, then the first stanza would serve as a summary for the next three stanzas. The first stanza is not a summary but an introduction to the rest of the story in the poem. With the third stanza understood, we can now return to my initial question of the tree. Is the tree a representation of the tree of good and evil, the tree of life, or neither? Since both trees in the Garden of Eden contained fruit like Blake's, this only adds to the remarkable similarity of the imagery Blake uses in reference to the Garden of Eden. There is still not enough evidence to make a convincing case one way or the other. An instrumental line in the third stanza is line thirteen, which states: "And my enemy saw it shine." The proof is given that the apple is tempting. Through the brilliant application, the imagery of a very seductive and breathtaking fruit is built. Blake does this to further reinforce the fact that he is playing the role of the snake. Blake is the one who created this captivating apple and his goal was to lure his rival to his downfall. The climax of the poem comes in the fourth and final stanza. It reads: “And into my garden flew./When the night had veiled the post./In the morning I am happy to see./My enemy lay under the tree.” The night covered or veiled Blake's garden and allowed the enemy to steal the tree. One might even conclude, although complete proof of this is not present, that the night directly refers to Blake's role as a serpent or.

Essay / An overview of the era of English Romanticism and the poem Poison Tree by William Blake from the start. In this article there will be an argument that "a poison tree" is a symbol of the lack of restraint and self-control in man. An argument that Blake, if he refers to himself in the poem, is using himself as the serpent in the Garden of Eden, except as a serpent with a conscience. Say no to plagiarism. Get a tailor-made essay on “Why Violent Video Games Should Not Be Banned”? Get an original essayThe first stanza shows In choosing a poem from the era of English Romanticism, I found one that particularly stands out among others. A poem that had some depth, in the sense that I couldn't understand and feel what the poem was expressing at first glance. It's a poem that exudes a kind of mystery. These characteristics are exceptionally evident in William Blake's poem "A Poison Tree". William Blake was a British poet and painter born in 1757 to a father who was a hosier. “Anger,” “wrath,” and “fear” are very present in this short piece of sixteen verses and engulf you from the start. In this article there will be an argument that "a poison tree" is a symbol of the lack of restraint and self-control in man. An argument that Blake, if he refers to himself in the poem, is using himself as the serpent in the Garden of Eden, except as a serpent with a conscience. The first stanza juxtaposes the idea of friend and foe in a rather elegant way. The stanza reads: “I was angry with my friend/I told my anger, my anger ended./I was angry with my enemy/I didn't say it, my anger grew” (Songs of Experience, page 38). The contrast between actions related to a “friend” versus an “enemy” is the relevant theme of this stanza. The different ways in which Blake, if indeed he is referring to himself in this poem, deals with anger towards a "friend" and conversely towards an adversary are striking. When angry with a friend, Blake is able to control his anger and bottle it up in a finite sense. On the other hand, Blake shows little forgiveness toward an enemy. Blake's harshness and lack of repentance towards the man in this poem can only be fully understood by looking at the last two stanzas as well as the illustration. The second stanza reads: "And I watered him with fears,/Night and morning with my tears:/And I sunny him with smiles./And with sweet deceitful wiles" (Songs of Experience , page 39). This stanza focuses entirely on the tree from which the “enemy” would later steal an apple. Blake is obviously making a symbol and an allegory in reference to the Bible and the Garden of Eden. Now the question is whether Blake's tree symbolizes, according to the Bible, the tree of good and evil or the tree of life. Is it important which tree is symbolized here? These are questions that must be answered to fully understand the poem. Some knowledge of the Bible is necessary to achieve this. A tree in the Garden of Eden is the tree of good and evil; this is the tree from which Eve took the fruit (but not an apple) and shared it with Adam. Satan, in the form of a serpent, tempted Eve by telling her that she would be wise and know the difference between good and evil if she ate the fruit of the tree. The second tree is the tree of life which also contains fruit which if eaten will bring eternal life to whoever eats it. Because Adam and Eve ate from the tree of good and evil, they were not allowed to eat from the tree of life and were therefore banished from Eden. From theonly second stanza it is impossible to refer to which tree is being referred to. Interestingly, Blake says, “And I water it with fears” (Songs of Experience, page 39). Blake's "anger" was accompanied by "fear." Fear of what? Could it be the fear of Blake's enemy? Or could it be the fear that