William Blake was one of the most influential writers to come from the romantic period. Writers and artists who rose from this time period were more free spirited and focused more on philosophy than religion. LIke many from his time, William Blake wrote about society and nature; what was in his heart. “All the knowledge I possess everyone else can acquire, but my heart is all my own”(Wolfgang von Goethe). This statement represents the way of thinking in the romantic era, writes such as Blake wrote what was in their own hearts. Blake is most well known for his use of archetypes in his writings. Archetypes are ideas with emotional power, plot pattern, or character types, usually in a symbolic form. In William Blake’s four poems: The Lamb, The Tyger, The Chimney Sweeper, and Infant sorrow; Blake uses archetypes. …show more content…
In this poem, innocence is represented by the lamb. The poem, in its entirety, uses childlike techniques and a soft, defenseless animal as his archetype to show innocence. The poem uses repetition and simple words to declare its purpose. These points are shown when William blake states, “Little Lamb who made thee Dost thou know who made thee.” (Page 748 Line 1) The archetypes in this poem represent the idea of innocence. The idea of innocence comes from Blake’s Songs of innocence and songs of experience.
In contradiction, William Blake’s poem, The Tyger, shows the use of archetypes through the tyger. The tyger, himself, is a symbol for anger, power, and strength. Unlike, The Lamb, this poem uses a more complex writing style. This poem differs from, The Lamb, in writing styles, for example, Blake doesn’t use repetition in this poem. This poem has a more mature and complex meaning, it is more serious and dark. In this poem, Blake questions God’s motives when he says, “Did he smile his work to see? Did he who made the Lamb make thee?” (Page 749 Line
It begins with the repetition of the name ("Tyger, tyger"). The repetition creates a chant-like mood to the whole poem, which contributes to the mysteriousness. Reading it, you can’t help but get the feeling this poem is about way more than the biggest cat in the world. The poem begins with the speaker asking a fearsome tiger what kind of divine being could have created it: “What immortal hand or eye/ Could frame they fearful symmetry?”
Blake was one of the foremost poets in the Romantic Era. Blake valued the unattainable as much as the other poets of his time did. The main goal, although impossible to attain was, "the Ideal, a state in which a perfect union between nature and human comprehension was accomplished" ( Marcotte 16).
apart, a lonely and isolated figure, out of touch with his own age and without
Poetry Essay ENGL 102: Literature and Composition Spring D 2015 Charles Parmenter ID L22851438 Turabian Thesis: The poem “The Lamb,” by William Blake, uses the simplicity of a children’s song to communicate the spiritual truth that God has created everything, and uses this creation to reveal His true nature. I. Introduction II. Content a. Compare stanza 1 with stanza 2 b. Describe theme c. Authors intent d. Readers take away III.
For example, in “Infant Joy,” Blake demonstrates the child’s eye and sense of wonder that we find in the incorruptibility of infants. Blake presents a truly pure creature in the first stanza:
The Romantic Period centered on creative imagination, nature, mythology, symbolism, feelings and intuition, freedom from laws, impulsiveness, simplistic language, personal experiences, democracy, and liberty, significant in various art forms including poetry. The development of the self and self-awareness became a major theme as the Romantic Period was seen as an unpredictable release of artistic energy, new found confidence, and creative power found in the writings of the Romantic poets Blake, Wordsworth, Coleridge, Keats, and Shelley, who made a substantial impact on the world of poetry. Two of the Romantic poets, William Blake, and Percy Bysshe Shelley rebelled against convention and authority in search of personal, political and artistic freedom. Blake and Shelley attempted to liberate the subjugated people through the contrary state of human existence prevalent throughout their writings, including Blake’s “The Chimney Sweepers,” from “Songs of Innocence”, “London,” from “Songs of Experience” and Shelley’s A Song: “Men of England.”
William Blake’s 1793 poem “The Tyger” has many interpretations, but its main purpose is to question God as a creator. Its poetic techniques generate a vivid picture that encourages the reader to see the Tyger as a horrifying and terrible being. The speaker addresses the question of whether or not the same God who made the lamb, a gentle creature, could have also formed the Tyger and all its darkness. This issue is addressed through many poetic devices including rhyme, repetition, allusion, and symbolism, all of which show up throughout the poem and are combined to create a strong image of the Tyger and a less than thorough interpretation of its maker.
In the poem “The Tyger” by William Blake, the use of rhyme, repetition, allusion, and symbolism all help the reader understand the theme and what was going through the authors thoughts while writing. William Blake was a mystic poet who channeled his thoughts and questions to write poems. He questioned the creator of both the Tyger and lamb, how could the same God create a destructive creature like the Tyger and on the other hand create a gentle animal, the lamb. This ties into the theme of the poem of how a God could and would create a monster like the Tyger.
During this time William Blake voiced his opinion against “oppressive institutions like the church or the monarchy, or any and all cultural traditions-sexist, racists, or classist-which stifled imagination or passion” (The Tyger). Many scholars viewed “The Tyger” as a dangerous piece because dances with religious dogma. However, this poem is one of Blake’s many mirroring pieces of work. He wrote this poem in conjunction with his other poem called, “The Lamb.” “The Tyger” was written for Blake’s poetry collection called Songs of Experience.
In Blake’s poems “The Lamb” and “The Tyger,” he uses archetypes. In “The Lamb,” the lamb symbolizes innocence. The tiger in “The Tyger,” is a symbol of experience. I am personally much more like the lamb. Why is “The Tyger” in Songs of Experience and “The Lamb” in Songs of
Romanticism is described as the period across the eighteenth and nineteenth centuries, following The Enlightenment and Industrial Revolution, that enlightened artists and philosophers developed and expressed revolutionary responses to injustices at the time. On such revolutionary was poet artist William Blake. Blake lived and wrote in England at a time when the Christian Church and Industrialisation held utmost power over people. The philosophic writer saw such values and attitudes as crimes against nature and human nature and sought to protest. William Blake, in his protesting works like Garden of Love and A Little Boy Lost, through the use of irony, sarcasm, aesthetic and metaphor, expresses concerns of corrupted 18th and 19th century Britons.
"What immortal hand or eye, … Could frame thy fearful symmetry? ... On what wings dare he aspire? " Blake creates an image of an otherworldly, supernatural being. "
Throughout “Innocence” there are many references to “The Lamb” representing Jesus Christ who was the Sacrificial Lamb, as shown in the poem “The Lamb.” Another common image of religion used by Blake is that of religion as the Shepherd, the Shepherd is “watchful” and ever watching over his sheep, protecting them, Blake is showing religion as
There are two poems in Songs of Innocence that will be discussed in further detail. They are "Introduction", and "The Chimney Sweeper". In both these poems, the characteristic of a caretaker is introduced, which is shown in the relationship of a shepherd who cares for his sheep and the special world in which they live. The first poem is "The Chimney Sweeper". Although there is slight admission to the hardships faced by the innocents of the world, the main view is that of hope and a prayer for a better
William Blake is one of England’s most famous literary figures. He is remembered and admired for his skill as a painter, engraver, and poet. He was born on Nov. 28, 1757 to a poor Hosier’s family living in or around London. Being of a poor family, Blake received little in the way of comfort or education while growing up. Amazingly, he did not attend school for very long and dropped out shortly after learning to read and write so that he could work in his father’s shop. The life of a hosier however was not the right path for Blake as he exhibited early on a skill for reading and drawing. Blake’s skill for reading can be seen in his understanding for and use of works such as the Bible and Greek classic literature.