“Imagery means a word of sequence of world that refers to any sensory experience” - X.J Kennedy

2. 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

3. 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.

4. 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.

5. 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.

6. 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”.

7. 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.

8. 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.

9. A Poison Tree
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.

10. 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.

11. 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.

12. 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.

13. 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.

14. 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.

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Kennedy, X.J. 1933. Literature : An Introduction to Fiction Poetry and Drama. US :
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