the fruit from the tree will be stolen? It can be assumed that Blake's fear stems from his actions in lines 6-9; “Night & morning with my tears:/ And I sunny it with smiles./ And with sweet deceptive wiles” (Songs of Experience, page 39). Blake was afraid his actions would eventually produce a "poison tree" that could attract and inflict pain. on his enemy, Blake shows signs of awareness, such as creating something tempting and yet also deadly. However, the only instrumental difference from the Bible is that the serpent never had consciousness. Blake mentions this, referring to the Bible. tree, “sunned him with smiles./And with sweet deceitful wiles” (Songs of Experience Pg.39). It is Blake's "deceptive wiles" that allow him to feed this poisoned tree and return the deception Blake received. "enemy". It is important to note that Blake's enemy did not become his enemy by stealing an apple from his tree. Blake was already angry with this man. The third stanza reads: “And.” it grew day and night./Until it yielded a shining apple./And my enemy saw it shining./And he knew it was mine” (Songs of Experience, p. 39). Blake's enemy "saw it shine." If his enemy saw the apple, then we must conclude that this man was Blake's adversary before he watered and nourished the tree. is crucial because it helps to fully understand the first stanza For example, if Blake was angry at his enemy only because he stole his tree, then the first stanza would serve as a summary for the next three stanzas. is not a summary but an introduction to the rest of the story of the poem With the third stanza understood, we can now return to my initial question about the tree being a representation of the tree of good and. evil, the tree of life, or neither? Given that both trees in the Garden of Eden contained fruit like Blake's, this only adds to the remarkable similarity of the images that Blake uses in reference to the Garden of Eden. There is still not enough evidence to make a convincing case one way or the other. An instrumental line in the third stanza is line thirteen, which states: “And my enemy saw it shine” (Songs of Experience, page 39). The proof is given that the apple is tempting. Through the brilliant application, the imagery of a very seductive and breathtaking fruit is built. Blake does this to further reinforce the fact that he is playing the role of the snake. It was Blake who created this captivating apple and his goal was to lure his rival to his downfall. The climax of the poem comes in the fourth and final stanza. We can read: “And I entered my garden./ When the night had veiled the post./ In the morning, I am happy to see./ My enemy lay under the tree” (Songs of Experience , page 39). The night covered or veiled Blake's garden and allowed the enemy to steal the tree. One could even conclude, although complete proof of this is not present, that the night directly references Blake's role as the serpent or Satan. In the literary world, such as Dante's Inferno, and in more conventional means such as the Bible, it is understood that God is everything. This includes light and abandons everything else. Since evil things are what God is not, the darkness of night would be alogical companion that the snake could possess as a tool to tempt the enemy towards the tree. The last two lines of the poem capture the whole mood of the poem as a whole. Blake states, “In the morning I am glad to see./My enemy lying under the tree” (Damrosch 125). Blake's opponent has eaten the apple and is now "under the tree." Knowing that the man who ate the apple is dead resolves the dispute over which tree he ate from. As mentioned earlier, the tree of life, if eaten, will bring forth eternal life. It is safe to say that Blake's tree was not an allegory for the tree of life. The tree of good and evil allows us to differentiate between good and evil. The evidence for Blake's reference to this tree is not indisputable, but Blake was ultimately referring to the tree of good and evil because, as in the first stanza, the poem revolves around good and evil, from " friend” and “enemy”. The problem is that death does not come directly from eating from the tree of good and evil. However, Blake deliberately left room for speculation as to how the man ultimately ended up "lying under the tree." Adam and Eve were ultimately banished from the Garden of Eden for eating from the tree of good and evil and were ultimately deprived of eternal life. In a sense, the tree was responsible for their downfall, just as Blake's tree could be seen as the reason for his enemy's demise. Not only did the apple lead to the fall of man, but also to the lack of restraint which is a symbol of the abandonment of self-control in every man. The illustration that guides the poem is such that it can be considered one of Blake's greatest works. The work centers around a man, on his back, lying lifeless under the barren branches of a leafless tree. The sky is blue but we can guess that with such a pleasant environment, it proves that the conditions are such that a tree should thrive; however the tree under which the man is located is dead. Blake depicts his own poison tree and contrasts it with the real world. Another striking aspect of the illustration