A Poison Tree PRESENTATION

A Poison Tree

8.10(C)

8.6(C)

8.5(I)

8.5(C)

8.5(F)

8.1(D)

8.6(D)

8.6(A)

8.5(G)

8.5(E)

8.2(B)

8.1(A)

Standards

Students will accurately identify and explain the use of literary devices in "A Poison Tree." Students will articulate their understanding of the poem's theme in a TPCASTT analysis.

The purpose of this lesson is to deepen students' understanding of poetry by analyzing "A Poison Tree" and exploring the author's use of literary devices.

I will be able to effectively communicate my thoughts and interpretations of "A Poison Tree" using appropriate academic language and vocabulary.

What will our lesson look like?

Do Now:

• Reflect on this quote and share your thoughts in the chat!
• What do you think it means in relation to our reading selection?

William Blake (1757-1827) was an 18th century British artist and poet known in part for his richly illustrated poetry collections Songs of Innocence and Songs of Experience. As the two titles suggest, Blake viewed the world in contrasts. The poems in Songs of Innocence focus on the naivety and simplicity of youth, while the poems from the later Experience volume explore the darker, corrupted side of human nature. “A Poison Tree” is from Songs of Experience. *Watch StudySync Video

Introduction

shine

verb

to give off light

deceitful

adjevtive

dishonest, with the aim of tricking others

behold

verb

to see or observe something or someone remarkablel

Vocabulary

wrath

noun

strong anger

wile

noun

a trick used to outwit someone

Vocabulary

• The poem uses a clear and simple rhyme scheme and meter, but it is not for children!
• Blake often wrote religious poetry and that trees have a symbolic meaning in religious writings, including the Bible.
• The poem teaches a lesson about anger.
• This poem has words that use alternate spelling, such as “water’d.” These are for the sake of meter.

Text Specifics

In this William Blake poem, the speaker talks about how he deals with anger. When he is angry with a friend, they talk about it and the anger goes away. However, when he is angry with an enemy, the speaker keeps the anger to himself and it grows. Over time, fears and deceit feed his anger, and eventually, the anger transforms into a poison apple. As the poem comes to a close, the speaker’s enemy breaks into his garden to steal this apple. In the morning, the speaker finds his foe dead under the apple tree.

Summary

I was angry with my friend: I told my wrath, my wrath did end. I was angry with my foe: I told it not, my wrath did grow. And I water’d it in fears, Night & morning with my tears; And I sunned it with smiles, And with soft deceitful wiles. And it grew both day and night, Till it bore an apple bright; And my foe beheld it shine, And he knew that it was mine, And into my garden stole When the night had veil’d the pole; In the morning glad I see My foe outstretch’d beneath the tree.

Read

A Refresher

TPCASTT

Reading and analyzing a poem can seem overwhelming. Luckily, there is a strategy we can use to look at the poem in different ways, and it is called TPCASTT.

TP-CASTT for analyzing poetry

TP-CASTT for analyzing poetry

You will now do a TPCASTT on "A Poison Tree"

Your Turn

THANKS!