Romantic Period Essay

Jason Groth

Ms. Wilson

English IVB

16 May 2013

Romantic Period

During the Romantic Period it allowed artistic freedom, creativity and experimentation (Oracle Think Quest). With the help of freedom and creativity, William Blake was able to include imagery, symbolism, ABAB pattern and allusion to his poem, 'A Poison Tree'. Literary devices in his poem are used to help define what an individual should not do when he or she is angry with their foe.

In order for Blake to create this poem, he had to have other individuals start this so called Romantic Period. With the publication of Lyrical Ballads by William Wordsworth and Samuel Coleridge, it allowed people like Blake try experiment with their ideas and create these poems that focus on human nature and natural places (Holt 731). With the experiments, he got a creation that was called 'A Poison Tree'. Blake really shows the true meaning of hatred through his words allowing the reader to easily follow the situation the narrator is having.

'A Poison Tree' confronts a problem the narrator was having because the narrator was, “…angry with my friend…” (ll. 1). This buildup of anger the narrator germinates allows foreshadowing of the word “grow” at the end of the first stanza. The apple that is grown by the tree signifies this anger. When the narrator first mentions his anger, this was the beginning of the growing of the apple. As time continues, the anger that the narrator has, “…grew both day and night…” (ll. 9) eventually growing to a full apple. Then the foe was able to get on the narrators nerves one last time, which allowed the apple to be picked, eaten and kill the foe.

Blake incorporating allusion and natural curiosity helped him greatly throughout the third stanza. Since, “…the possibility of salvation through the contemplation of nature” (Romantic) was one of the four principles of the Romantic Era. It allowed poets like Blake to include human nature to his poem. “And my foe beheld it shine, / And he knew that it was mine…” (ll. 11-12), the narrator was able to fool his foe by taking advantage of his natural curiosity. This curiosity the foe has creates the climax of the poem, bringing anticipation with the comma after the word “mine” in line 12. The allusion that Blake includes is the narrator being the evil Serpent that was able to tempt Adam and Eve to consume the apple of knowledge that they took from Gods tree in the garden. Just like in the Bible Adam and Eve both, “…knew that it was…” (ll.12) Gods and “…beheld it shine…” (ll. 11). The foe did know that the apple was the narrator’s, which he stole and later killed him because he took a bite out of it. This relates to Adam and Eve when they were kicked out of the Garden of Eden.

While Blake used allusion and natural curiosity, he also uses metaphor, imagery and ABAB pattern. The use of metaphor in the first stanza, “…my wrath, my wrath did end. […] I told it not, my wrath did grow” (ll. 2, 4). Wrath in these lines is the plant that will grow into the apple. It is very important to know the connection of the metaphor because it is the connection at the end of the poem that will address the apple as the killer. The ABAB pattern throughout the piece that Blake has added creates emphasis on key words to help get his point through. “In the morning glad I see / My foe outstretched beneath the tree” (15-16), the emphasis on the of the rhyming words helps the reader understand what Blake is trying get through using the words. Just like an accent note in a song, the note is tonged just a little bit harder than the normal note to get that sound through the full band.

Blake’s theme of good vs. evil is shown through the narrator and the apple. The apple is doing the good by being bate that snaps the trap on the foe. Even though the narrator never kills the foe with his bare hands or with a weapon of some sorts, the apple does the dirty work. The good that it is done is the death of the foe. The narrator grew the apple and was intended for the foe to find and steal. Since the narrator was angry at the foe, the evilness has prompted him to go forward with his plan to grow this good apple that kills the foe in the end.

With creativity, experimentation and freedom to express the poets feeling through different literary devices, Blake was able to accomplish this task easily in 'A Poison Tree'. Throughout 'A Poison Tree', Blake was able to create this poem with allusion, imagery, and symbolism. He created allusion by going back to biblical times and creating the narrator as the Serpent that was able to tempt Adam and Eve to eat the apple, as with the foe being Adam and Eve. His imagery with, “…watered it in fears, / Night and morning with my tears…” (ll. 5-6), tell help the reader visualize the tree being watered by his tears of anger that the foe has brought upon him. Lastly, symbolism Blake includes about the narrators wrath as a tree, helped give it some meaning so when we get to the bottom of the poem we see why the symbolism of the tree is his wrath. With the help of William Wordsworth and Samuel Coleridge, Blake was able to achieve what an individual should not do and solve things out with your foe.