Question

In this, the second stanza of the poem, what does the speaker mean when he refers to his "fears,' 'tears," "smiles,' and 'wiles"? A) These are the things his friends make him do to erase his wrath. B) These are the metaphorical methods with which he feeds his hatred. These are a description of his confused and ever-changing state of mind. D) These are the honest emotions that he feels when recovering from his wrath​

Answer 1

Answer:

What the speaker means in the second stanza is:

B) These are the metaphorical methods with which he feeds his hatred.

Explanation:

This question refers to the poem "A Poison Tree", by William Blake. The poem revolves around the speaker's wrath against his enemy.

In the second stanza, the speaker metaphorically describes how he feeds his hatred:

And I waterd it in fears,

Night & morning with my tears:

And I sunned it with smiles,

And with soft deceitful wiles.

Here, the speaker compares his wrath to a plant, which he waters with his tears. Plants also need sunshine to grow, which is given by the speaker in the form of smiles and deceitful wiles. The speaker is revealing the duplicity of his behavior and personality. He smiles at his foe, deceiving him into believing that everything is OK between them. All the while, however, he keeps on feeding his hatred. Eventually, it will grow into a poison tree and will kill the speaker's enemy.