In this paper, the writer tries to analyze a poem, entitled “A Poison Tree” written by William Blake. The purpose of this writing is to appreciate and analyze the using of imagery in the poem. To analyze the poem, the writer uses the theory of imagery. From analyzing the poem, the writer wants to share the expression that is contained in the poem. It can be concluded that the poem is easier to understand by knowing the imagery inside the poem.
Keywords: Imagery, expression
1. Introduction
Poetry is an act of expressing the feelings that is
written, but it contains a lot of meaning beyond its form. It might seem as
simple, but it can send sigh, feel, smell, and other components of human senses
to the readers. According to A Handbook
of Literature by C. Hugh Holman, “Poetry
is the term applied to the many forms in which human beings have given rythmyc
expression to their most imaginative and intense perceptions of the world,
themselves, and the interrelationship of the two” (1984:341).
According to this definition, a poem can be analyzed
to understand the messages in it. The writer has chosen the poem titled “A Poison Tree” to be analyzed as the
object of study.
2.1.
Imagery
Imagery is used to explain the sense
experience which is drawn through language. It transfers the feeling from the
author to the readers, so the readers can comprehend fully what the author is
trying to explain in the poem. The essential thing in analyzing poem is
imagery, so the existence of imagery can not put aside. As stated in the book
entitled Literature: An Introduction to
Fiction, Poetry and Drama by X.J Kennedy, “Imagery means a word of sequence of world that refers to any sensory
experience” (1933:465). There are some different kinds of imagery such as
visual imagery, auditory imagery, olfactory imagery, gustatory imagery, tactile
imagery, and kinesthetic imagery but, there are only 3 kinds that the writer is
going to discuss.
2.1.1. Visual Imagery
Visual imagery needs the capability of the eye
capturing what it sees. This kind of imagery is the most frequent type of
imagery, used to recreate a certain image. For example in Joshua Sylvester’s poetry,
Autumnus in stanza 1 line 1-2 “When the leaves in autumn wither, with a
tawny tanned face”. The leaves “wither” and “a tawny tanned face” can be
seen by our eyes to describe the process and how it looks like.
2.1.2. Organic Imagery
Organic imagery concentrates on
recreating internal sensation that only can be felt inside someone’s body, such
as hunger, happy, calm, or sad. For example in Robert Frost’s poetry, Birches in stanza 1 line 45-46 “It’s when I weary of consideration, And life
is too much like a pathless wood”. There is “weary of” explaining the
feeling of boredom from “I” which it can only be felt only by “I”.
2.1.3. Kinesthetic
Imagery
Kinesthetic Imagery clarifies
the description that there is
movement or action. For example in Alfred, Lord Tennyson’s poetry, The Eagle in stanza 1 line 6 “And
like a thunderbolt he falls”. There is “falls” in this line which explains
action that is done.
3. Biography and Poetry
3.1 Biography
William Blake, was born in Soho, London, on November
28, 1757. He was the son of a London hosier. His only formal education was in
art: at the age of 10 he entered the drawing school and
later studied for a time at the school of the Royal Academy of Arts. His earliest poems are contained in Poetical Sketches 1783 at the expense of
his friend, Flaxman and Mrs. Mathew. In 1789 he engraved and published Songs of Innocence and of Experience, in
which it was the first time he showed the mystical cast of his mind. Blake developed his
characteristic lyric technique of compressed metaphors and symbols which
explode into multiply of meanings. Gradually, Blake developed and integrated
his symbols into an extensive mythology of his own devising. In August 12, 1827,
he died in his 70th year, singing songs inspired by his visions of
heaven.
3.2 Poetry
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 watered it in fears,
Night and 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 veiled the pole;
In the morning glad I see
My foe outstretched beneath the tree.
4. Discussion
4.1. Visual Imagery
And I watered it in fears.
Night and morning
with my tears. (stanza 2 line 1-2)
In line 2, the author explains about the times when he
waters on his plant. The visual imagery can be seen from ‘night’ and ‘morning’
because it needs the sense of sight to recognize whether the time is ‘night’ or
‘morning’. In this line, the author describes more about how his anger grows
and the time.
And it grew
both day and night, (stanza 3
line 1)
This line is full of visual imagery which are ‘grew’
and ‘day and night’. ‘Grew’ tells us about the change in size or amount, and
the writer explains that he sees the growth process, so it needs sense of sight
to recognize it. The writer also gives the information about its time in ‘day
and night’ which can be seen by the sense of sight.
