intense anger or fury often leading to destructive actions or outcomes

a narrative designed to teach a lesson, typically warning against certain behaviours or actions

the pattern of beats or sounds in speech or writing, creating a sense of musicality

the use of concrete objects or actions to represent abstract feelings, ideas or concepts

a metaphor that is sustained or developed throughout a piece of writing

Analysing the poem ‘A Poison Tree’ by William Blake

English

In 'Edexcel Conflict Poetry', pupils compared the language, form and structure of a variety of poems connected by the themes of power and conflict. In 'Edexcel Conflict Poetry continued', pupils work on making more nuanced comparisons between poems.

In 'A World at War: Poetry', pupils explore how poets present the atrocities of World War One through their poetry. In 'Edexcel Conflict Poetry', pupils analyse how a variety of different wars have been presented through poetry.

In this unit, pupis explore 12 of the 15 poems from the 'Conflict' anthology. Pupils complete two lessons on each poem: one on understanding and one on analysis. Pupils study the poems in a thematically linked order so they can complete comparative and thematic lessons at key points in the unit.

Poetry anthology: first study

Depiction or discussion of sexual or domestic abuse or violence, including  threats of or the aftermath of.

Depiction or discussion of sexual violence

Blake conveys the all-consuming nature of these negative emotions by contrasting references to {{ }} throughout the poem.

the name for the poisonous snake in the Garden of Eden

an intense and severe form of anger, often associated with a desire for revenge

a serious betrayal of trust among friends

a feeling of intense envy, as though someone else is living the life you deserve

a writing style characterised by short, abrupt sentences or phrases

the pattern of beats or sounds in speech or writing

art of effective or persuasive speaking/writing, often using literary methods

the repetition of similar sounds, usually at the end of words

Throughout, the poem 'A Poison Tree', Blake compares the speaker's wrath to a tree. This is an example of ...

In 'A Poison Tree', Blake uses an {{  }} rhyme scheme which gives the poem a musical feel.

The apple may symbolise the sweetness (kindness) underneath the speaker's wrath.

The apple could symbolise how relationships with others help to feed our souls.

The apple may symbolise corruption and link to the apple in the Garden of Eden.

The apple could symbolise danger since it poisons the speaker at the end.

Which of these interpretations about Blake's use of symbolism in 'A Poison Tree' are relevant and accurate?

He and the speaker reconcile their differences and become friends.

He is found dead under the tree after attempting to steal the fruit it bore.

The speaker's anger consumes him and he murders his enemy.

What happens to the speaker's "foe" at the end of the poem?

using 'like' or 'as' to comparing two thing and emphasise shared qualities

directly comparing two different things in order to emphasise shared qualities

using natural descriptions to mirror the emotive tone of a text

giving human attributes to non-human entities

he was famous for writing sonnets and other love poems

he was known for subverting love poetry, using it to explore societal issues

he was part of a cultural movement emphasising emotion, individualism and nature

he was known for writing songs, many of which were later put to classical music

William Blake was a Romantic poet. This means...

the pattern of rhyming and non-rhyming lines in a poem

using rhyme at the beginning of a line instead of at the end

explores human existence in a meaningless universe

Which of the following are conventions of Romantic poetry?

using the weather to mirror the emotive mood of a text

repeating the same word or phrase at the beginning of successive lines of poetry

structuring a poem so it has the physical shape of an object, animal etc.

using concrete objects to represent abstract ideas, concepts or emotions

Content guidance

Depiction or discussion of sexual violence

Adult supervision required

This lesson will be removed by end of Summer Term 2025.

Analysing the poem ‘A Poison Tree’ by William Blake

Lesson outcome

Content guidance

This lesson will be removed by end of Summer Term 2025.