Hate, William Blake and The Poison Tree

William Blake's "A Poison Tree"  1794

Should we be tolerant of hate?
What do you do with your hate? 

  

Task 1:  What do you think he is thinking, feeling and why? Why did this author wrote a poem called A Poison Tree?  Check your inferencing skills with the passage below. 

William Blake's poem was written in 1794 and first appeared in his book Songs of Experience which followed on from his earlier Songs of Innocence.

Society at that time was encouraged to bottle up emotions and to present a polite and unruffled persona to the world.

Blake thought this approach unhealthy and advocated a more expressive mode of being, especially with regards to potentially festering emotions. His ideas were against the prevailing attitudes of the church and state. The original title Blake had for this poem, Christian Forbearance, reflects this.

A Poison Tree uses metaphor, antithesis and biblical associations to highlight the self-damage that can proceed from suppressing anger. The emphasis is on letting go of negative emotions and moving on with life before this energy impacts on the health and wellbeing of others.

Task 2: Read and pay attention to imagery, metaphores, the theme, synonyms, 

  A Poison Tree

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.

And I watered it in fears

Night and morning with my tears,

And I sunned it with smiles

And with soft deceitful wiles.

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 - 

And into my garden stole

When the night had veiled the pole;

In the morning, glad, I see

 My foe outstretched beneath the tree.

William Blake ~ A Poison Tree

A Poison Tree is a poem that focuses on the emotion of anger and the consequences for our relationships should that anger be suppressed. It deals with the darker side of the human psyche.

The speaker tells of how he talked to a friend about his anger and everything was fine but with an enemy he could not do so and kept the anger inside. It began to grow, eventually becoming a metaphorical tree with poison fruit.

The enemy or foe ends up under the tree, destroyed by the speaker's pent up anger. The speaker seems ok about this but is there some doubt about the destructiveness of his anger? Early communication of anger seems the best way to deal with it.

A Poison Tree illustrates how in times of anger, honesty preserves friendships, while deception turns anger to hate

Was the murder of Itzchak Rabin an act of terrorism?

When, if ever, is it ok to kill another because you hate them?

What about Hitler?

What forms hate do you see present in Israel? Between Jews? Between political groups? Between nations? Between countries? How is hate expressed at your school? In your home? 

How can anger be directed towards positive change?

TASK 3: Fact vs. Opinion

• Read the advice column below about a girl who hates her family. 
• Seperate fact from opinion. 

DEAR ABBY: I am a 13-year-old girl and I hate my family. I have had an eating disorder for three years, and my parents haven't noticed. (It doesn't show because I'm regular-sized.) I think my parents hate me. They try to stuff me into a mannequin shell that doesn't fit. It's like I am a doll and not a person. I don't know what to do, and I am suicidal. But when I think about all the ambitions I have, I'm able to withstand another day, even though it is hard. Please help me. -- DEPRESSED TEEN IN WASHINGTON

FACT                                      OPINION

TASK 4: 

• What advice would you give her? (write your answer)
• Compare your answer with Abby's below. 

DEAR TEEN: Because you feel your parents may not take you seriously, be brave and tell a trusted teacher or counselor at school everything you have written to me, including your thoughts of suicide. Eating disorders can be very serious, and they are not always obvious. Because your feelings of depression are so strong that you sometimes feel you can't go on, you need more help than an advice columnist can give you in a letter. Please don't wait, and please let me hear from you again.

DEAR ABBY: I am 15 and my mom was recently diagnosed with 

cancer. My two older sisters are away in college, and my dad works

 all the time. How should I balance taking care of Mom, doing

 schoolwork and playing field hockey? I wish I could give each task

 my full attention, but I'm not going to be home much because of 

school. -- JUGGLING IN PENNSYLVANIA

DEAR JUGGLING: I am sure your mother's diagnosis has caused stress for every member of your family, including those who are away, and for that I am sorry. You are so young, and I can only imagine the stress you are feeling.

If you were discussing this with your mother, I am sure she would tell you -- as I am -- how important it is that you keep up with your schoolwork and activities. You cannot assume the entire responsibility for her care by yourself. Who will help her during her treatments, and how much time you should realistically devote, is something both your parents should help you to determine. None of you will really know how much assistance she'll require until the process is started, so be flexible and take things a step at a time.

What are you angry about in your life now? Is it political? Frienships? Family? Was it one event or an ongoing occurance? What have you done to express your anger? What could you do?