Interpret the quote

4/2/2013

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."
- William Blake

12 Comments

Meadow Wheaton

4/4/2013 03:05:01 pm

Well I think he got over his anger when he fessed up to his friend because they worked it out somehow, as friends should. There must have been some form of communication going on and that's how his "wrath did end." When he was angry with his foe he decided against confronting the foe probably due to tension. That's where went wrong because he solved his problem with his friend through communication. He didn't communicate with the foe and kept it pent up inside, thus making him angrier for some odd reason. Basically he's saying that if you come forward with your feelings and eventually work things out it will make you feel better inside. On the other hand, if you pent up your feelings and thoughts it'll just make things worse for you.

Tanabe

4/4/2013 03:25:34 pm

Meadow,

Great explanation. Funny how emotions sometimes work like that, isn't it? Like you said, communication is key.

Claire Zielinski link

4/9/2013 01:06:41 pm

I think that the quote is very true when you tell someone about your anger it works out and it goes away. When you bottle it up though it will just build up and your anger just grows within you. A lot of the time when people try to hide it finally when you have another fight or the anger is brought up again it comes out. Normally you start yelling and working it out is more dramatic and louder than it could have been if you settled it from the begging.

Ashli Penrose

4/10/2013 11:53:30 am

The quote to me means:
I got mad at my friend and told him about it and we're cool now.
I got mad at some I really don't like, kept it to myself, and I just got way angrier.

Madyson Guzman

4/12/2013 01:45:13 pm

This quote makes me laugh because of how true it is for almost everyone.there are two interpretations I have for this quote; one is: they got mad at a human friend and talked it out and then, "their wrath did end."
then they got mad at a human foe and decided not to talk about it with them therefore, "their wrath did grow."

the second one is, they got mad at a friend, as in God, and talked to him about it, as in praying, and that being said, their "wrath did end."
they got mad at a foe, as in the Devil, and didn't talk to him because most people don't pray to the Devil, so with that, their "wrath did grow."

~ just my "off the beaten path" thinking I guess.

Taslima Sidhu

4/28/2013 03:12:47 pm

When I read this quote, I thought of how when someone is your friend you will forgive them more givingly because of what they mean to you. But if its someone that you despise, it will take you longer to forgive them because of what they have done to you or whatever the case may be... when the quote says "I told my wrath," i thought of that is when you tell yourself to calm down and just forget about it (I guess).

tom janssen

5/2/2013 03:58:46 pm

When you are angry with someone, whether it be friend or foe, you should tell them about it or your wrath will never end. For example, if you don't like someone saying a certain phrase about you than tell them, or they will make you angry by saying it more often.

Sandy Childress

5/26/2013 02:47:19 pm

He was angry with his friend, but he realized he was his friend and forgave and his anger subsided. When he was angry with his enemy and he didn't forgive and instead he let his anger grow.

Rachelle Austin

5/27/2013 06:27:36 am

This is definately true. When you are mad at someone who is your friend, you can talk to them about about it, resolve the issue, and still be friends. However, when you are mad at someone that you already dislike, you usually don't say anything to them about it and you continue to be angry at them. That's why people can harbor grudges for ridiculously long times.

David Henderson

6/2/2013 08:28:37 am

Well, the literal meanings are easy:
"I was angry with my friend; I told my wrath, my wrath did end."
Blake told one of friends about his anger and he suddenly felt so much better.

"I was angry with my foe; I told it not, my wrath did grow."
Blake didn't tell one of his foes that he was angry, and he just became angrier.

Now, reading in between the lines, I interpret that if you tell someone that you're angry at them, then you two can talk to each other about it. This will create a friendship. However, if you don't talk to them about the issue, then you two become enemies. You might become angry for no apparent reason. That's why you must tell them why you're angry. They have no idea how to fix what they don't know about. Thus, they will probably become angry back, not knowing how to fix the situation. In the end you two are enemies. Anyway, that's how I interpret it.

David Henderson
Period 2

Tregg Peterson

6/12/2013 04:38:19 am

(Cool quote) I believe the quote is talking about a persons emotions and how, when a person is angry or frustrated, they need to let it go sometimes just to cool down. This quote personally may be talking about a friend and how he confronted him about his anger and after confronting him it was all better. Then after he was angry at a person he didn't like and didn't confront that person and his emotions just got more heightened. I really think this quote means when you have a problem with someone, don't just tuck it away and hold a grudge, go out and confront them so that you can feel a sense of relief that the problem is off your shoulders. When you don't confront the person, then your anger (or whatever emotion) grows and grows as you let it sit longer without talking it out.

Alyx Peterson

6/12/2013 06:05:42 am

Why can our anger with a foe be like the anger of a friend. You're comfortable with friends and everything gets resolved and you can move on, but with enemy everything gets bottled up and nothing gets resolved. We chose to let things bother us but we dont do anything about it. If its a choice to hold it in, make it a choice to let it out.

Hold Up!

Dear students -
Remember, you can comment on any post as long as it is still visible on this page. Archived posts have sailed. I award 5 points per comment (only 1 per post please).

Also - you may earn up to 25 points extra credit for the semester. Anything beyond 5 comments is certainly welcome & encouraged, but will gain you no extra points.

The quality and thoughtfulness of your comments will be considered during review.

Interpret the quote

Leave a Reply.

Hold Up!

Archives

Categories