Starter quiz
- What's the best definition of conflict?
- a war or physical fight
- a serious disagreement or argument ✓
- a time free from disturbance
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- A direct comparison of two things using the verb 'to be' is known as a ______.
- 'metaphor' ✓
- Before reading a poem for the first time you can analyse its ______ to help you predict what it's about.
- 'title' ✓
- Identify the sentence which uses the first person pronoun.
- I went to the market. ✓
- You went to the market.
- He went to the market.
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- Visually descriptive or figurative language used to create pictures in the mind of the reader is known as ...
- simile
- imagery ✓
- hyperbole
- personification
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- What emotion does wrath describe?
- fear
- anger ✓
- frustration
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Exit quiz
- Match the keywords with their definitions.
- wrath⇔intense anger or rage ✓
- foe⇔an enemy or opponent ✓
- extended metaphor⇔a comparison between two things developed throughout a work ✓
- critique⇔detailed analysis or evaluation ✓
- The movement which placed emphasis on emotion, individualism and nature was known as the ______ movement.
- 'romantic' ✓
- What is Blake's main message in 'A Poison Tree'?
- showing your anger can be dangerous
- repressing your anger can be dangerous ✓
- showing any emotion at all can be dangerous
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- Starting with the first, put the events described in Blake's 'A Poison Tree' in chronological order.
- 1⇔The speaker represses his feelings of anger.
- 2⇔The speaker's anger is watered and sunned .
- 3⇔The speaker's anger grows into a tree.
- 4⇔The speaker's tree "bore an apple".
- 5⇔The speaker's foe steals into their garden.
- 6⇔The speaker's foe is poisoned under the tree.
- A Poison Tree' explores the ______ conflict of the speaker.
- 'internal' ✓
- What method does Blake use throughout 'A Poison Tree' which is typical of his Romantic style?
- semantic fields
- extended simile
- natural imagery ✓
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Worksheet
Presentation
Video
Lesson Details
Key learning points
- Taken from Blake's 'Songs of Experience', the poem helps children understand the negative world they live in.
- 'A Poison Tree' explores the internal conflict of the speaker.
- The poem arguably explores the dangers of repressing emotions, such as anger.
- Blake uses natural imagery, a staple of the Romantic Era.
Common misconception
Blake was a Romantic poet and artist and thus was critical of many societal beliefs and attitudes, namely religion which was called into question in the Enlightenment period just prior to this.
The Romantics did acknowledge and agree with many Enlightenment ideas but, by and large, they were religious in their writing. Blake was a deeply religious man and his critique of religion was focused mainly on how it was interpreted by society.
Keywords
Wrath - intense anger or rage directed towards someone or something
Foe - an enemy or opponent; someone or something opposed or hostile to another
Extended metaphor - a comparison between two things emphasising their shared qualities, developed throughout a work
Romantic - linked to a historical cultural movement emphasising emotion, individualism and nature
Critique - detailed analysis or evaluation, often highlighting strengths, weaknesses, and implications