A Poison Tree Group

Question:

zackcool1
zackcool1
Student
High School - 9th Grade

What is the extended metaphor of the poem "A Poison Tree"?

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Posted by zackcool1 on Tuesday September 30, 2008 at 5:02 PM and tagged with a poison tree, metaphor, poison tree.

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  1. gbeatty Teacher
    College - Freshman

    eNotes Editor

    Best answer as selected by question asker.

    The extended metaphor is comparing anger to a plant (the poison tree of the title). The process of cultivating one's emotions (as seen in the line " And I watered it in fears") is compared to cultivating a plant. The emotion is followed through an entire growth cycle, until it blossoms into death.  There is a secondary metaphor implied by the apple; Blake is tied the anger of the poem with the pride of the biblical story of Adam and Eve. This becomes a kind of original sin.

    Sources:
    http://www.enotes.com/poison-tree/themes

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    Posted by gbeatty on Tuesday September 30, 2008 at 6:09 PM