William Blake
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.
How do the themes of wrath and secrecy intersect over the course of the poem?
Responses
A The angrier the speaker gets, the more he nurses his wrath in secret.The angrier the speaker gets, the more he nurses his wrath in secret.
B The speaker's friend keeps the speaker's wrath a secret from his enemy.The speaker's friend keeps the speaker's wrath a secret from his enemy.
C The more the speaker keeps his wrath secret, the more his anger diminishes.The more the speaker keeps his wrath secret, the more his anger diminishes.
D The angrier the speaker becomes at his foe, the more he keeps his feelings about his friend secret.
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The correct response is:
A The angrier the speaker gets, the more he nurses his wrath in secret.
In the poem, the speaker expresses his anger toward his foe by choosing not to communicate his feelings, which causes his wrath to grow. In contrast, when he is angry with his friend, he expresses his feelings, which helps to resolve his anger. This intersection of secrecy and growing wrath is central to the poem's message about the destructive nature of uncommunicated anger.
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