In Proverbs 10:18, Solomon expresses the message “hatred stirs up conflict, but love covers over all wrongs.” Solomon, a devoted Christian, understands that hate deems toxic to anyone’s life and should be avoided. He urges the people to abandon their vicious hate and walk into the light of love. William Blake agrees with Solomon. He shares a poem telling a story of hate, represented by a fruit tree, that kills his enemy. The hate he has for this enemy grows and grows until a fruit appears, representing his anger, and the next morning his foe lies dead. Blake clearly understands, and visually explains how deadly hate can be. “A Poison Tree”, written by the brilliant William Blake, uses an extended metaphor along with imagery and allusion to …show more content…
By using an extended metaphor through a fruit tree, the poet creates a clearer comparison between two items. In the extended metaphor of this poem, a fruit tree represents a tree of hate. William Blake displays his use of extended metaphors throughout his whole poem, painting a picture of a growing plant, and the last line depicts “my foe outstretched beneath the tree” (16). Executing the use of extended metaphor guides his audience in envisioning the theme, that anger blinds right versus wrong and is poison to both its victim and culprit, but also allows the message to come to life. Seeing the fruit of the tree, which represents anger, kill his “foe” relates hate to death. When one see the fruit of the fruit tree kill, it becomes clear that hate can also kill. The use of this literary element shows to be essential in delivering the theme. The metaphor brings a sense of reality to the poem. One begins to look at their own heart and find where hate embedded itself, and because of this, the message becomes more important in the reader's life. The extended metaphor perfectly displays the theme of the poem providing everyone who reads this poem with a life …show more content…
Extended metaphors liven the theme and helps one relate to the poem. Imagery creates a sense of familiarity, and clarifies the theme more. Lastly, allusions allow Blake to infer life lessons mirrored in the theme. Once reading “A Poison Tree”, one leaves the poem with a major life lesson. Hate remains toxic to all involved, and should be avoided at all cost. If hate remains, growing like a tree, poison erupts and destroys the enemy. When someone hold hate within their heart, anger grows like a fruit on a tree, creating a deadly poison. If one accepts the fact that “hatred stirs up conflict”, they are one step ahead. Completely abandoning hate, and turning to love, can be very difficult, commendable to anyone who
There are multiple examples of visual imagery in this poem. An example of a simile is “curled like a possum within the hollow trunk”. The effect this has is the way it creates an image for the reader to see how the man is sleeping. An example of personification is, “yet both belonged to the bush, and now are one”. The result this has is how it creates an emotion for the reader to feel
“…we are uncharitable to ourselves; every man is his (own) greatest enemy, and as it were, his own executioner.” Sir Thomas Brown in Religion Medici. To me this analogue reminds me of how teenage girls and boys act. Hormonal, confused adolescents are mean to each other to gain popularity, however they are being mean to themselves by acting as someone they are not and losing their true friends. In other words, people’s inner enemy and hatred is hurting the people around them, which is losing the innocence and good inside someone. One’s inner enemy is caused by their sins and jealousy for another’s possessions and personality. Having jealousy for another person destroys the true love and friendship for the so-called enemy. The inner enemy
Mason, Michael. Notes to William Blake: A Critical Edition of the Major Works. Ed. Michael Mason. Oxford: Oxford University Press, 1988.
Figurative Language in used throughout poems so the reader can develop a further understanding of the text. In “The Journey” the author uses rhythm and metaphors throughout the poem. “...as you left their voices behind, the stars began to burn through the sheets of the clouds..”(25-27). The author compares the star burning to finding your voice. Rhythm also develops the theme of the poem because throughout the story rhythm is presented as happy showing growing up and changing for the better is necessary and cheerful. In “The Laughing Heart” the author uses imagery and metaphors to develop the theme throughout the book. “There is a light somewhere. It may not be much light but it beats the darkness”(5-7). Always find the good out of everything, even it
In the same way as love, hatred requires a certain intimacy between two people. A relationship cannot consist of either love or hate without there first being a close relationship between two individuals. Hawthorne explains that for these emotions to exist, “each, in its utmost development, requires a high degree of intimacy and heart-knowledge” (Hawthorne 246). In order for either of these emotions to be conceived within an individual, the person must first make an effort to acquire a deep understanding of the other person. It is necessary to have a familiarity with someone else’s character in order to either love or hate them, and it is impossible to become close to som...
