Wait a second!
More handpicked essays just for you.
Songs of innocence and of experience analysis
Criticism of William Blake
Criticism of William Blake
Don’t take our word for it - see why 10 million students trust us with their essay needs.
Innocence and Experience
1410 Words3 Pages
As a new way to criticize the Romantic period, desperate times call for desperate measures and it did through the use of children’s point of view in Romantic poetry. A period of fifty years called Romantic period included the French Revolution, the American Revolution and wars of national independence in Europe. William Blake, one of well known Romantic poets, commented on his society by viewing it through the child’s eyes in the two sets of ‘Songs of innocence and of Experience’. It is said that ignorance is a blessing but not according to William Blake.
Blake has another meaning to ‘Innocence’; He refers innocence to ignorance. This means that innocence is corrupted and full of naivety. It is the ignorance of corruption, of the real world order. It is not the state of being ignorant that William Blake hated but being stuck on that state is the problem. We are born innocent but we must lose this innocence and regain it to deserve it. It’s not about never fall but it’s about rising every time we fall. How do we lose our innocence? We lose it by ‘Experience’. What is ‘Experience’? It is getting out of our own understanding of the real world and seeing its true face. In a way, a child represents innocence; an unstained innocence seeing the world as a place of peace, love, forgiveness and ideal place where dreams come true. Soon the child will meet the real life and soon he will be stained, soon he will decide whether to rise or to fall. Life is full of deception and William Blake depicts the deception of religious system, social and politics. In his master piece Songs of Experience and of Innocence, William Blake uses the child to explore the world anew. From this perspective, he is able to speak about the world and expose its rea...
... middle of paper ...
... which is experience. Through our experience we should search for a higher innocence. Innocence in Blake’s Songs of Innocence is mocked by experience in Songs of Experience. Children and women were being abused and Blake defended their status through his sets of poems that present two different perspectives on life back in 1800. The genius part in the two sets of poems is that Blake managed to see the world anew through the eyes of children hidden between the line and in rhetorical devices.
Works Cited
Lawrence, Karen, Betsy Seifter, and Lois Ratner. The McGraw-Hill Guide to ENGLISH LITERATURE. New York: McGRAW-HILL BOOK COMPANY, 1985.
Punter, David. “William Blake”. Literature in Context. Eds. Rick Rylance and Judy Simons. NY: Palgrave, 2001. 79-90
Stephen Bygrave. “Romantic poems and contexts” Romantic writing. Ed. Stephen Bygrave. The Open University, 2004
Related
The Private Memoirs And Confession Of A Justified Sinner Analysis
1474 Words | 3 PagesFrom childhood he was unlike those around him. He went to school to study art and found his love of poetry. From his early childhood, Blake spoke of having visions. He spoke of seeing God and the Angels. He married his with Catherine Boucher in 1782. His brother, Robert died, but this is where Blake got a lot of inspiration for his work. In 1789 Blake wrote and illustrated the popular Songs of Innocence and Songs of Experience in 1794. His poetry was extremely non-conformist and focused on imagination, rather than reason. Both works have many common parallels and themes. His poetry also deals with the common aspect of a romanticism work; it has moments of sin, suffering and salvation. In Songs of Innocence, The Chimney Sweeper, it is a heartbreaking poem about the young children that were forced into doing labor as chimneysweepers. Mostly because they were the only ones small enough to fit in the spaces and they were sold into that work. It was damaging and cruel how they treated these children and Blake writes about it in such a powerful way. In the first stanza alone the reader learns about the difficult life and the suffering this child has had to overcome, “When my mother died when I was young, my father sold me while yet my tongue…so, your Chimney’s I sweep and in soot I sleep.” (Songs of Innocence) This poor child is portrayed so innocently and gentle, yet leads this suffering unfortunate life. People treated
The Violation of William Blake's Songs of Innocence
2435 Words | 5 PagesMason, Michael. Notes to William Blake: A Critical Edition of the Major Works. Ed. Michael Mason. Oxford: Oxford University Press, 1988.