Till
it bore an apple bright (stanza
3 line 2)
Visual imagery is in ‘an apple bright’ because apple
is a kind of things that can be seen by eye and bright is something that can
only be caught by sense of sight reflecting a lot of light . In this line the
author tells the readers that after his wrath grow, finally it becomes bigger
and put the author on the top of his anger.
And my foe beheld it shine (stanza 3 line 3)
The author wants to tell the readers about the impact
after bearing ‘an apple bright’. This distract his foe’s attention. ‘Shine’
gives out or reflect the light, and it needs sense of sight to notice it.
And into my garde stole
When the night
had veiled the pole;
In the morning glad I see
My foe outstretched beneath
the tree. (stanza 4 line 1-4)
‘The night’ is visual imagery because to recognize it,
we need the sense of sight. The visual imagery comes within ‘the night’ which
gives information that something is happened in the author’s garden when the
night covered the sky or when the sky got dark. In these lines, the author
gives vivid description through his eyes. He mentions the time which is in ‘the
night’ and ‘the morning’, and he also mentions that he glad because of seeing
his foe outstretched beneath the tree after stealing ‘an apple bright’ in the previous
night.
4.2. Organic Imagery
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. (stanza 1 line 1-4)
In this stanza, there are two signs of organic
imagery, which are ‘angry’ and ‘wrath’. These signs represent strong feelings
against someone who hurts the author or have bad behavior. The author opens the
poem with two part of story. First, when the author feels angry with his friend
then he tells his wrath and it is over. In the other hand, when the author
feels angry with someone, who is known as his foe, he keeps the feelings, and
denies to express it then the feelings grow bigger than before.
In the morning glad I see
My foe outstretched beneath
the tree (stanza 4 line 3-4)
The word ‘glad’ is considered as an organic imagery because the author
shows pleasure feeling inside him. The author might want to emphasize his
happiness towards his foe calamity since we know that from the beginning of the
poem the author keeps his wrath for his foe.
4.3. Kinesthetic
Imagery
And
I watered it in fears (stanza 2 line 1)
The
word ‘watered’ is considered as a kinesthetic imagery because it describes an
action. This shows an action from the author to nurture his wrath which is
drawn as plant.
And
it grew both day and night, (stanza 3 line 1)
In
this line, the author describes his wrath, which is drawn as plant,
experiencing movement. Kinesthetic imagery is shown in the process of growth
that is explained in day and night. The author tells au about how his wrath
become bigger day by day.
And
into my garden stole (stanza 4 line 1)
The
word ‘stole’ is a past tense of a verb ‘steal’ which means something like sneak
in secretly taking something. The word ‘stole’ is kinesthetic imagery because
it describes an action from the foe. The author tells us about the activity
that the foe do in the night which is sneak in the author’s garden secretly and
takes something from the garden.
5. Conclusion
William Blake’s “A poison Tree” is a poem which
describe the feeling, especially anger for someone who is friend or foe. From
the analysis, we can learn about controlling anger within ourselves. When we
are not pleased with someone’s attitude, we might tell it instead of letting it
be still in our heart, so it will not annoy. Telling the truth about your
feeling is more release than keep it. In this poem Blake describes a condition
where keeping the anger will give bad result because you might think that it is
fine, but you do not have any idea about the future. The wrath might come and
attack you in the future, and it makes you want to make revenge.
References
Holmann, C. Hugh. 1985. A
Handbook to Literature. Indianapolis:
ITT Bobbs-Merrill Educational Publishing Company,
Inc.
Perrine,
Laurence., Thomas R. Arp. 1992. Sound and
Sense: An Introduction to Poetry. United States of America: Harcourt Brace Jovanovich College
Publishers.
Abrams., Ford., Daiches. 1890. The Norton Anthology of English Literature
Volume 2. England: W. W. Norton and Company.
Echols, John M., Hassan Shadili. 2000. Kamus Inggris Indonesia. Jakarta:
Gramedia.
Kennedy, X.J. 1933. Literature : An Introduction to
Fiction Poetry and Drama. US : Exlibus.
Chatman,
Seymour. 1968. An Introduction to The
Laguage of Poetry. Boston: Houghton Mifflin Company.
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