Question

Read the poem entitled "The Poison Tree" by William Blake.

Answer 1

Read the poem entitled "The Poison Tree" by William Blake

What is the subject of this poem?

The answer is

the danger of suppressed anger

Answer 2

Answer: The danger of suppressed anger.

Explanation:

"The Poison Tree" is a poem by William Blake written in 1794. The speaker uses the growth of a tree as a metaphor for his growing anger. If not expressed, anger has a destructive power. When bottled up and fed, anger grows larger and affects not only the person who feels it, but also those around them. In the poem, the speaker's anger toward his enemy bears fruit and ends up killing his foe. What is most startling about it is the fact that the speaker does not seem to mind his enemy's death at all. It's as if his suppressed anger has killed his ability to empathize.