Heart disease
William Blake's poem, "The Poison Tree", states the basis of morality in its simplest form. Blake takes one of the toughest emotions there is to deal with-anger, and blends it with the convicting power of Christianity. The proof lies in the first stanza, "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." In the Bible, God tells his people "...let not the sun go down upon your wrath" (Ephesians 4:26). The speaker of the poem avoids doing what he knows is right; instead, he makes his own path, which leads to evil. William Blake's use of words, along with the rhyme scheme and symbolism portray the true nature of man. Blake immediately displays the basis of the poem in the title: A Poison Tree. In Matthew 7, God speaks of his children "bearing fruit." He says, "wherefore by their fruits ye shall know them" (Matthew 7:20). Man is the tree, and his actions are his "fruits". The speaker instantiously does two things wrong within the f
In Matthew 7:17, the Bible says, "Even so every good tree bringeth forth good fruit; but a corrupt tree bringeth forth evil fruit. At this point in the poem, the speaker has had some type of mishap with a foe, has fearfully cried over it, and has now figured out a way to get back at it (or him). All trees appear to be beautiful on the outside, but on the inside they contain insects, rodents, and debris. " The tree of wrath has finally put forth the evil fruit which the Bible promised it would. The simple rhyme scheme cushions in the growing of the tree. In the concluding stanza, the speaker's wrath blooms into full view. Blake chooses an apple, a fleshly fruit, to portray the speaker's feelings at this time. irst stanza: he harbors his anger, which in turn, plants the seed for a corrupt tree. Friend/end implies that the good spirit of the speaker has diminished, while foe/grow foreshadows what is about to come. It is clever how Blake continues to label his anger "it" throughout the poem. Then, his deceitful smiles provide the sunlight. Why bright? Has the speaker had an epiphany? Has he come to terms with his morality and figured out a way to appease his rage? Evidently so, because his opponent can "behold" its shine, and know that it is the speaker's. Guilt has no place in the heart of this man. Why does Blake use the symbol of a tree to convey his message? Because God uses trees in various parables.
Common topics in this essay:
Tree Matthew,
Poison Tree,
William Blake's,
Bible God,
rhyme scheme,
tree bringeth forth,
forth evil fruit,
poison tree,
william blake's,
evil fruit,
fears tears,
true nature,
bringeth forth,
corrupt tree,
tree bringeth,
told wrath,
|
Acceptance Essays