is the way the man is placed under the tree. His arms outstretched. The strange thing is that, in reference to the poem, the man who lacked restraint and ate the apple is actually a symbol for the man who died for sins such as the one he just committed by Christ. Blake may have been emphasizing the ability to take for granted the sacrifice Christ made in dying for our sins. Blake was an avid reader of the Bible, and such references were very characteristic of the times. “A Poison Tree” is the ideal poem for Blake’s songs of experience. Blake realizes that innocence is not just purely good or a purely bad experience. Although Blake uses "A Poison Tree" to emphasize the lack of self-control and restraint in man. , it also shows the tempter, the serpent, with a conscience, which differs greatly from the Bible. Overall, I believe the poem is one of Blake's best works from Songs of Experience. I think Blake's use of imagery and allegory. , the symbolism and illustration really set this poem apart from others. In choosing a poem from the era of English Romanticism, I found one that particularly stands out among others. A poem that had some depth, in the sense that I couldn't understand and feel what the poem was. expressing at first sight. It is a poem that had a feeling of mystery. These characteristics are exceptionally evident in William Blake's poem "A Poison Tree". William Blake was a British poet and painter born in 1757 to a father who was. “Anger”, “wrath” and “fear” arevery present in this short piece of sixteen verses and engulf you from the start. In this article there will be an argument that "a poison tree" is a symbol of the lack of restraint and self-control in man. An argument that Blake, if he refers to himself in the poem, is using himself as the serpent in the Garden of Eden, except as a serpent with a conscience. The first stanza juxtaposes the idea of friend and foe in a rather elegant way. The stanza reads: “I was angry with my friend/I told my anger, my anger ended./I was angry with my enemy/I didn't say it, my anger grew” (Songs of Experience, page 38). The contrast between actions related to a “friend” versus an “enemy” is the relevant theme of this stanza. The different ways in which Blake, if indeed he is referring to himself in this poem, deals with anger towards a "friend" and conversely towards an adversary are striking. When angry with a friend, Blake is able to control his anger and bottle it up in a finite sense. On the other hand, Blake shows little forgiveness toward an enemy. Blake's harshness and lack of repentance towards the man in this poem can only be fully understood by looking at the last two stanzas as well as the illustration. The second stanza reads: "And I watered him with fears,/Night and morning with my tears:/And I sunny him with smiles./And with sweet deceitful wiles" (Songs of Experience , page 39). This stanza focuses entirely on the tree from which the “enemy” would later steal an apple. Blake is obviously making a symbol and an allegory in reference to the Bible and the Garden of Eden. Now the question is whether Blake's tree symbolizes, according to the Bible, the tree of good and evil or the tree of life. Is it important which tree is symbolized here? These are questions that must be answered to fully understand the poem. Some knowledge of the Bible is necessary to achieve this. A tree in the Garden of Eden is the tree of good and evil; this is the tree from which Eve took the fruit (but not an apple) and shared it with Adam. Satan, in the form of a serpent, tempted Eve by telling her that she would be wise and know the difference between good and evil if she ate the fruit of the tree. The second tree is the tree of life which also contains fruit which if eaten will bring eternal life to whoever eats it. Because Adam and Eve ate from the tree of good and evil, they were not allowed to eat from the tree of life and were therefore banished from Eden. From the second stanza alone it is impossible to refer to which tree is being referred to. Interestingly, Blake says, “And I water it with fears” (Songs of Experience, page 39). Blake's "anger" was accompanied by "fear." Fear of what? Could it be the fear of Blake's enemy? Or could it be the fear that the fruit from the tree will be stolen? It can be assumed that Blake's fear stems from his actions in lines 6-9; “Night and morning with my tears:/And I sunny it with smiles./And with sweet deceitful wiles” (Songs of Experience, page 39). Blake feared his actions would eventually produce a "poison tree" that could attract and inflict pain on his enemy. Blake shows signs of awareness, such as creating something tempting and yet also deadly. However, the only essential difference from the Bible is that the serpent never had a conscience. Blake mentions that he, referring to the tree, "sunlit it with smiles./And with sweet deceitful wiles" (Songs of Experience, page 39). It is Blake's "deceptive wiles" that allow him to feed this poison tree and return the deception Blake received to his "enemy." He isIt is important to note that Blake's enemy did not become one by stealing an apple from his tree. Blake was already angry with this man. The proof of this can be seen in