Blake's View on Oppression of Children by Adults
1171 Words | 3 PagesThe fact that they feel they can sit about the knee of their mother, in this stereotypical image of a happy family doesn’t suggest that the children in this poem are oppressed... ... middle of paper ... ... y has a negative view of the childish desire for play which clearly has an effect on the children. The fact that they the are whispering shows that they are afraid of the nurse, and that they cannot express their true thoughts and desires freely, which is why they whisper, and therefore shows that Blake feels that children are oppressed. I feel that the two poems from innocence which are ‘The Echoing Green,’ and ‘The Nurses Song,’ display Blake’s ideological view of country life which I referred to in my introduction, and show his desire for childhood to be enjoyed.
Motherhood In The Grendel's Mother
1096 Words | 3 PagesGreenblatt, Stephen, and M. H. Abrams. The Norton anthology of English literature. 9th ed., A, New York, W.W. Norton & Company, 2012. Pp
The Theme of the Suffering Innocent in Blake's London
1071 Words | 3 PagesThe theme of the suffering innocent person, dying and being diseased, throws a dark light onto the London seen through the eyes of William Blake. He shows us his experiences, fears and hopes with passionate images and metaphors creating a sensibility against oppression hypocrisy. His words come alive and ask for changes in society, government and church. But they remind us also that the continued renewal of society begins with new ideas, imagination and new works in every area of human experience.
Rebellion As Art By William Blake
2117 Words | 5 PagesWilliam Blake was a modern thinker with a recalcitrant political spirit. He used poetry and art as sociopolitical weapons, which were raised boldly against the establishment. These sociopolitical weapons, which began with him, are still used today in all types of artistic and political activities. Although known as a madman and a mystic, (Elliott) his art and his poetry were guided by the visions of radical change. Even today, his work is both relevant and profound. The brilliant approach he took with difficult political and moral topics created unique artistic representations that are very much as relevant today as they were when Blake first adopted their use.
In Like a Lamb, Out Like a Tyger (An analysis of the poems, Lamb and Tyger using Songs of Innocence and Experience)
658 Words | 2 PagesTo being with, the poem “The Lamb” by William Blake fits into the category Songs of Innocence by using simplistic views and easy language. This poem is written using very simple words and English along with a rhyming scheme. For example, “Gave thee clothing of delight, Softest clothing wooly and bright, Gave thee such a tender voice, Making all the vales rejoice!” (Blake, The Lamb, page 784, lines 5-8) This poem is written for children since it uses a comforting tone and an almost soothing voice. From these examples it is for an educated reason that this poem shall be placed in Songs of Innocence. Due to the fact that this poem is made for the warm hearted, and for young children this poem shows the innocence of the lamb in its entirety. Th...
“A Poison Tree”: The Fruit of One’s Saber
2306 Words | 5 PagesDuring a period of Romanticism and a strong appreciation for literature, William Blake proved to the literary world that “Imagination is a doorway to the infinite.” Blake was more than just your average poet; he was a creator of beauty. His work came alive through the words and illustrations he hand made and published. Songs of Innocence and Songs of Experience are Blake’s two symphonies of words that convey the juxtaposing ideas of human nature. “The Poison Tree” is the perfect representation of the experience aspect of Blake’s work due to the way it pulls the reader to ”disillusionment with human nature and society.” It leaves the reader in awe of the capability of humans and causes us to reflect on our own decadent actions in correlation to one of the seven deadly sins; the wrath of human beings.
Child's Innocence In The Poetry Of William Blake And William Wordsworth
1788 Words | 4 PagesThe idea of the child’s innocence is shown through their interactions with others and their descriptions in both of these writers’ poems. For example, in the introduction to “Songs of Innocence” the interaction between the child and the narrator depicts the amount of innocence he has for laughing and enjoying life up in a tree while telling the narrator to write about merry cheer and the Lamb. This example shows innocence because innocent children are usually the happiest for they do not know as many of the horrors of life yet. The child being in a tree relates to Wordsworth’s religious view of being one with nature and how children are delightful and free. Another example of childhood innocence, is in William Blake’s poem “Holy Thursday” he refers to the children as innocent looking and having clean faces. When the children are described as being clean or having something of the color white that usually means purity and innocence. Since Blake wrote many of his passages on religion, the color white also has to do with the purity of the soul and being free from sin. Another example of this would be in “The Chimney Sweeper” when the little boy lost his white hair, this refers to the child losing his innocence or
The Poem Spring in Blake's Songs of Innocence and of Experience
729 Words | 2 PagesIn Songs of Innocence and of Experience, Blake differentiates between being experienced and being innocent. In the poem "Spring," the speaker focuses on the coming of spring and the excitement surrounding it which is emphasized by the trochaic meter of the poem. Everyone, including the animals and children, is joyful and getting ready for the new season, a season of rebirth and a new arrival of nature’s gifts.
