A Poison Tree

The poem shows that anger spoken

The poem shows that anger spoken to a friend ends, but anger hidden from a foe grows and becomes dangerous. This is the main idea of the poem.

The poem works as an allegory

The poem works as an allegory for the danger of bottling up emotions. The growing tree stands for hidden anger, and the fruit shows the result of that

The apple is a symbol

The apple is a symbol of temptation and destruction. It attracts the foe and leads to a fatal result.

Blake contrasts two situations

Blake contrasts two situations: anger shared with a friend and anger hidden from a foe. One brings relief, and the other brings harm.

The speaker feels glad when

The speaker feels glad when the foe is found dead beneath the tree. This unexpected reaction creates irony and makes the poem disturbing.