the third stanza. The third stanza reads: “And it grew day and night./Till it bore a shining apple./And my enemy saw it shining./And he knew it was mine” (Songs of experience, page 39). Blake's enemy "saw him shine." If his enemy saw the apple, then we must conclude that this man was Blake's adversary before he watered and fed the tree. Knowing this is crucial because it helps to fully understand the first stanza. For example, if Blake was angry at his enemy only because he stole his tree, then the first stanza would serve as a summary for the next three stanzas. The first stanza is not a summary but an introduction to the rest of the story in the poem. With the third stanza understood, we can now return to my initial question about the tree. Is the tree a representation of the tree of good and evil, the tree of life, or neither? Since both trees in the Garden of Eden contained fruit like Blake's, this only adds to the remarkable similarity of the imagery Blake uses in reference to the Garden of Eden. There is still not enough evidence to make a convincing case one way or the other. An instrumental line in the third stanza is line thirteen, which states: “And my enemy saw it shine” (Songs of Experience, page 39). The proof is given that the apple is tempting. Through the brilliant application, the imagery of a very seductive and breathtaking fruit is built. Blake does this to further reinforce the fact that he is playing the role of the snake. It was Blake who created this captivating apple and his goal was to lure his rival to his downfall. The climax of the poem comes in the fourth and final stanza. We can read: “And I entered my garden./ When the night had veiled the post./ In the morning, I am happy to see./ My enemy lay under the tree” (Songs of Experience , page 39). The night covered or veiled Blake's garden and allowed the enemy to steal the tree. One could even conclude, although complete proof of this is not present, that the night directly references Blake's role as the serpent or Satan. In the literary world, such as Dante's Inferno, and in more conventional means such as the Bible, it is understood that God is everything. This includes light and abandons everything else. Since evil things are what God is not, the darkness of night would be a logical companion for the serpent to possess as a tool to tempt the enemy to the tree. The last two lines of the poem capture the whole mood of the poem as a whole. Blake states, “In the morning I am glad to see./My enemy lying under the tree” (Damrosch 125). Blake's opponent has eaten the apple and is now "under the tree." Knowing that the man who ate the apple is dead resolves the dispute over which tree he ate from. As mentioned earlier, the tree of life, if eaten, will bring forth eternal life. It is safe to say that Blake's tree was not an allegory for the tree of life. The tree of good and evil allows us to differentiate between good and evil. The evidence for Blake's reference to this tree is not indisputable, but Blake was ultimately referring to the tree of good and evil because, as in the first stanza, the poem revolves around good and evil, of " friend” and “enemy”. The problem is that death does not come directly from eating from the tree of good and evil. However, Blake deliberately left room for speculation as to how the man ultimately ended up "lying under the tree." Adam and Eve haveultimately banished from the Garden of Eden for eating from the tree of good and evil and were ultimately deprived of eternal life. In a sense, the tree was responsible for their downfall, just as Blake's tree could be seen as the reason for his enemy's demise. Not only did the apple lead to the fall of man, but also to the lack of restraint which is a symbol of the abandonment of self-control in every man. The illustration that guides the poem is such that it can be considered one of Blake's greatest works. The work centers around a man, on his back, lying lifeless under the barren branches of a leafless tree. The sky is blue but we can guess that with such a pleasant environment, it proves that the conditions are such that a tree should thrive; however the tree under which the man is located is dead. Blake depicts his own poison tree and contrasts it with the real world. Another striking aspect of the illustration is the way the man is placed under the tree. His arms outstretched. The strange thing is that, in reference to the poem, the man who lacked restraint and ate the apple is actually a symbol for the man who died for sins such as the one he just committed by Christ. Blake may have been emphasizing the ability to take for granted the sacrifice Christ made in dying for our sins. Blake was an avid reader of the Bible, and such references were very characteristic of the times. “A Poison Tree” is the ideal poem for Blake’s songs of experience. Blake realizes that innocence is not just purely good or a purely bad experience. Although Blake uses "A Poison Tree" to emphasize the lack of self-control and restraint in man. , it also shows the tempter, the serpent, with a conscience, which differs greatly from the Bible. Overall, I believe the poem is one of Blake's best works from Songs of Experience. I think Blake's use