A POISON TREE

1.What emotion is expressed in stanza 1 ?

Anger.

2.In stanza 2,which phrase suggests that the persona pretended and used tricks?

Soft deceitful wiles.

3.What does the tree symbolise?

It symbolises growing anger.

4.What does the persona do with his/her anger of the enemy?

The persona just keeps it inside and lets it get worse.

5.“I told it not, my wrath did grow.”

Unstable emotion should never be kept inside. How can you release it? Provide a reason for
your answer.

Method: Talk to the people involved.

Reason: Talking can resolve the problem.

6.In stanza 1 why is the persona angry with his friend?

He could misunderstanding and disagreement about something with his friend.

7.If you were the persona, would you have been glad to see your “foe outstretched beneath
the tree”? Give a reason to support your answer.

Yes ,because he had done something bad to me.

No, because we could have forgiven each other’s mistake.

8.Do you agree with the persona’s feeling? Give a reason for your answer.

No, because it is wrong to kill someone.

Yes, because the persona felt contented.

9.How did the persona manage to attract his enemy’s attention？

By growing such a big tree with bright and shiny apples.

10.Based on stanza 4,describe the persona’s feelings in the end.Why does he feel that way？

He feels satisfied/happy/pleased with his effort because his enemy is defeated in the end.

11.Where does the sunshine come from？

The sunshine come from smiles and deceitful wiles.

12.In stanza 1 , what happens to an anger that is not settled?

The anger will continue to grow.

13.What happened when he did not tell his foe？

His wrath began to grow.

14.Which word in the poem means to move quietly without being noticed'?

The word is 'stole'.

15.Identify a phrase in the poem which effectively describes the silent cunning scheming of
the persona？

'soft deceitful wiles'

16.How did the persona nurture his wrath?

He tended to it like a beloved tree , he 'watered it in fears' and in his tears , sunned it with
smiles.

17.Which word in stanza 1 shows the persona is similar to an apple tree?

Grow.

18. 'I was angry with my friend'

How could you avoid getting angry with a friend?State a good effect of your actions.

I would not listen to rumors so easily because rumors can be wrong and can bring bad
consequence and destroy friendship.

19.In stanza 2 , what did the persona tend to his plant？

The persona watered it in fears.

The persona sunned it with smiles and deceitful wiles.

20.What is the poem about?

The poem is about the bad effects of holding oneˊs anger.

Itˊs about anger management.

21.In stanza 4, why did the persona feel happy?

He felt happy because his foe fell into his trap.

22.In stanza 1,why do you think the persona did not want to tell his enemy that he was angry?

Maybe because he was afraid of his enemy.

23.What happened when the persona told a friend that the persona was angry with him?

The persona stopped being angry.

24.The poet,so far, has being talking about what?

The personaˊs suppressed anger.

25.Do you think revenge solves problems. Give a reason for your answer.

No,It is pointless. Revenge does not solve any problem, it just make it worse.

26.What lessons have you learnt from the poem? State two.

Communication is important to avoid misunderstanding.

We must also learn to forgive and forget.

27.Why does the foe want the apple?

It belonged to someone else and it was tempting.

28.In stanza 3,what did the apple refer to?

The apple refer to the persona’s anger /hatred.

29."I was angry with my foe"

State one bad effect of anger & suggest a solution to manage anger.

Effect : Anger can make you lose your judgement.

Solution : Make sure you get the right facts about an issue before you get angry.
30.Which word in stanza 2 that has the same meaning as “dishonest”?
Deceitful

31.What would you do if you had a misunderstanding with your enemy? Suggest 2 ways.
Talk to my enemy and solve the problem
ignore my enemy

32. In this poem, the persona was angry with his foe. If you were the persona’s friend, what
advice would you give to him?

Advice 1 . I would advise my friend to speak honestly to his foe so they could clear the
misunderstanding between them

Advice 2: I would advise my friend to forgive his foe because being angry would only hurt
him and his foe

33.If you were the persona, would you have been glad to see your “foe outstretched beneath
the tree”? Give a reason to support your answer.

Yes because he had done something bad to me. OR

No, because we could have forgiven each other’s mistake.

34. How would you feel if you had a misunderstanding with your friend? Explain.
Feelings : upset/sad/ unhappy

Explanation : I have no one to talk to.

35.Do you agree with the persona’s feeling? Give a reason for your answer.
No, because it is wrong to kill someone.

Yes because the persona felt contented.

36.What did the persona do to ensure that the tree grew healthily?
He watered it with tears / He sunned it with smiles/ He sunned it with soft deceitful wiles

37.What will happen if we bottle up our anger or suppress it for a long time?

It is harmful for us and those around us because hatred breeds hatred.

38.What will happen when a person is nourished with evil thoughts and feelings from young?

He will grow up to be violent and full of misdemeanors.

39. Which phrase is stanza 1 has the same meaning as ‘kept his anger to himself’
I told it not

40. In the morning glad I see

My foe outstretched beneath the tree’
-In your opinion, how did the persona feel that morning?
The persona felt happy/ excited/ glad/ contented