Answer the following questions

A. Answer the following questions in a sentence or two.

1. I was angry with my friend

I told my wrath, my wrath did end.

a. Whom does ‘I’ refer to?

‘I’ refer to the Poet.

b. How did the anger of the poet come to an end?

The poet told his anger properly. So anger came to an end.

2. And I watered it in fears

Night and morning with my tears;

a. What does ‘it’ refer to?

It refers to the seed [wrath]

b. How is ‘it’ watered?

It is watered with tears.

3. In the morning glad I see

My foe outstretched beneath the tree

a. How did the poet feel in the morning?

The poet was glad to see it in the morning

b. Who is the ‘foe’ referred to here?

Satan is the foe referred to here.

c. Why was the ‘foe’found lying outstretched beneath the tree?

The foe was dead. So he was found to be so.

4. And it grew both day and night,

Till it bore an apple bright.

a. What does ‘it’ refer to?

It refers to the tree/plant of anger

b. What does ‘apple’ signify?

Apple signifies wrath

c. What grew both day and night?

The tree grew both day and night.

B. Complete the summary by filling in the given spaces with suitable words.

Once the poet was angry with his friend He expressed his (i)  wrath or anger and it ended. They became friends. But when he grew angry with his foe, he (ii) did not tell it and allowed his anger to grow. Day and night he watered it with his tears and allowed it to grow. He (iii) sunned his foe with false smiles and cunning tricks. The tree kept growing and yielded a bright apple which (iv) beheld his foe to eat it stealthily during the night. The next morning the poet was happy to see his foe lying (v) out stretched under the tree.

C. Answer the following questions in about 80-100 words.

1. How did the poet’s anger with his friend end?

Poem : A Poison Tree

Author : Ruskin Bond

Character : Poet, his friend and enemy, tree

Theme : Enmity dies hard

The poet tells about a friend and an enemy. He was angry with both of them. But he told his friend that he was angry and why he was so. Due to some reasons it might have happened. But the poet had love for his friend. He approached his friend. He could become easy and smooth. They could strengthen their friendship. Anger disappeared from their minds. The poet told his friend his extreme anger. The displeasure vanished in no time. Love defeated enmity. Enmity could not grow anymore.

“Love Your enemies”

2. Describe how his anger kept growing.

Poem : A Poison Tree

Author : Ruskin Bond

Character : Poet, his friend and enemy, tree

Theme : Grow love but not enmity

The poet encountered with his enemy. But he was very careful not to tell him his anger. He allowed his anger to grow. He watered it regularly. It grew into a tree. It blossomed and began to bear a fruit. The poet pretended to be friendly. But he sunned the tree only with false love. The poet made his attitude more attractive. His aim was only to defeat his enemy and kill him finally. The poet was keen on his aim. His anger kept growing as a tree robustly.

“Grow love and throw enmity”

3. Describe the effect of the poisonous fruit on the ‘enemy’.

Poem : A Poison Tree

Author: Ruskin Bond

Character: Poet, his friend and enemy, tree

Theme: Love your enemies too

The scene begins with the poet and his enemy. The poet was angry with his enemy. He had no mind to tell his enemy about his anger. The anger was like a seed. He watered it and it grew well. It became a tree. He sunned with his smile. The tree blossomed and brought forth a fruit. It attracted the enemy. He chose the night to steal it and eat it. The next morning the enemy was found lying dead. The anger kept on growing till the end. The poet grew the poison tree with an aim to kill the enemy. The fruit proved its worth. The enemy was killed. The poet became happy.

“Love forgives and covers all sins”

COMMON PARAGRAPH

PARAGRAPH FOR TOPPERS:

Synopsis:

• Introduction

• Anger with a friend

• Anger with an enemy

• The fruit of anger

• Conclusion

Introduction:

The poem "A Poison Tree" was written by William Blake. He was an English poet, painter and print maker. This poem is about suppressing anger and its results.

Anger with a friend:

The speaker is angry with his friend. There is no need to worry. He told his friend about his anger. Hence his anger ends. Their friendship continues.

Anger with an enemy:

The poet gets angry with his enemy. He kept his anger in his mind. The anger grows. It grows only by his fears. The poet watered the tree with his tears. His false smiles root in his heart.

The fruit of anger:

Like a poison tree, his anger grows day and night. One day it begins to bear a fruit. The fruit is a bright apple. His enemy saw the shining apple. The enemy entered into the speaker's garden. He wants to taste the fruit. As it was a poisonous fruit it killed him. The speaker was happy to see the sight.

Conclusion:

The speaker seems to be glad the next morning. The speaker killed his enemy. The poet tells us anger suppressed is anger increased. 

PARAGRAPH FOR AVERAGE STUDENTS:

Poem : A Poison Tree

Author : Ruskin Bond

Theme : Love your enemies too

The speaker is angry with his friend. There is no need to worry. He told his friend about his anger. Hence his anger ends. Their friendship continues. The poet gets angry with his enemy. He kept his anger in his mind. The anger grows. A poison tree of anger took root in his heart. The poet watered the tree with his tears. At last the tree produced a fruit. The enemy entered into the speaker's garden. He tempted his enemy to eat it. As it was a poisonous fruit it killed him. The speaker was happy to see the sight.

PARAGRAPH FOR LATE BLOOMERS:

• The speaker is angry with his friend.

• He told his anger.

• Hence his anger ends.

• The speaker is angry with his enemy.

• He kept his anger in his mind.

• The anger tree grows.

• It yielded a bright fruit.

• It tempted his enemy to eat it.

• The speaker found his enemy dead.

Poem appreciation

D. Figures of Speech

i. I was angry with my foe

The words ‘was’ and ‘with’ are in alliterated (The sound /w/ is repeated)

ii. Till it bore an apple bright

The words ‘bore’ and ‘bright’ are in alliterated (The sound /b/ is repeated)

iii. Night and morning with my tears

The words ‘morning’ and ‘my’ are in alliterated (The sound /m/ is repeated)

iv. And with soft deceitful wiles

The words ‘with’ and ‘wiles’ are in alliterated (The sound /w/ is repeated)

E. Read the following lines from the poem and answer the questions that follow.

1. 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.

i. Pick out the rhyming words.

The rhyming words are "friend, end" and "foe, grow"

ii. What is the rhyme scheme of the stanza?

The rhyme scheme is "aabb"

iii. Identify the figure of speech in the title of the poem.

The figure of speech is "metaphor"

2. And I water'd it in fears

Night and morning with my tears;

i. What figure of speech is used in ‘watered it in fears’?

The figure of speech used here is a 'metaphor'