Analysis of "A Poison Tree" by William Blake

A poem that had some depth, in that I couldn't understand and feel what the poem was expressing at first glance. It is a poem that had a sense of mystery around it. These characteristics are exceptionally evident in William Blake's poem "A Poison tree." "Anger," "wrath," and "fear" are very prominent in the short sixteen-line piece and engulf you from the start. In this paper, there will be an argument that "A Poison Tree" …

…not just purely good or experience purely evil. Although Blake uses "A Poison Tree" to point out the lack of self-control and restraint in man, he also shows the tempter, the serpent, with a conscious, which differs from the Bible greatly. Overall, I believe that the poem is one of Blake's best works from Songs of Experience. I feel that Blake's use of imagery, allegory, symbolism and illustration really set this poem apart from others.