I was wondering if you could help me I have to evaluate William Blake's Poem A Poison Tree for the characteristics of poetry as distinct from prose and tell how the characteristics are significant.

First you need to figure out what are the differences between poetry and prose. What makes you say-that's a poem versus that's a paragraph?

Some thoughts-- poetry is generally figurative, using metaphorical language to describe things. Poetry hints a lot. It often rhymes, or uses lines of a certain length (meter) You can probably come up with some others.

Now look at A Poison Tree, and see if you can spot any of those things. Note them down. That's the first part of the assignment.

pam

That, and noticing it rhymes would do it.