of imagery and allegory. , the symbolism and illustration really sets this poem apart from others. the idea of friend and foe in a rather elegant way. The stanza reads: "I was angry with my friend/I spoke my anger, my anger ended./I was angry with my enemy/I didn't say it, my anger grew up.” The contrast between actions related to a “friend” versus an “enemy” is the relevant theme of this stanza. The different ways in which Blake, if indeed he is referring to himself in this poem, deals with anger towards a "friend" and conversely towards an adversary are striking. When angry with a friend, Blake is able to control his anger and bottle it up in a finite sense. On the other hand, Blake shows little forgiveness toward an enemy. Blake's harshness and lack of repentance towards the man in this poem can only be fully understood by looking at the last two stanzas as well as the illustration. The second stanza reads: “And I water it with fears, / Night and morning with my tears.” :/ And I sunny it with smiles./ And with sweet deceptive wiles". This stanza is entirely centered on the tree from which the "enemy" would later steal an apple. Blake is obviously making a symbol and an allegory in reference to the Bible and the Garden of Eden Now the question is whether Blake's tree symbolizes, according to the Bible, the tree of good and evil or the tree of life. It is important to know which tree is symbolized here? These are questions that must be answered to fully understand the poem. A certain knowledge of the Bible is necessary to achieve this. of evil; it is the tree from which Eve took the fruit (but not an apple) and shared it with Adam, Satan, in the form of a serpent, tempted.Eve telling her that she would be wise and know the difference between good and evil if she ate the fruit of the tree. The second tree is the tree of life which also contains fruit which if eaten will bring eternal life to whoever eats it. Because Adam and Eve ate from the tree of good and evil, they were not allowed to eat from the tree of life and were therefore banished from Eden. From the second stanza alone it is impossible to refer to which tree is being referred to. Interestingly, Blake says, “And I showered him with fears.” Blake's "anger" was accompanied by "fear." Fear of what? Could it be the fear of Blake's enemy? Or could it be the fear that the fruit from the tree will be stolen? It can be assumed that Blake's fear stems from his actions in lines 6-9; “Night and morning with my tears:/And I sunny it with smiles./And with sweet deceitful wiles” Blake feared his actions would eventually produce a “poisoned tree” that could attract and inflict pain to his enemy. Blake shows signs of awareness, such as creating something tempting and yet also deadly. However, the only essential difference from the Bible is that the serpent never had a conscience. Blake mentions that he, referring to the tree, "sunned it with smiles./And with sweet deceitful wiles." It is Blake's "deceptive wiles" that allow him to feed this poison tree and return the deception Blake received to his "enemy." It is important to note that Blake's enemy did not become one by stealing an apple from his tree. Blake was already angry with this man. Evidence of this can be seen in the third stanza. The third stanza reads: “And she grew day and night./Until she bore a shining apple./And my enemy saw her shining./And he knew it was mine.” Blake's enemy "saw him shine." If his enemy saw the apple, then we must conclude that this man was Blake's adversary before he watered and fed the tree. Knowing this is crucial because it helps to fully understand the first stanza. For example, if Blake was angry at his enemy only because he stole his tree, then the first stanza would serve as a summary for the next three stanzas. The first stanza is not a summary but an introduction to the rest of the story in the poem. With the third stanza understood, we can now return to my initial question of the tree. Is the tree a representation of the tree of good and evil, the tree of life, or neither? Since both trees in the Garden of Eden contained fruit like Blake's, this only adds to the remarkable similarity of the imagery Blake uses in reference to the Garden of Eden. There is still not enough evidence to make a convincing case one way or the other. An instrumental line in the third stanza is line thirteen, which states: "And my enemy saw it shine." The proof is given that the apple is tempting. Through the brilliant application, the imagery of a very seductive and breathtaking fruit is built. Blake does this to further reinforce the fact that he is playing the role of the snake. Blake is the one who created this captivating apple and his goal was to lure his rival to his downfall. The climax of the poem comes in the fourth and final stanza. It reads: “And into my garden flew./When the night had veiled the post./In the morning I am happy to see./My enemy lay under the tree.” The night covered or veiled Blake's garden and allowed the enemy to steal the tree. One might even conclude, although complete proof of this is not present, that the night directly refers to Blake's role as a serpent or.

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