The Lamb vs. The Tyger By William Blake
1087 Words | 3 PagesIn this essay I am going to be looking at two poems from the Songs of innocence and experience works. These poems are The Lamb and The Tyger written by William Blake. Both these poems have many underlying meanings and are cryptic in ways and both poems are very different to each other. In this essay I will be analysing the two poems, showing my opinions of the underlying themes and backing them up with quotes from the poems. I will compare the poems looking at the similarities and differences between them and also look at each one individually focusing on the imagery, structure and the poetic devices William Blake has used. Firstly I will look at the Tyger a poem about experience.
Blake And William Wordsworth Analysis
1990 Words | 4 PagesHe portrayed their innocence through their interactions with others. Whereas in Blake’s poetry, the children were shown as innocent through their demeanor or through their physical appearance. An example of this would be in Wordsworth’s poem “We are Seven”. Innocence was shown through the little cottage girl’s interaction with the narrator.
Tennyson's Ulysses as a Victorian Role Model
2160 Words | 5 PagesCritical Survey of Poetry. Ed. Frank N. Magill. Vol. 7.
If the Romantic poet is as William Wordsworth said a man speaking to men
1725 Words | 4 Pagesby different names and as a separate category, highlighting their. differences. The. Children to Blake are extremely important, especially in the context of poetry, indeed in "The Introduction to Songs of Innocence. He says that the poems are "for children to hear" and concentrates on a child's view of life. It is not possible to say that Blake's poetry excludes women and children as so many of his poems are.
Childhood
1788 Words | 4 PagesIn the William Blake’s Songs of Innocence and of Experience, the vision of children and adults are placed in opposition of one another. Blake portrays childhood as a time of optimism and positivity, of heightened connection with the natural world, and where joy is the overpowering emotion. This joyful nature is shown in Infant Joy, where the speaker, a newborn baby, states “’I happy am,/ Joy is my name.’” (Line 4-5) The speaker in this poem is portrayed as being immediately joyful, which represents Blake’s larger view of childhood as a state of joy that is untouched by humanity, and is untarnished by the experience of the real world. In contrast, Blake’s portrayal of adulthood is one of negativity and pessimism. Blake’s child saw the most cheerful aspects of the natural wo...
More about Innocence and Experience
The Private Memoirs And Confession Of A Justified Sinner Analysis
1474 Words | 3 PagesThe Violation of William Blake's Songs of Innocence
2435 Words | 5 PagesBlake's View on Oppression of Children by Adults
1171 Words | 3 PagesMotherhood In The Grendel's Mother
1096 Words | 3 PagesThe Theme of the Suffering Innocent in Blake's London
1071 Words | 3 PagesRebellion As Art By William Blake
2117 Words | 5 PagesIn Like a Lamb, Out Like a Tyger (An analysis of the poems, Lamb and Tyger using Songs of Innocence and Experience)
658 Words | 2 Pages“A Poison Tree”: The Fruit of One’s Saber
2306 Words | 5 PagesChild's Innocence In The Poetry Of William Blake And William Wordsworth
1788 Words | 4 PagesThe Poem Spring in Blake's Songs of Innocence and of Experience
729 Words | 2 PagesThe Lamb vs. The Tyger By William Blake
1087 Words | 3 PagesBlake And William Wordsworth Analysis
1990 Words | 4 PagesTennyson's Ulysses as a Victorian Role Model
2160 Words | 5 PagesIf the Romantic poet is as William Wordsworth said a man speaking to men
1725 Words | 4 PagesChildhood
1788 Words | 4 Pages