Throughout history, the powers of love and hate have constantly been engaged in a battle for superiority. Time and time again, love has proven to be stronger than hate, and has been able to overcome all of the obstacles that have stood in the way from it reaching its goal. On certain occasions, though, hate has been a viable foe and defeated love when they have clashed. In the novel A Tale of Two Cities, Charles Dickens presents several different power struggles between love and hate.
Love is considered a wonderful connection between two people that brings happiness to many. Although without hate no one would realize how marvelous love truly is. Does this mean hate is more powerful than love throughout the world? Hate overpowers love because there may be so much love in this world, but with the tiniest bit of hate everything could be changed in a split second. Hate is an indestructible power that will demolish anything in its way, like it did in The Coffin Quilt, by Ann Rinaldi. Roseanna McCoy and Johnse Hatfield’s love was simply not powerful enough to defeat the hate that came along with the love.
Martin Luther King Jr. declared, “Darkness cannot drive out darkness: only light can do that. Hate cannot drive out hate: only love can do that” ( citation ) . Many people feel as Mr. King did, that love can fight hate, and ultimately love is the answer, the fixer, to this figurative darkness. The word’s love and hate express a strong and perhaps intense feeling for something or someone. However, these intense emotions are commonly used in opposition of each other. It is crucial, though, to note that these powerful emotions can easily cross lines and become blurred. Evidence of this claim is supported by Rempel and Burris’ “...Integrative Theory of Love and Hate,” which outlines what it means to love and what it means to hate, and how humans
In the short story of “ The Cask of Amontillado” written by Edgar Allen Poe and the poem” A Poison Tree” by William Blake a theme about revenge is used for both the story and the poem. The theme that is used is when anger is nurtured it can turn into a poisonous revenge. To develop the themes of revenge, both writings both the authors used dramatic irony and sensory details.
This is taken as the speaker allowed his wrath and anger to their foe grow and develop into a seed of revenge, illustrated as the apple on this tree grow with hate. The foe recognizes this apple as a tangible reincarnation of the speaker's desire for revenge and it is understood that through some manner this apple kills the foe and the speaker is glad that it has done so, showing no remorse. This is seen in the lines “In the morning I was glad to see;/ My foe outstretched beneath the tree”. The speaker's reaction to the death has an effect on the theme because although the speaker has killed someone he has no
Hate is a powerful tool: it can break barriers, create violence, establish revenge, or destroy people entirely. Leaving behind rationality; “hatred is a way to shut down the mind to a degree, in order to handle overwhelming stress or trauma”(Wilson 2014). Through hatred people detach themselves from practicality and inevitably ensue themselves with violence and revenge. The main character Zits in the novel Flight by Sherman Alexie goes on a spiritual journey to find out what hatred, violence, and revenge can cause. The cause of Zits hate, the violence from his past, the effects violence has, the symbol of Zits hate-Justice, and the change seen in Zits at the end of the novel all show how hate develops throughout the story.
Natoli, Joseph. "William Blake." Critical Survey Of Poetry, Second Revised Edition (2002): 1-12. Literary Reference Center. Web. 17 Jan. 2014.
In the poem The Poison Tree William Blake talks about his experience with hatred and explains how he dealt with it. An example quote from the story would be “I was angry at my foe. I told it not my Wrath did grow. ”Therefore in this line it's telling the reader that the writer is angry at someone in particular and he also explained how his wrath will grow for that specific person so in that case he is trying to say that the anger he has for that person will get worse and worse.
How does William Blake convey his anger in the poem London? The poem 'London' by William Blake, reflects his feelings upon the society that he was living in, and how desperately it needed help. Blake thought that all of the poverty and misfortune that was happening on the streets were caused by the political oppression in London. The.
The famous saying that from a true love to a great hatred is only a