"Anger," "wrath," and "fear" are very prominent in the short sixteen-line piece and engulf you from the start. In this paper, there will be an argument that "A Poison Tree" is a symbol for the lack of restraint and self-control in man. An argument that Blake, if referring to himself in the poem, uses himself as the serpent from the Garden of Eden, except as a serpent with a conscious. The first stanza shows In …showed first 75 words of 5208 total…

…showed last 75 words of 5208 total…were very characteristic of the time. Although Blake uses "A Poison Tree" to point out the lack of self-control and restraint in man, he also shows the tempter, the serpent, with a conscious, which differs from the Bible greatly. Overall, I believe that the poem is one of Blake’s best works from Songs of Experience. I feel that Blake’s use of imagery, allegory, symbolism and illustration really set this poem apart from others.