Student Question
In "A Poison Tree," why did Blake choose an apple instead of another fruit?
Quick answer:
Blake chose an apple in "A Poison Tree" for its symbolic and practical qualities. The apple evokes biblical connotations of sin and temptation, as seen in the story of Eden, and its shiny, hard nature reflects festering wrath. Apples are common and easily recognizable, fitting the poem's rhythm with its two-syllable structure. Unlike tropical fruits, apples grow in England, making them relatable to Blake's audience. This familiarity and symbolism enhance the poem's themes.
In addition, apples automatically make you think of that famous biblical apple from the story of Eden. Reading the poem, and finding out that wrath was transformed into an apple, we think right away of that old biblical apple and instantly associate this new apple with bitterness, disobedience, a fall from grace, and so on.
The speaker also says the fruit is "bright," that it has a "shine." The apple, specifically, is a glossy fruit that does reflect light. Bananas and oranges don't, though.
Let's also not forget that an apple is physically hard. You wouldn't want one thrown at you. That makes it a better symbol of festering wrath than, say, a nice squishy banana.
Let me also take a stab at why it's not a pomegranate. Just like the apple has become a literary shortcut for talking about guilt and sin, the pomegranate has a different reputation. We...
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see it as a symbol of death in Greek mythology. And pomegranates pop up in the Bible, too, but with all kinds of positive connotations like holiness and wisdom.
The other fruits you mention, orange, banana, and pomegranate, would not grow in England, or the trees would be extremely rare in that colder climate. In fact, Blake might have had a hard time thinking of another fruit tree that would be found in England. But apple trees will grow in almost any climate, which would explain why they are so ubiquitous. Bananas only grow in tropical climates. We don't even have many banana trees in the U.S. Orange trees grow in mild climates. The British probably import all their oranges from places like Spain and Italy. During Blake's time they probably would have eaten very few pomegranates, which grow on trees in warmer climates. In one of the Grimm Brothers fairy tales, the Queen tries to kill Snow White with a poisoned apple. This famous story may have influenced Blake.
William Blake could have chosen an apple for a variety of reasons.
I think a strong possibility is because of basic poetry mechanics. I'm referring to rhythm and meter. The poem switches between using iambic tetrameter and trochaic trimeter. The two rhythms are essentially mirror images of each other. Iambic uses an unstressed/stressed beat, and trochaic uses a stressed/unstressed beat. In either case, both forms make use of two syllables. The word "apple" is a two-syllable word. Banana, strawberry, grape, plum, and pomegranate are not two syllables. Blake may have chosen "apple" because it simply fit the poem's rhythm more easily than a different fruit.
Another possibility for choosing an apple is because it is common. Everybody knows what an apple is, and I don't think I have ever met somebody that has never tried an apple. Additionally, I can't think of anybody I have met who doesn't like at least some kind of apple variety. Remember, the speaker of the poem is nurturing a fruit that is going to draw in and kill somebody. An apple would do that. It looks good, it tastes good, and it's so common that nobody would suspect anything bad of it.